- By Kurt Kopp
- In Home Maintenance
- Tags DIY Projects - Home Maintenance, Home Maintenance, Water Softener
Home Maintenance Reminder: Check your water softener
Home Maintenance: Checking your water softener. What is a water softener, anyway?
A water softener works by removing types of minerals in your water that can lead to making it hard. Because hard water contains more minerals than soft water, it can lead to a buildup, especially calcium. In your kitchen, you will see this on your dishes, and in your bathroom on the showerhead.A water softener can be installed under your kitchen sink to work with that sink alone or as part of your home’s overall plumbing.
Maintaining a Water Softener system can increase the lifespan beyond the typical 10 and 15 years. There are other factors, such as how often you use it, and if you have extremely hard water or well water, your equipment may need to be replaced sooner.
Monthly Maintenance check:
First thing’s first, locating your brine tank. Then to check the salt levels, remove the lid to your brine tank and take a look. An easy way to remember how to maintain proper salt levels is to make sure you can never see the water at the bottom of your brine tank. If you see water when you check your salt levels, its time to add more, fill your brine tank to the halfway point.
Are you concerned that your Water Softener is not working correctly? Here is a checklist to quickly know if it is working or not.
Water Softener IS working:
- No hard water spots.
- No buildup around your faucets.
Water Softener is NOT working:
- Water spots.
- Crusty buildup around your pipes and faucets.
- Soap refuses to lather.
- The water tastes salty.
Here are the top 5 troubleshooting guide for your water softener system.
Are you still having trouble with your Water Softener? If it stops working altogether, there are ways to see what you can do before calling the professionals.
- Your settings are off. What to do: Check that the correct time of day is displayed.
- You have a salt bridge. What to do: Check for a salt bridge, press down on the layer of salt with a broom handle. If you can reach the bottom of the tank, you don’t have a salt bridge. If you do have a salt bridge, gently break up the hardened part.
- You have too much water in the brine tank. What to do: Find a resin cleaner that is specifically designed to remove mineral buildup. Follow the directions on the bottle and pour the correct amount of cleaner into the brine tank.
- Your resin bed needs to be cleaned. What to do: Find a resin cleaner that is specifically designed to remove mineral buildup. Follow the directions on the bottle and pour the correct amount of cleaner into the brine tank.
- Lastly, a Water Softener is old and needs to be replaced.
Water softeners perform an essential job, removing minerals such as calcium and magnesium from the water in your home. Just like any other appliance, a water softener will only last for so long. Eventually, components break, electrical problems occur, and it just stops working. Maintaining your Water Softner will increase its lifespan and decrease potential future issues.
Need Help checking your water softener? Contact Us online at or give Us a call at 1 (503) 3357-8810. From concept to completion, we provide full remodeling services. Let’s Build It!
Kurt Kopp is a dedicated professional with a commitment to excellence. He is a master builder of over 35 years of experience that strives to deliver the highest quality product to his valued customer.
