Excess Water in Tank

It is normal to have about 2-4 inches of water at the very bottom of your salt tank. If you see water harboring higher than the salt level, you may have an obstructed venturi or drain line. Our instructions below walk you through some quick general maintenance to get your softener back on track. 

Locate Your Serial Number

Find the Serial Number printed on the inside rim of the tank, under the salt lid hinges.

Click on your Model:

First seven digits of your serial number.

Manufactured: After 03/2023

Instructional Video Demo

Before You Start!

It is recommended not to use any water using appliances throughout the home while troubleshooting. These would be things like: the shower, flushing toilet, sinks, dishwasher, etc. These appliances will activate the water softener and affect troubleshooting. 

1. Remove the Top Cover:

 a. On the back of the unit, unhook the two clips that hold the cover onto the tank below (see photo). Flex/pull the cover out and away from the system at these clips. 

 b. There are two similar clips holding the front of the cover on as well. Slide the cover towards you to release these clips, being careful not to disconnect any wires. It is normal for the plastic cover to produce some noise as it shifts and bends. 

2. Check for External Leaks

External leaks are usually a symptom of a separate issue. It’s important to ensure there are no external leaks that are causing water to enter the softener first, as this requires separate troubleshooting.

a. Examine the area under the cover for any standing water, as well as the inlet/outlet ports for any evidence of dripping water that could be filling the tank.

b. If you see water in any of these places, visit our External Leaks article for troubleshooting. If not, continue to step 3. 

3. Drain Requirements 

A common reason you may experience excess water in the salt tank is due to the drain lines. Let’s ensure your drain lines meets the installation requirements:

a. There should be 2 separate drain lines coming from the softener to the drain. One from the valve (Drain Hose), and one routed from the elbow on the back of the softener (Overflow Hose). These should not be looped together.

1. Your drain hose cannot be tee’d together with another hose. It needs to have its own separate path to the drain.
2. Your drain hose must not exceed 8 feet vertically (from the floor) and 30 feet horizontally in its route to the drain.
3. Your drain hose must have an air gap of 1 – 1 ½ inches between the end of the hose and the drain itself:

4. Cleaning the Drain Hose

Excess water can gather in the salt tank because it is not escaping through the drain hose. Let’s make sure the drain hose is clear of any sort of obstruction.

a. Remove the drain hose adapter:

• • Push the softener's bypass valve INTO the bypass position to stop water flow to the system. 

• • Locate the rectangular clip that holds the drain hose adaptor elbow to the softener head (location pictured). The clip pulls straight up and out.
  • Pull the entire white plastic drain hose elbow out from the softener head. Keep the drain hose attached to the adaptor.

 NOTE: If the hose is plugged or is installed above the softener, water may run out from the hose.

b. Use a towel inside the drain elbow port to clean any sediment or blockage. 

c. Bring the elbow adaptor to your mouth and blow air through it to confirm there are no obstructions in the drain hose. The adapter may taste salty. 

d. If air does not blow easily through the hose, inspect for clogs or kinks in the hose. If either is found, remove the blockage or unkink the hose so that you can blow easily through the hose. 

e. Reconnect the elbow adaptor to the valve head and reattach the black rectangular clip.

f. Pull the bypass valve back out into the service position to allow water flow again.

5. Check for Suction

Next, we need to determine if the venturi is creating suction. Suction from the venturi tells us that the softener is drawing brine out of the salt tank properly.

a. Hold the Recharge button until the motor starts to turn, then let go. This initiates a recharge. On most units, the tank will start filling.

b. Advance to the Brine cycle by tapping the Recharge button one more time. The Brine cycle is where the softener produces suction at the Venturi to draw brine up through the unit.

Note: If you notice a heavy flow out of your drain hose here, your softener has an extra Clean cycle set up. We need to skip that. Press Recharge once to move the Rinse cycle, then after the motor stops, press Recharge again to move to the Fill cycle. Continue to the next step.

c. Push the softener's bypass valve INTO the bypass position.

d. Now it’s time to check if there is suction at the Venturi. To do so, unscrew the black brine hose from the left side of your Venturi assembly (place a towel under the Venturi port – water may come out of it).

e. Slowly pull the bypass handle back into the service position.

