Water softener brine tank air check valves:

What problems are caused by a stuck air check valve in water softener brine tanks and how to fix them.

Diagnose & Fix Water Softener Problems: 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.

Water Softener Air Check Valve Troubleshooting

Many water softener models use a check valve at the top or at the bottom of a brine pick-up tube in the brine tank. This valve closes when the brine level in the tank drops - at the end of a regen cycle - to preven drawing air into the water softener itself.

[Click to enlarge any image]

If your water softener system uses an air check valve (sketch at above left example from G.E. [2]) when it should not have one installed (some controls have a built-in air check valve) this can cause the system to stop drawing brine back into the conditioner before the brine tank is empty.

An improperly-installed air check valve can also cause air discharge at plumbing fixtures.

If you find air discharge at plumbing fixtures after a water softener regen cycle the brine tank tube air check valve itself may be debris-clogged. So if your water softener manual shows an air check valve installed, or if you find one on un-modified original equipment, the valve may need cleaning or replacement.

See WATER SOFTENER CHECK VALVE STUCK where we explain in more detail how a stuck air check valve in the brine tank can cause air discharge at plumbing fixtures after a softener regen cycle.

According to G.E. [2] some water softener models do not use a brine tank check valve:

The regenerant line from the tank connects to the [air check] valve.

Make the connections and hand tighten.

Be sure that the regenerant line is secure and free from air leaks.

Even a small leak may cause the regenerant line to drain out, and the conditioner will not draw regenerant from the tank.

This may also introduce air into the valve causing problems with valve operation.

Most installations utilize a [brine tank] check valve. This is not necessary when using the 255 valve with the built-in aircheck.

Using a tank check valve with the 255 valve with aircheck will result in premature checking of the aircheck valve, before the tank is empty.

Below we illustrate two other air check valves used on some brine level control systems such as GE [2] and Water Right.[1]

[Click to enlarge any image or table]

Bottom line: until we are sure we have correctly identified the water conditioner model, found its installation and operating manual, and made sure that it has all of the proper parts installed, trying to debug a problem with water level in the brine tank leaves us just guessing.

Also see WATER SOFTENER CHECK VALVE STUCK where we explain that a stuck air check valve in the brine tank can cause air discharge at plumbing fixtures after a softener regen cycle.

Give your water conditioner manufacturer a call - their contact information is right there in the water conditioner operating manual - and ask about your model and just what brine tank level controls it uses.

In addition to the questions & answers about water softener operating problems presented in the article above, additional Water Softener Diagnosis& Repair Q&As are at WATER SOFTENER TROUBLESHOOTING FAQs-3

and at WATER SOFTENER ADJUSTMENT & CONTROLS

Reader Question: water softener brine tank not draining

Water softener has water stuck in tank, not draining. - Amy 9/19/11

Reply:

Amy, at WATER SOFTENER BACKUP, FLOODING, LEAKS we describe how to diagnose & fix a water softener that is not draining properly. Typically the problem is a crimped drain line, a control not operating properly, or a stuck brine control float that is not allowing the regen cycle to function properly.

Question: water softener brine tank does not empty fully

I just noticed today that there was still some water in my salt tank after the cycle completed this morning (the drain hose is fine). Is this something I need to worry about? The softener (Kenmore) is 12 years old now. - Scott 8/27/12

Reply:

Scott, possibly the float control valve in the brine tank needs cleaning, or the whole tank is due for a cleanout.

See BRINE TANK FLOAT LEVEL ADJUSTMENT - if your water softener brine tank is overflowing the float control may be stuck.

Also see WATER SOFTENER CLEANING & SANITIZING for the steps to solve this problem.

Question: Water-Rite 740 water softener has brine tank full of water - what's the normal liquid level in the brine tank?

Hi, can you tell me how much water should be in a brine tank of a water rite softener under normal use, now it is full of water all the time, is this normal. I think this will just melt all the salt in the tank all the time. It is a model 740 - M.C., Canada

Reply: you should not normally see liquid near the top of the brine tank but some liquid, water, or brine is normal

A competent onsite inspection by an expert usually finds additional clues that help accurately diagnose a problem or in this case just what's wrong with your water softener. That said, here are some things to consider:

We don't know specifically by quantity, but in general, you should not see water at or close to the top of the brine tank.

But at the end of a normal water softener regeneration cycle water is sent back into the brine tank to dissolve salt so that brine will be ready for the next water softener regen cycle.

The level of water in the tank could be too low or too high either because of improper settings or because of clogging or even leaks in several controls that we discuss beginning at BRINE TANK DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR - home.

So if the water level in your brine tank is quite high we suspect that the brine tank float level control valve that sets the water level in the tank is not working properly.

Watch out: Not all water softeners use an air check valve.

The BRINE REFILL FLOAT CONTROL VALVE device is a control found in the vertical tube in your brine tank.

More photos of this valve are at WATER SOFTENER CLEANING & SANITIZING.

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Continue reading  at BRINE TANK WATER TOO HIGH or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• WATER CONDITIONER / SOFTENER MANUALS
• WATER SOFTENERS & CONDITIONERS - home
• WATER SOFTENER ADJUSTMENT & CONTROLS
• WATER SOFTENER BRINE TANK DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR - home
• WATER SOFTENER EDUCTOR / INJECTOR REPAIR
• WATER SOFTENER BRINE TANK AIR CHECK VALVE
• WATER SOFTENER BRINE TANK BRIDGING or CRUSTING
• WATER SOFTENER BRINE TANK DRAW REPAIR
• WATER SOFTENER BRINE TANK FLOAT VALVE ADJUST
• WATER SOFTENER BRINE TANK WATER TOO HIGH
• WATER SOFTENER BRINE TANK WATER TOO LOW
• WATER SOFTENER CHECK VALVE STUCK
• WATER SOFTENER CLEANING & SANITIZING
• WATER SOFTENER SALT CHOICES
• WATER SOFTENER SALT DOSE SETTING
• WATER CONDITIONER / SOFTENER MANUALS - download the manual for your softener
• WATER SOFTENER OPERATING CYCLES
• WATER SOFTENER RUNS TOO LONG

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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to WATER TREATMENT SYSTEMS

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