Water Softener operation, maintenance, adjustment, and repair questions & answers.

These FAQs were posted originally on our water softener home page. This is one of several question & answer articles that addresses nearly all common questions about adjusting, diagnosing, using, or repairing a water softener or water conditioner.

This water softener (water conditioner) article series explains how to inspect, diagnose, and adjust or repair water softeners or water conditioners. We describe how to adjust the water softener (water conditioner) for proper operation to minimize damage to a septic system, to set the correct salt dose, brine tank water level, and regeneration time

Water Softeners & Water Conditioner Repair FAQs

Question: water not getting soft

(Jan 16, 2016) Linda said:
My water doesn't seem as soft as normal and I'm getting some white marks on my dishes

Reply:

Linda,

If you are sure that the brine tank, or salt tank, as a proper quantity of salt in it then use the manual regeneration cycle on your water softener control to call for an extra regen cycle.

Watch inside the brine tank during the beginning of the cycle if you.

On the vertical tube that contains the brine tank float assembly you should see the water level rising both in the tank and inside of that too and you should see the float rise until it stops order entry then you will see the salty water level drop as that water gets punked backwards through your water softener to regenerate it.

If that doesn't happen then your water softener is not executing a proper regeneration cycle and it needs repair.

Question: Black stuff coming out of the water softener

I was renting a house with a water softener. Softerner was working properly and maintain it with salt pallet but when i move out of the house the owner want's to charge me for the refair and labor. They claim that the softener has black stuff coming out of it. Please advice. Thank you diana - 9/15/11

Reply:

I'm sorry Diana, but from just the Information in your message, I don't know what to advise. Perhaps if you review our articles on water softeners you will be able to make clear to the owner just what you did and just what was the condition of the system when you left it.

If there is "black stuff" coming out of the water softener then it is probably dirt and that probably means that the brine tank needs to be cleaned. Your rental contract should make clear just who was responsible for softener cleaning and maintenance.

See WATER SOFTENER CLEANING & SANITIZING for details about how to clean out a water softener

Also see WATER SOFTENER RESIN LOSS

Question: water softener keeps on draining

I have a autotrol 255 valve / 400 series control water conditioning system. flowing water is coming out of the drain hose after regeneration. - Deloras 10/20/11

Reply:

Deloras,

If you mean that after the water softener regeneration cycle has completed the water softener never stops sending water out of its drain hose then the control valve is stuck and needs repair or replacement. Try a couple of manual regen cycles first to see if that can free up the control valve.

If that doesn't work, see our water softener diagnosis & repair suggestions for a long-running backwash or regen cycle

at Water Softener Keep Running Longer Than it Should.

Question: Where should I dispose of water softener drainage?

I am required to put a barrel filled with stone for my softener drain, I will only be 2' from my basement wall (concrete poured wall). Will I have problems with this? What should be a safe distance. The soil is sand. I have absolutely no other place to put it. Thanks for any information. - Joe 11/23/11

Reply:

Joe,

First, a solid barrel filled with stone won't work as a water softener drain destination; once the barrel has filled it'll just overflow. If you mean that you are trying to construct a drywell or seepage pit to accept water softener drainage, that might make sense. But you need to keep the drywell far enough from the foundation wall so that water from it doesn't leak back into the building, nor into the septic system.

While a concrete foundation wall is somewhat leak resistant, cracks, seams at the footing, and even direct moisture penetration mean that putting a drywell right next to your house is asking for an eventual water entry problem.

With sandy soil it's an engraved invitation for water entry. If your foundation is a really tight one the water may not appear immediately, but eventually I expect it'll find its way inside.

I'm sorry but I am doubtful that this will be a usable long term or even intermediate term solution. You'd be better off finding a more distant location (with sandy soils, 20 feet or more away) even if you have to use a pump to move the wastewater.

