What to Expect From Your New Water Softener

Read below to learn about how your softener functions, and what you can do to help extend the life of your new system.

 

How does my water softener work?

Your water softener is designed to supply you with consistent soft water. It does this by performing automatic regeneration cycles based on your household’s water use and incoming water quality. These cleaning cycles use salt water to regenerate the resin and rinse out contaminants and debris. The frequency of regenerations will fluctuate, but on average the process happens every 4-9 days.

Regeneration cycles last for approx. two hours and use about as much water as a laundry machine. The amount of salt used will depend on the size of regeneration. Manual regenerations use the maximum salt dose (10+ lbs. in some cases). To achieve the highest efficiency, let your softener regenerate automatically.

 

How much water should I see in the tank?

There should always be about 2-4 inches of water in the bottom of your salt tank. During the regeneration, you should expect to see the water level rise and fall; however, when the system is not regenerating, the water should remain under your salt level. You can check this by looking down your brinewell.

What do I need to do to help my softener run smoothly?

• Add salt into the tank as necessary, checking every few weeks to make sure the level does not drop below 1/4 full. We recommend a few different types of salt, but pellet and crystal water softening salt are the most common.
• Check for bridging - every few months, you may want to press a rounded-end tool into the salt in a few places to confirm the salt is still loose and movable. Bridging can happen when the salt sits idle for too long, or if the tank is filled over 1/2 full with salt.
• Use a cleanser - liquid cleansers help keep the resin in your system free of debris, iron, and scale buildup.
• Perform annual cleaning - there are a few spots on your softener that require some extra care every year or so. This cleaning is easy, quick, and does not require any tools. For complete steps, see our Routine Maintenance article.