• • Note: if you experience heavy amounts of water coming out of the venturi, push the bypass valve into the bypass position and visit our Cleaning the Venturi article. Once complete, return here and continue with step f.
  • While the black brine hose is disconnected, it is recommend to blow through it to ensure that there is no blockage in the line. You can also try drawing water up the brine line. This will tell you if the brine valve is allowing water to be removed (it will be salty.) 

f. Is there suction coming from the Venturi?

There should be consistent suction once the unit is in service. This may take up to a minute to hear. More details about this can be found in our Suction at the Venturi article. 

• • • Yes – continue to next step
    • No – It’s likely you need to clean the Venturi. Don’t worry, it’s easy! Check out our Cleaning the Venturi article. If you've cleaned the venturi and there is still no suction, call one of our experts here Contact Us. 

6. Draining the Water

Now that you’ve verified that the drain lines are installed properly and that there is suction at the venturi, it’s time to test that the drainage issue have been resolved.

a. Reconnect the black brine hose to the venturi. Ensure the bypass valve is in service by pulling the handle out for water flow again. Now it's time to wait and let it go through the recharge cycle.

b. The water should very slowly drain over the next 90 minutes and then high flow out of the drain line for about 15 minutes.  

c. Has this resolved your issue?

• • • Yes - Great! Don’t forget to replace the lid of the softener and faceplate if needed.
    • No - IF your tank does NOT drain down to 2-4 inches of water by the end of this, continue to next step.

7. Brine Valve Assembly

The brine valve is the 4-inch black plastic tube that has the salt levels 1-8 on it. During a recharge cycle, the water circulates in and out of the salt tank through the Brine Valve Assembly, making it an essential route to keep clear.

a. Bypass your softener by pushing the bypass valve into the bypass position. 

b. The brinewell will be in 1 of 2 locations depending on your model.

• • Open the salt lid. If you see the brinewell inside with a cover over it, remove the cover and continue to the next step.
  • If you do not see a cover over the brinewell inside your salt tank, then you will access the brinewell by removing the top cover of the softener and locating the circular opening where the black brine line enters. (see step 1 if you need assistance removing the top cover).
  • Pull up the black brine hose and remove the entire float assembly from the brinewell. If it seems like the black brine hose is too short to remove, there should be extra tubing coiled behind the resin tank. Pull on the tubing for easier access to remove the brine valve assembly. 

c. Disassemble the bottom V-shaped white plastic piece by disconnecting the 2 black clips that hold it together. Clean the internal parts with warm, soapy water and reassemble.

d. Reinsert the assembly into the brinewell. It should rest on the bottom of the well. Secure the hose in the notch on the neck of the well. If you removed the brinewell lid, replace it now.

e. Remove the top cover of the softener if you have not already. See step 1 if you need assistance removing the top cover.

f. On the left-hand side, you will se where a black hose attaches to your Venturi system. This is the brine hose.

g. Unscrew the black brine hose from the Venturi port and blow air through it, confirming the hose is free of obstructions. You should be able to hear bubbles coming up through the water easily. 

• • If you have trouble getting air/water through the hose, you may need to replace the Brine Valve Assembly. If you are still under warranty, have your serial/model number hand and Contact Us. Otherwise, replacement parts can be purchased here.

h. Reattach the black brine hose to the venturi and replace the top cover to the softener.

i. Pull the bypass valve into the service position.

j. Run a manual recharge to verify that your excess water issue has been resolved. To do so:

• • Press and hold the ‘Recharge’ button for a few seconds until you hear the motor kick on, then let go. The motor will turn off quickly and the screen will show ‘Recharge Now’, meaning the system is recharging. 
  • This recharge cycle will take about 2 – 2 ½ hours. You can expect the water level to rise slightly in the first 10 minutes, then slowly drain over the next 90 minutes. The last 10 minutes of the recharge are a fast backwash and rinse of water to the drain.

If the recharge is successful in emptying the brine tank down to about 2-4 inches of water but then the tank fills slowly up overnight or over multiple hours, this is a sign of a leak. Please refer to our Internal Leak article and our Valve Head Leak article for help. 

