FAQs help fix a water softener or water conditioner - set #8.

This article series describes procedures for diagnosing and repairing water softener or water conditioner problems including water conditioner control settings and adjustment or repair, brine tank and brine tank float cleaning and repair, and the proper amount of water softening or conditioning that is needed.

Recent Water Softener Diagnostic Q&A #8

Recent questions & answers about troubleshooting & repairing a water conditioner or water softener, posted originally at DIAGNOSE WATER SOFTENER PROBLEMS - home.

Be sure to review the diagnosis and repair advice that is organized on that page.

[Click to enlarge any image]

On 2019-02-22 by (mod) - Waterboss 900 - humming noise coming from outlet plug,

Watch out, because there's a risk of an electrical fire you should unplug the water boss immediately and if that does not stop humming at the outlet turn off power to that circuit immediately

The problem could be with the device but since you describe the noises at the electrical receptacle I suspect a bad electrical connection and arcing.

On 2019-02-22 by Mel

Waterboss 900- humming noise coming from outlet plug, any ideas as to why?

On 2019-01-27 by Tracie

How do I flush my water softener? I have a WaterBoss Proplus 380. We just changed our standpoint it worked before we changed it. I don’t get water pressure, I believe something is plugged.

On 2018-10-10 by (mod) -

I don't think you damaged water softener, but you want to take a look in the manual to follow the procedure to reset the unit and its controls.

On 2018-10-09 by Megan

Had to turn off our water softner during a regeneration due to a plumbing issue. When i turned it back on, the regen cycle was flashing with a 0 flow, but I do not want to regen at this time. Is this ok? Will this cause a problem in my tank...?

On 2018-09-09 by (mod) -

Lou

Give me what info you can on the brand, model, and any data you have on the manufacturer and I'll help look for the manual that will have adjustment instructions therein.

On 2018-09-09 14:26:29.499081 by Lou Pantaleone

Just replaced our mater conditioner last year. The plumber who put it in has not been able to get the setting right and won't come out again. It's a Duff Water system and I find understand how to set it. The manufacturer was not very helpful and We have yellow water. What do I do to fix this THANK YOU

On 2018-05-29 by (mod) -

Nancy

see the diagnostic and repair advice for a water softener that won't turn off, found at WATER SOFTENER RUNS TOO LONG - for softeners stuck in "regen" mode at https://inspectapedia.com/plumbing/Water_Softener_Cycle_Time.php

On 2018-05-2 by nancy

my treatment system will not shut off today?

On 2018-03-23 by (mod) - Now my toilet tanks are filling with hot water

Ron

if the connection is to the cold water side of your water heater and you're getting hot water at that location then the dip tube in your water heater has probably corroded away or falling off and needs to be replaced

On 2018-03-22 by Ron -

My plumber installed a new water softener in my house that didn’t have a softener or loop beforehand. He ran the main supply to the softener, then then water coming out of the softener he teed off into the supply line supplying the water heater.

Now my toilet tanks are filling with hot water, hot water is coming out of my cold side faucets, outside hose spigots, and lukewarm water coming out of the hot side house faucets. Any ideas on why this happened? Everything was fine before the licensed plumber installed the softener.
Thanks!

On 2018-02-22 by (mod) - code 108 on rainsoft softener

Sandy

See your initial question and our reply at

https://inspectapedia.com/plumbing/Water_Softener_Diagnosis.php#FAQ

You can also contact RainSoft
101 S. Gary Avenue
Roselle, IL 60172
847-437-9400

Now that you mention your softener brand and model you can see the manual at

https://inspectapedia.com/plumbing/Water_Softener_Rain_Soft_Manual_AQ32T.pdf

On 2018-02-22 by Sandy

What is the code
108 on rainsoft softener mean on ec5 model

On 2018-02-03 by (mod) -

That sounds pretty much like the tubing is blocked or the control head is not allowing brine to enter the softener.

On 2018-02-02 by Keith

Water keeps tripping out of the line check valve to the brine tank plus the pressure builds up and Pops the line off the brine tank

On 2018-12-29 by (mod) - bypass softener that won't stop - snafu

putting the softener on bypass simply sends water that was going into the softener past it instead - that ought not foul up the kitchen sink. I suppose there could be some odd piping arrangement that we can't see nor guess at from your text.

