Water Softener Problems

Basic Water Softener Parts and Anatomy

To better understand how your water softener works it is a good idea to become familiar with the various parts of your softener. The following diagram shows you the main water softener components and where they are located.

Here is a breakdown of the main components and what their function is:

Head Valve:

The head valve, also called the control valve, is located on top of your resin tank. It controls all of the functions of your water softener. This is where you program your softener to perform its various function such as when to do regeneration cycles, water flow direction, and rate.

Resin Tank:

The resin tank is the part of your water softener where the softening process (ion exchange) actually takes place. It is full of resin beads. Hard water from your plumbing enters the tank and the positively charged calcium and magnesium ions that make your water hard are attracted to the negatively charged resin beads thus effectively removing them from your water leaving it softer.

Resin Beads:

Resin beads are made of a durable polystyrene plastic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polystyrene that will last about 10 to 15 years before they need to be replaced. Resin beads are porous so they have a large surface are on both the inside and outside to trap the positively charged calcium and magnesium ions in hard water.

Water Softener Salt:

Water softener salt is a special type of salt that is very pure (free from contaminants) and usually shaped like pellets. Water softener salt mixes with the water entering the brine tank to form a very concentrated sodium chloride solution.

Riser Tube & Basket:

The riser tube channels water from your resin tank up to the head valve. The basket at the bottom of the tube stops resin from entering into your home's plumbing.

Grid Plate:

The grid plate is located at the bottom of your brine tank. Its job is to displace water so that more water can flow into the brine tank. This action will ensure that enough brine solution is available for your water softener when it needs to do a regeneration.

Float Assembly:

The float assembly rises with the water level in your brine tank and will automatically shut off the flow of water when it gets to a certain leve. This will prevent your tank from filling up too much.

Brine Tank:

The brine tank if shorter and contains your water softener salt. During the regeneration cycle, water is pumped into the tank creating a highly concentrated sodium chloride solution called brine. This brine gets pumped into the resin tank to "wash" the beads. The sodium chloride has a stronger negative charge than the resin beads so the positively charged calcium and magnesium are attracted to the sodium chloride and then flushed out of your system leaving the resin beads recharged and ready to work again.

Note: There are smaller types of softeners that have the brine and resin tank all in one unit. They are referred to as cabinet water softeners.

Fill Tube:

The fill tube connects your brine tank to the head valve. Water flows from the fill tube into the brine tank to fill it up. In addition, the brine solution flows from your brine tank through the fill tube to the head valve during regeneration.

Venturi Valve / Brine Injector:

The venturi valve sucks the brine solution coming from the brine tank through the fill tube into the resin tank. This valve is equipped with a mesh net or screen that helps to filter out and trap any dirt or contaminants from the brine solution. The venturi valve needs to be cleaned from time to time in order to get rid of this trapped dirt or else it could become clogged and not work properly.

1. Salt Bridges

A salt bridge is one of the biggest reasons why you may not be getting soft water. A salt bridge occurs when the salt in your tank solidifies in an arc above the water level creating an empty cavity between the salt and the water. This can take place due to humidity or using the wrong kind of salt in your tank.

When this happens, the brine solution is not able to reach the salt in your tank, so your water softener cannot do its job.

Solution:

You can get rid of a salt bridge by breaking it up. Start by softly tapping on the outside of the tank with a rubber mallet to loosen the bridge. You can also try pouring some warm water over the bridge to dissolve it. If this doesn't break up the bridge, then use a long tool, such as a broom handle to chop through the salt bridge.

Once you have broken up the bridge, you should use up the leftover salt and then clean out your brine tank. Before you begin to clean your tank, wait 4 hours until a brine solution has been produced and then manually regenerate your softener.

2. Too Much Water in the Salt Tank

One reason that you may have too much water in your salt tank is that your float valve is set too high so that it doesn't shut off soon enough or it is damaged so that it doesn' shut off at all causing excessive water to enter the tank.

Solution:

Try setting the float valve lower. If this doesn't solve the problem, take a look at your valve for signs of wear or damage.