IF your tank does NOT drain down to 2-4 inches of water by the end of this two-hour recharge, please contact our support team.

Related Articles

No Soft Water

General Maintenance

________________________________________________

Manufactured: Prior to 03/2023

Instructional Video Demo

Before You Start!

It is recommended not to use any water using appliances throughout the home while troubleshooting. These would be things like: the shower, flushing toilet, sinks, dishwasher, etc. These appliances will activate the water softener and affect troubleshooting. 

1. Remove the Top Cover: 

a. On the back of the unit, unhook the two clips that hold the cover onto the tank below (see photo). Flex/pull the cover out and away from the softener at these clips. 

b. There are two similar clips holding the front of the cover on as well. Slide the cover towards you to release these clips, being careful not to disconnect any wires. It is normal for the plastic cover to produce some noise as it shifts and bends.

                            

2. Check for External Leaks

External leaks are usually a symptom of a separate issue. It’s important to ensure there are no external leaks that are causing water to enter the softener first, as this requires separate troubleshooting.

a. Examine the area under the cover for any standing water, as well as the inlet/outlet ports for any evidence of dripping water that could be filling the tank.

b. If you see water in any of these places, visit our External Leaks article for troubleshooting. If not, continue to step 3. 

3. Drain Requirements 

A common reason you may experience excess water in the salt tank is due to the drain lines. Let’s ensure your drain lines meets the installation requirements:

a. There should be 2 separate drain lines coming from the softener to the drain. One from the valve (Drain Hose), and one routed from the elbow on the back of the softener (Overflow Hose). These should not be looped together.

1. Your drain hose cannot be tee’d together with another hose. It needs to have its own separate path to the drain.
2. Your drain hose must not exceed 8 feet vertically (from the floor) and 30 feet horizontally in its route to the drain.
3. Your drain hose must have an air gap of 1 – 1 ½ inches between the end of the hose and the drain itself:

4. Cleaning the Drain Hose

Excess water can gather in the salt tank because it is not escaping through the drain hose. Let’s make sure the drain hose is clear of any sort of obstruction.

a. Remove the drain hose adapter:

• • Push the softener's bypass valve INTO the bypass position to stop water flow to to the system. 
•  
• 
•  
  • Locate the rectangular clip that holds the drain hose adaptor elbow to the softener head (location pictured). The clip pulls straight up and out.
  • Pull the entire white plastic drain hose elbow out from the softener head. Keep the drain hose attached to the adaptor.

 NOTE: If the hose is plugged or is installed above the softener, water may run out from the hose.

b. Use a towel inside the drain elbow port to clean any sediment or blockage. 

c. Bring the elbow adaptor to your mouth and blow air through it to confirm there are no obstructions in the drain hose. The adapter may taste salty. 

d. If air does not blow easily through the hose, inspect for clogs or kinks in the hose. If either is found, remove the blockage or unkink the hose so that you can easily blow through the hose.

e. Reconnect the elbow adaptor to the valve head and reattach the black rectangular clip.

f. Pull the bypass valve back out into the service position to allow water flow again.

5. Check for Suction

Next, we need to determine if the venturi is creating suction. Suction from the venturi tells us that the softener is drawing brine out of the salt tank properly.

a. Hold the Recharge button until the motor starts to turn, then let go. This initiates a recharge. On most units, the tank will start filling.

b. Advance to the Brine cycle by tapping the Recharge button one more time. The Brine cycle is where the softener produces suction at the Venturi to draw brine up through the unit.

Note: If you notice a heavy flow out of your drain hose here, your softener has an extra Clean cycle set up. We need to skip that. Press Recharge once to move the Rinse cycle, then after the motor stops, press Recharge again to move to the Fill cycle. Continue to the next step.

c. Push the softener's bypass valve INTO the bypass position.

d. Now it’s time to check if there is suction at the Venturi. To do so, unscrew the black brine hose from the left side of your Venturi assembly (place a towel under the Venturi port – water may come out of it).

e. Slowly pull the bypass handle back into the service position.