Follow the pipes back from the kitchen to your water supply source. Look for a closed valve first.

You can also see our diagnostic articles

at NO WATER PRESSURE

Some of those deal with clogs at pipes, elbows, valves.

On 2018-12-29 by Bob

My water softer was running non-stop so I pushed the bypass to stop the water flow. This worked fine, except now I have no water coming to my kitchen sink. All other faucets are working fine. Is this normal?

On 2018-11-26 by (mod) - check for a salt bridge

Linda,

Start by poking at that salt top or crust a bit to see if it is just a crust or salt bridge.

A salt bridge is a crust of salt that forms in the brine tank - and it can fool you. Just looking into the tank you see salt and think the tank has plenty of salt tablets or crystals.

But if you poke at the top of the salt and it collapses and falls into a brine tank that's principally full of just water, that was a salt bridge that needed to be removed.

Break up the salt bridge and re-fill the brine tank with salt tablets or crystals.

On 2018-11-25 by Linda

Salt is at the TOP of the soft water tank but flashing light indicates low level?

On 2018-11-15 by Anonymous

What to replace when the motor is dead. After a brown out

On 2018-10-08 by (mod) - water softener doesn't work after moving it

Jay, probably one of those lines is a brine tank overflow tube that is not normally active.

And I'm doubtful that changing the drain location would get the softener working again UNLESS the drain line was kinked or stopped-up.

Try starting with a manual regen cycle. Let us know what happens and we'll continue from there.

On 2018-10-07 by Jay

I move a water softener it doesn't work now it has two drain lines I ran them together then into the sink

On 2018-05-26 by (mod) - fix a beeping water softener

David

The beeping is currently telling you that your water softener wants something but without knowing the brand and model and us being able to flip to the diagnostics for your unit I really don't know what the beeping signals.

Take a look at your unit for the brand and model number and then if you don't already have the manual that will tell you what the different beeps mean we can help you find that document.

On 2018-05-26 by David l

My water softener keeps beeping. Not sure how to fix it! Can anyone help?

On 2018-05-23 by (mod) - cracked water softener valve from normal wear and tear?

Interesting question. More likely the valve was struck or forced.

Show me some sharp photos of the valve and a closeup of the crack and I may be able to comment. I need to see

- Just which valve is involved,

- where it is located

- the valve materials (I can usually infer from the photo)

and these would be helpful:

- the general location (city, state, province, country) of the building

- the building age

On 2018-05-23 by Nancy

Can a cracked water softener valve result from normal wear and tear?

On 2018-05-17 by (mod) - it can be perfectly normal to see salt but no water in the brine tank

Amanda

Depending on your water softener's design it can be perfectly normal to see salt but no water, especially when salt is filling the brine tank to near its top. During a regen cycle when brine is being generated it will not normally fill the brine tank to the top.

On the other hand, if NO water is entering the brine tank during a regen cycle then the system needs repair.

Open the cap over the brine tank float assembly and shine a light down into the well. Note the presence of water and its height in the well.

Run a manual softener regen cycle.

If no water enters the brine tank then the float is stuck or there is a problem in the softener's control head.

On 2018-05-17 by Amanda

My tank is full of salt but no water. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

On 2018-04-27 by (mod) - softener is stuck in re-charge mode

Ken it sounds as if the softener is stuck in re-charge mode, in the backwash part of the cycle. I would turn off the softener, put it in bypass, thus stopping wasting water and maybe flooding your septic system. Then call your plumber to repair the softener.

On 2018-04-25 by Ken

My softener is turning on my well pump about every three minutes, I don't see anything happening in the brine tank , salt level stays the same, I don't feel the softener doing it's job.

On 2018-03-31 by Steve Culligan water softener flow meter is reading 0.0.

Culligan water softener flow meter is reading 0.0. Already cleaned the little fan looking item, but it still reads 0.0 after a manual regen. What can I do next?

On 2018-03-07 by (mod) - Check that the clock on your water softener's timer is set to the correct time.

Sonya

Check that the clock on your water softener's timer is set to the correct time.

On 2018-03-07 by Sonya

My water softener is coming on when I run was here. It is set to come on overnight. It only runs a little during washer, but it hass never done this before.