Question: house water pressure is slowly declining - taps were blocked with little brown balls of water softener resin

i have been renting a house with a water softer for 6 months and the water pressure in the house has been slowly declining until finally there was no water coming out of any taps on investigation the plumber found the taps were blocked with little brown balls which we now believe to be ion exchange resin .on inspection of the water softer i discovered that it was not turn on to power but was still connected to the water can you tell me if this is toxic to us as i think we have been drinking it for long time thanks sam - 12/13/11

Reply:

Sam,

It sounds as if your water conditioning equipment and controls are damaged - it is not normal for resin from the water softener or conditioner to leave that tank. I suggest that you:

1. Put the water conditioner on bypass until the unit has been repaired or replaced - do this promptly to avoid mineral clogging of the plumbing system
2. With the softener on bypass, remove sink faucet strainers & flush out the resin or particles from your system
3. With the water softener/conditioner remaining on bypass, if these "little brown balls" recur, then I suspect the problem may be elsewhere in the water supply system.

Question: water test shows 1120 ppm of hardness and other data - how should I remove the hardness?

Hi

In my home the water test report showing the following details :

PARTICULARS OUR WATER RECOMMEND LEVEL
PH 7.7 7.5 - 8.5
TDS 1266 PPM
HARDENSS 1120 PPM
ALKANITY 450 PPM
CHLORIDES 764 PPM

Note: Not advisable for cooking & Bathing purpose use for floor cleaning & flushing.

Can I know what is the best way to remove the hardness of water. - Shobia 6/20/12

Reply:

Shobia it does sound as if you'd need water treatment to make that water usable in the home; if you call two local water treatment companies they will be glad to propose systems to meet your needs, and typically don't charge for that advice.

Using hardness as an example, it's quite simple to check the level of hardness you need to deal with against the capacity of the water softener system proposed. I can't say more as I don't understand your data - hardness is usually expressed in milligrams per liter or grains per gallon, not parts per million.

Reader Comment from Cullman 8/26/12:

You need larger size water softener to remove this high hardness. Also TDS (total dissolved solids) level is very high , so for drinking water I suggest using Reverse osmosis system at the kitchen sink. Ph level is good.

Reply:

Thanks Cullman for the helpful suggestions to Shobia - Ed.

Question: orange water coming out of our water softener

water softener giving orange water will cleaning resin with acid hurt control or resin - Zane Bianucci, 6/22/12

Reply:

Zane by NO MEANS would I use acid or any potentially toxic material to try to clean a water softener resin tank; you risk poisoning the building occupants as well as damaging the system. Instead, see WATER SOFTENER CLEANING & SANITIZING for details about how to clean out a water softener.

In that article be sure to read the section titled Water Treatment Solutions using Iron Removing Chemicals (Super Iron Out).

Question: Water softener keeps regenerating & water remains hard

About once a year my softener will have salt in the tank and will run regenerating. But nothing happens and the water remains hard running throughout he house. May something is clogged? What should I look to do. Thanks so much. - Rob P. 7/24/12

Reply:

Rob, check for a stuck float switch in the brine tank; See Water Softener Keep Running Longer Than it Should and see How to Adjust the Float Level in the Water Softener Brine Tank in two of our water softener diagnosis & maintenance articles.

Question: water pressure now seems worse than before we installed a water softener

We recently installed a water softener in our home. Before we installed it, our water pressure was fine. Now that we have filled it with salt and recharged it, we have very little water pressure. Why is this? If I hit bypass, the water pressure goes back to normal. - Angela 10/16/12

Reply:

Angela

If the water pressure problem has been present since the softener was installed, I suspect an installation error, such as a copper pipe joint partly blocked by solder.

If the problem is not since new but has just occurred, perhaps the bypass valve is not opening fully when in softener mode.

You DID put the salt in the right tank, yes?

Ps in links at page top see our article on the Bypass Valve for repair instructions.

Question: bubbling rains while the water softener operates

Commode and kitchen sink gurgles/bubbles and water drains from commode bowl while neutralizer/softener operates. What is the problem, please? - Linda Kennedy 12/7/12

Reply:

Linda,

If a kitchen sink drain and toilet are bubbling that suggests that the plumbing vent system that should be serving those appliances is absent, blocked, clogged, missing, or improperly installed;

You may be noticing the noises when the water softener is in backwash/regeneration mode more than at other times because of the added water volume passing down the drain line or because of the point at which water sofener drainage is being connected to your plumbing drain system.

Check that the water softner bypass valve closes fully to isolate the system and then try operating your plumbing fixtures again - let me know what you observe and we'll proceed from there.