Other reasons why there may be too much water in the salt tank:

1. Your water softener brine drain is kinked, plugged, or leaky: You may need to replace your drain line.

2. Your brine line isn't properly attached to your brine tank and into the float: If your brine line isn't properly attached to your float, the water will flow directly into your tank and the float won't shut it off.

3. Your drain line flow control is clogged: If this happens, then it can't regulate the amount of water flowing through your system. You will need to clean any clogs or deposits that you see plubbing up the hole.

4. Your brine line flow control is clogged: The brine line flow control has a very small hole, so it is easy for debris to get stuck in it and clog it up. If this gets clogged, it will not be able to draw brine out of your tank. If there is debris in the hole, you need to clean it out.

5. You may have a salt clog at the bottom of your brine tank: A salt clog can stop the flow of water out of your tank. The following video will show you how to remove a salt clog.

6. Your safety float may be sticking: If it is sticking, it will need to be cleaned so it can once again shut off the flow of water into your tank. You can clean the float as follows:

Carefully remove the float and run it under some hot water for a few minutes
While it is being run under the water, gently move the float up and down to make sure that it is moving freely
Check to see if the small ball in the bottom of the float is able to move freely as well

Note: Only attempt to remove and clean your safety float when your water softener is not in a regeneration mode.

7. Your Venturi/ Brine injector is clogged: Your injector creates the suction that draws the brine out of your tank. If it is clogged, then your water softener won't drain out the water from your brine tank.

The injector is quite small and can get easily clogged. If it does, remove your injector and clean it off.

You can clean it by soaking it in CLR or by using a toothpick. It's best not to use metal to clean it, as that can change the size of the hole. If it cannot be cleaned, then it may need to be replaced.

3. Brine Tank Doesn't Have Any Water in It

The brine tank is the part of your water softener that holds the salt. Your water level should always be slightly lower than your salt level in your water softener brine tank. This is because the water needs to touch the salt so that it can absorb it and create the correct concentration of brine.

There are also two basic types of brine tanks: wet and dry.

WET BRINE TANKS:

If you have an older water softener, chances are it has a "wet" brine tank. This means that you will have water in your brine tank all the time. This type of brine tank typically has about 11-23 litres (3-6 gallons) of water in it at all time.

That works out to about 15-25 cm (6-10 inches) of water. The water will be in your tank even in between regeneration times or cycles. You may not see the water if your salt level is higher than your water level. You may need to add more salt if the water is above your salt line.

DRY BRINE TANKS:

If you have a newer water softener system, then you probably have a "dry" brine tank. A dry water softener brine tank only has water in it an hour or two before your softener is ready to go through a regeneration cycle.

If your softener is in between cycles, it shouldn't have water in it.

Your water level should be slightly lower than your salt level

4. Softened Water is Brown

There are several reasons why your softened water could be a brown colour including:

You have iron and maganese building up inside your tank:

Iron is more commonly a problem if you are on a well. When iron oxidizes, it turns into ferric iron. This form of iron is brown in colour and over time it can build up on the resin in your water softener and turn your water brown.

Solution: Use a resin cleaner that is capable of removing iron.

You have sediment build-up in your tank:

Over time, sediment containing silt, heavy metals, and organic compounds can build up in your tank and start to cause your water to turn brown.

Solution: Use a phosphoric acid resin clean to help flush away this build up.

Your pipes are beginning to erode:

This is not a water softener issue. If you have cleaned your resin with the above methods and your water is still brown, you should contact a plumber. You may also want to have your water tested to make sure that it is still safe to consume.

Water mains have recently been flushed:

This is a temporary issue and it should correct itself. You can turn on a tap and run your water until it runs clear again.

If your mains have been flushed, run your water until it is clear

5. Salt Level Isn't Going Down

The most common reason why your salt level isn't going down is a salt bridge. As mentioned above, a salt bridge occurs when the salt in your tank solidifies in an arc above the water level.

This creates an empty cavity between the salt and the water. A salt bridge can form because of humidity or using the wrong kind of salt in your tank.

Solution: Click here to follow the steps listed in Point #1 above.

6. No Soft Water

There are a number of reasons why you can have no soft water. These include:

You have a salt bridge:

Click here for steps to follow to get rid of your salt bridge.