On 2018-02-27 by (mod) - softener left in bypass mode

Is the softener still in bypass?

On 2018-02-27 by Debra

no soft water all winter, have totally emptied the brine tank, cleaned out with fresh water, drained the water, then added one bag of pellet salt, recharged and still feels the same

On 2018-02-22 1 by (mod) - meaning of EC5

EC5 is probably the capacity of the unit divided by 1000 or 5000

On 2018-02-22 by (mod) - where to find a RainSoft water softener manual - show number of gallons used

Sandy

At WATER CONDITIONER / SOFTENER MANUALS

you will find links to find Rain Soft water softener manuals. We need the manual for your specific water softener so that we can see the manufacturer's troubleshooting advice.

Here is just one example of a Rain Soft manual [PDF] the others are listed in the article I gave above

Press asterisk * then 2 to diagnose gallons used since last regen

On 2018-02-22 by Sandy

I have a rain soft softener and my computer isn't showing the gallons of water being pumped. What could that be?

On 2018-02-03 by (mod) - Outside the brine tank on the floor a salt crust

Michael

Outside the brine tank on the floor a salt crust tells me that either the brine tank is damaged and leaking or the tube connecting the brine tank to the water softener is leaking or there is a leak at the water softener or its own regen/backwash discharge-drain tube.

Do your own physical inspection and if you see an obvious crimped or leaky plastic tube, that's probably something you can replace yourself quite easily. If not it's time to call a water softener service/repair company.

On 2018-02-03 by Michael Mason

Upon checking my softener, I discovered an inch thick salt crust on the floor around the bottom of my softener. Do I have a leak? Or possibly a blockage. I am not a particularly handy person. Should I contact a plumber?

On 2018-01-23 by sherry metz

we installed a new water softener 3 weeks now and added a filter on the water line 2 weeks in. everything worked great then all of a sudden the water is full of salt coming into the house. any suggestions?

On 2018-01-16 by (mod) -

You might check at the softener to see if it's actually regenetating - is water exiting its drain? If not, look for an air leak or obstruction of the piping

On 2018-01-16 by Andy

Every time you flush a toilet or take a shower the water softener sounds like it's regenerating. Turn off and on several times a day. Very annoying. Something in the settings or maybe a valve? Please help

On 2018-02-03 by (mod) -

That sounds pretty much like the tubing is blocked or the control head is not allowing brine to enter the softener.

On 2018-02-02 by Keith

Water keeps tripping out of the line check valve to the brine tank plus the pressure builds up and Pops the line off the brine tank

On 2018-01-25 by (mod) -

Tom

Start with the diagnostics at BRINE TANK WATER TOO LOW https://inspectapedia.com/plumbing/Water_Softener_Brine_Tank_Low.php and let me know if that works or if you have more questions

On 2018-01-24 by Tom

No water comping in tube to brine tank float is down.

...

Continue reading  at DIAGNOSE WATER SOFTENER PROBLEMS - topic home, where you'll find a helpful water conditioner troubleshooting table, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see WATER SOFTENER DIAGNOSTIC FAQs-9 - more-recent Q&A about troubleshooting a water softener or water conditioner

Or see these

Water Softener Diagnosis & Repair Articles

• DIAGNOSE WATER SOFTENER PROBLEMS
• WATER CONDITIONER / SOFTENER MANUALS
• WATER SOFTENERS & CONDITIONERS - home
• WATER SOFTENER ADJUSTMENT & CONTROLS
• WATER SOFTENERS & CONDITIONERS - home
  • BRINE TANK BRIDGING or CRUSTING
  • DIAGNOSE WATER SOFTENER PROBLEMS
  • BRINE TANK WATER TOO HIGH
  • BRINE TANK WATER TOO LOW
  • WATER SOFTENER BACKUP, FLOODING, LEAKS
  • WATER SOFTENER OPERATING CYCLES
  • WATER SOFTENER RUNS TOO LONG
  • WHITE MINERAL SCALE DEPOSITS on FIXTURES
• WATER TREATMENT EQUIPMENT CHOICES

Suggested citation for this web page

WATER SOFTENER DIAGNOSTIC FAQs-8 at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to WATER TREATMENT SYSTEMS

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