Question: Culligan Medalist Series water softener will not re-gen, water softener clock not working

(Mar 20, 2014) Anonymous said:

water softener clock working and times are set for it to add slt and filter water.But it does not seem to be operating do not hear it working and it does work manually able to cycle the softener and water flows through lines but there is no salt being used and we normally use 40 lbs. / month any info is highly appreciated

(Jan 25, 2014) Will said:

I have a Culligan{Medallist Seris,Mod.:From 2001 water softener & conditioner. Nether on will regen . I try to manually regen. & they start but after a few sec. it stops. ?

Reply: before replacing the water softener control, check for a stuck brine tank float or a jammed check valve

Anon:

If you are sure that the clock itself is working then more likely a check valve or float valve serving the brine tank has become stuck. You can check the softener basic operation by calling for a manual regen cycle.

Will

There are some things to check to figure out what's wrong. If no water enters the brine tank then the regeneration procedure won't get anywhere. That problem is usually traced to a stuck brine tank float or to a dirty, jammed check valve, or a stuck control on the water softener. I'd start there.

You can try a manual re-gen cycle again. The fact that it stops after a few seconds would lead me to look closely - to see if at the start of regen the softener begins to pump into the brine tank - but may be blocked if the float therein is stuck.

So before replacing the control take a close look at the brine tank float assembly.

Keep us posted - what you find will help others.

Question: how often do I need to change the carbon filter on my water conditioner?

(Jan 30, 2014) Angela Y said:

Is it necessary for the carbon filter to be changed on an annual basis in our ionics water conditioner bacteriostatic and where is the filter even located? There appears to be no filter in the brine tank, but I pay a couple hundred each year to have it changed. Am I being scammed?

Reply:

Angela, if you don't have the installation and owner's manual for your Ionics water conditioner, and guessing that you may have model IQ or Model EE bacteriostatic conditioner, you will want to contact the manufacturer to ask for a copy. Your unit is manufactured by

Puronics Water Systems, Inc.
5775 Las Positas Road
Livermore, CA 94551
(800) 339-8780

I did not see reference to a carbon filter, but in the Ionics water conditioner manual there is clear discussion about the requirement to replace the unit's media periodically, depending on the amount of water used.

Assuming usage by a family of four, and no significant chlorine in the water, the media replacement interval depends on the water conditioner model:

Model 820B (8" diameter tank) uses 2 pounds of "Hygene Content" good for 75,000 gallons of water and estimated needing replacement every 12 months.

Model 1030B (10" tank), 3 Pounds, 112,500 gallons, 18 months

Model 1240B (11" tank), 4 pounds, 150,000 gallons, 24 months

Here is the company's explanation of the bacteriostatic feature present on some Ionics models: (quoting from the manual)

Bacteriostatic - an Ionics Exclusive If your Ionics Water Conditioner is an Envir onmental Protection Agen cy (EPA) Registered Bacteriostatic model, you have two unique added features.

First, this unit inhibits the growth of bacteria within the S-759 ion exch ange filter media bed.

Second, it reduces and in many cases completely eliminates organic tastes , odors and colors from the water.

Inside the Bacteriostatic model water conditioner a layer of HYgene* silver-impregnated activated carbon (EPA-Registered Bacter iostatic Water Filter Media) is pl aced on top of the S-759 mineral. The silver acts as the inhibiting agent while the activated carbon adsorbs objectionable tastes, odors and colors.

Question: can I change the carbon media in my Avian 5600 water softener? Where can I get an Avian 5600 manual? Avian warranty problems.

4/21/14 Crystal said:

I have a Avian 5600 installed 3 years ago and the servicing company said that I need to have the carbon refilled for $199. Can I find a manual and refill the carbon myself? I've contacted Avian for their warranty but I have not had a response.

Reply:

Crystal, I don't blame you for asking, as it's not easy to find the service manual for your Avian 5600 water conditioner. Rather searches turn up PDFs for other water conditioner brands whose name uses the same 5600-series identifier (possibly because some water conditioners and water softners are being produced by a common manufacturer, often in China.)