You have no power:

Check that your unit is plugged securely into the outlet. If it is, then check your fuse/breaker box to make sure that you haven't blown a fuse or breaker for that outlet. If it has then you need to replace the fuse or flip the breaker switch back on.

You can also test the outlet itself by plugging in a small lamp that you know is working in the outlet, if the lamp light up, you know that the outlet is working properly. If the lamp does not light up then you know there is a problem with the outlet, in this case, it is best to contact a professional.

No power? Make sure you haven’t blown a fuse

Your manual bypass valve is in the wrong position:

If your manual bypass valve is in the wrong position, then your water softener will not be functioning properly. Check to see that it is in the correct position. If you aren't sure how to do that, then consult your owner's manual.

You don’t have enough salt:

Make sure that your softener is at least 1/3 full of salt at all times. If your salt level is too low, then press the RECHARGE button on your softener after you have replenished your salt supply to immediately recharge your system.

You have problems with the nozzle and venturi:

To fix this, start by turning off the water to your water softener and take the nozzle assembly apart. You can refer to the "Cleaning the Nozzle and Venturi Assembly" section in your owner's manual to see how to do this.

Inspect the parts carefully and clean and replace anything that is dirty or broken. Make sure that the holes in the gasket are properly centred over the holes in the housing.

Cleaning your nozzle and venturi is a more complicated procedure than the previous problems, so you may want to get a professional to do this for you.

You may need to add more water softener salt

7. Low Water Pressure

Your water softener shouldn't cause you to have low water pressure if you have the right sized softener to meet the needs of your household. However, if your water softener doesn't have enough capacity, it could affect your water pressure. Check out this handy calculator to help you determine the size of water softener you need.

Another reason why you may have low water pressure is that there might be a leak in one of the pipes that is connected to your softener. Check around your water softener for any signs of water dripping or pooling.

8. Water Has a Salty Taste

The amount of salt that will be in your water after it is softened is so small that most people will not taste it. For example, if your water hardness level is 15 gpg, then one cup of your drinking water will contain about 28 mg of sodium. To put that into perspective, a can of pop contains 40-45 mg of sodium and a cup of low-fat milk has about 120 mg of sodium.

The harder your water, the more sodium will be present because more salt will be needed to soften your water. If you have really sensitive taste buds, you may notice a slight salty taste. If the taste bothers you, you might want to consider installing a reverse osmosis filtering system for your drinking water or purchase bottled water.

9. Resin Beads Are Broken or No Longer Effective

Your water softene uses resin beads as part of the softening process. These beads usually last between 10 and 15 years. They can, however, get damaged sooner than this if your city water has large amounts of chlorine in it. If your resin beads are worn out they will need to be replaced.

If you have high concentrations of iron in your city or well water, then you will need to clean the resin beads once or twice each year. You can do this by adding a resin bed cleaner to your brine tank tube.

You can purchase a commercial cleaner to clean your resin beads

10. Water Softener Using Too Much Salt

An average family of four with average water hardness level will typically go through a 40 lb bag of salt every month. If you are using a lot more than that, then here are some possible reasons:

Your water hardness level is very high. Click here to check for the hardness levels in your area.
You may have a toilet that is constantly running. Because your softener is connected to your water system, the more water you use, the more salt you will go through.
You may have your water softener set incorrectly. Check to see that it isn't regenerating more often than it needs to.
You may be using the wrong type of salt. Make sure that you purchase water softener salt that is in the form of crystals or pellets. Fine-grained salt will dissolve too fast.

11. Water Softener Is Leaking

If you notice that your water softener is leaking, try to determine where the leak is coming from. Check the hoses and water connections to make sure that they are tight and don't have any holes.

If the leak is coming from the softener itself, check your warranty to see if it is still covered. Many water softeners will come with a warranty that is good for up to ten years after purchase.

12. Water Softener Not Regenerating

If you notice that your water is not as soft as it usually is, then it might not be regenerating properly. There are a couple of reasons why your water softener may not be regenerating. These include:

Your resin bed is dirty or it needs to be replaced. Click here to learn more.

Your timer may be broken. If this is the case it will probably need to be replaced.