• • Note: if you experience heavy amounts of water coming out of the venturi, push the bypass valve into the bypass position and visit our Cleaning the Venturi article. Once complete, return here and continue with step f.
  • While the black brine hose is disconnected, it is recommend to blow through it to ensure that there is no blockage in the line. You can also try drawing water up the brine line. This will tell you if the brine valve is allowing water to be removed (it will be salty.) 

f. Is there suction coming from the Venturi?

There should be consistent suction once the unit is in service. This may take up to a minute to hear. More details about this can be found in our Suction at the Venturi article. 

• • • Yes – continue to next step
    • No – It’s likely you need to clean the Venturi. Don’t worry, it’s easy! Check out our Cleaning the Venturi article. If you've cleaned the venturi and there is still no suction, call one of our experts here Contact Us. 

6. Draining the Water

Now that you’ve verified that the drain lines are installed properly and that there is suction at the venturi, it’s time to test that the drainage issue have been resolved.

a. Reconnect the black brine hose to the venturi. Ensure the bypass valve is in service by pulling the handle out for water flow again. Now it's time to wait and let it go through the recharge cycle.

b. The water should very slowly drain over the next 90 minutes and then high flow out of the drain line for about 15 minutes.  

c. Has this resolved your issue?

• • • Yes - Great! Don’t forget to replace the lid of the softener and faceplate if needed.
    • No - IF your tank does NOT drain down to 2-4 inches of water by the end of this, continue to next step.

7. Brine Valve Assembly

The brine valve is the 4-inch black plastic tube that has the salt levels 1-8 on it. During a recharge cycle, the water circulates in and out of the salt tank through the Brine Valve Assembly, making it an essential route to keep clear.

a. Bypass your softener by pushing the bypass valve into the bypass position. 

b. The brinewell will be in 1 of 2 locations depending on your model.

• • Open the salt lid. If you see the brinewell inside with a cover over it, remove the cover and continue to the next step.
  • If you do not see a cover over the brinewell inside your salt tank, then you will access the brinewell by removing the top cover of the softener and locating the circular opening where the black brine line enters. (see step 1 if you need assistance removing the top cover).
  • Pull up the black brine hose and remove the entire float assembly from the brinewell. If it seems like the black brine hose is too short to remove, there should be extra tubing coiled behind the resin tank. Pull on the tubing for easier access to remove the brine valve assembly. 

c. Disassemble the bottom V-shaped white plastic piece by disconnecting the 2 black clips that hold it together. Clean the internal parts with warm, soapy water and reassemble.

d. Reinsert the assembly into the brinewell. It should rest on the bottom of the well. Secure the hose in the notch on the neck of the well. If you removed the brinewell lid, replace it now.

e. Remove the top cover of the softener if you have not already. See step 1 if you need assistance removing the top cover.

f. On the left-hand side, you will se where a black hose attaches to your Venturi system. This is the brine hose.

g. Unscrew the black brine hose from the Venturi port and blow air through it, confirming the hose is free of obstructions. You should be able to hear bubbles coming up through the water easily. 

• • If you have trouble getting air/water through the hose, you may need to replace the Brine Valve Assembly. If you are still under warranty, have your serial/model number hand and Contact Us. Otherwise, replacement parts can be purchased here.

h. Reattach the black brine hose to the venturi and replace the top cover to the softener.

i. Pull the bypass valve into the service position.

j. Run a manual recharge to verify that your excess water issue has been resolved. To do so:

• • Press and hold the ‘Recharge’ button for a few seconds until you hear the motor kick on, then let go. The motor will turn off quickly and the screen will show ‘Recharge Now’, meaning the system is recharging. 
  • This recharge cycle will take about 2 – 2 ½ hours. You can expect the water level to rise slightly in the first 10 minutes, then slowly drain over the next 90 minutes. The last 10 minutes of the recharge are a fast backwash and rinse of water to the drain.

If the recharge is successful in emptying the brine tank down to about 2-4 inches of water but then the tank fills slowly up overnight or over multiple hours, this is a sign of a leak. Please refer to our Internal Leak article and our Valve Head Leak article for help. 

IF your tank does NOT drain down to 2-4 inches of water by the end of this two-hour recharge, please contact our support team.

Related Articles

No Soft Water

General Maintenance