But you can contact the Avian water treatment company directly - as I recommend - to ask

1. for a copy of your Avian 5600 installation and maintenance manual and

2. for their recommendations about replacing the carbon media. Indeed the Avian water conditioner is a 4-stage unit that includes a carbon filter, a media where the ion exchange (to soften water) occurs, a bacterial treatment stage, and a final garnet filtering stage.

The Avian Water Treatment equipment such as the Avian 5600 that you have is produced (or obtained) and sold by LeverEdge, a privately owned company whose Avian website declines to give any information about the company's location, address, or telephone.

Happily you're not left in the cold. At the company website, www.avianwater.com you will find a consumer contact form that you should try.

Or you can sneak up on the company at their parent address:
The LeverEdge
1423 Gunn Highway
Odessa, FL 33556
Tel: 813-403-5100

I suspect that the company will tell you that you should not try to open the treatment tank nor replace the layered media.

Keep us posted, as what you learn will assist others.

Question: unplug the water softener when away from home

(July 16, 2015) Karen said:
We are gone at times for 4 to 5 months a year should we unplug our water softener while we are gone

Reply:

Un plug the water softener and put it in bypass mode. See WINTERIZE WATER SOFTENER if you are leaving during cold weather and if your home is in a freezing climate.

On return you may want to clean and sanitize it. Search InspectApedia.com for WATER SOFTENER CLEANING & SANITIZINGR to read details.

Question: low water pressure after changing water pipes to the softener

(July 29, 2015) Anonymous said:
we just changed the water supply lines to the water softener, now we have no/ low water pressure, and sand is coming out of the faucets and toilets ? what do we do?

Reply:

As you didn't change anything at the water softener itself I suspect that a pressure change or increased flow rate may be removing resin from the softener.

see WATER SOFTENER RESIN LOSS

Question: resin beads discharged from the water softener

(Aug 5, 2015) Dale said:
I have a problem with the resin beads being discharged with the water into the laundry tub. I have a 1 year old system, and it has done this twice. The laundry tub will have inches of beads in the laundry tub, clogging the drain and the tub overflows. What should I do?

Reply:

See WATER SOFTENER RESIN LOSS

Question: Kenmore water softener is changing settings on its own

(Nov 20, 2015) Anonymous said:
kenmore softner. the display for the salt level is changing by itself. I tried to set but it will not.

Reply:

Sounds like a defective display unit or control head.

Question: Hellenbrand Water Softener relief valve leaks

(Dec 1, 2015) Scott said:
I have a hellenbrand softner. Water comes out the relief valve on top whenever it cycle regenerates. It is only a small amount. Could my cycle setting be too high? It drys up during the day.

Reply:

Scott

I'd check for water hammer leaks at the valve. Search InspectApedia for WATER HAMMER to read details.

Question: water softener not using salt: when does softener take the brine out of the salt tank?

(Dec 5, 2015) Jack said:
Love the info you provide. My original problem was no salt was disappearing from my brine tank. I removed the brine tank float and cleaned it thoroughly. When I inspected it a week later, there was no difference

but I did notice as it was doing it's brine flush that the tubing feeding the tank was leaking.

The next week I went to repair compression fitting on tubing when I noticed the brine tank is now filled with water and salt. I found a leak in the water line feeding the top of the brine tank float and repaired it. While it was i it's brine cycle, water flowed into the tank and out the entrance hole where the tubing goes.

My question is this: When in the cycle does the softener take the liquid inside the tube of the brine tank into the regeneration tank and when does water flow into the brine tank? Thanks for any help!

Reply:

Thanks for the question, Jack. I tend not to trust the occurrence of multiple failures at once and worry that I don't understand the real issue, but this sounds like I need to tough it out and guess that indeed there were more than one problem at your softener. Good going on the repairs.

At the start of a softener regen cycle the softener switches into bypass mode (house water stops passing through the media tank of the water softener) and then water is sent into the brine tank; the level of water entering the tank is controlled by the brine tank float; some systems may also control water volume by the control head and valves on the softener itself.

After water has entered the brine tank and dissolved salt, the control head on the softener pumps the salty water back out of the brine tank and into the media tank - the body of the softener itself; there salt ions are swapped for calcium and magnesium ions - we're re-charging the softener. Water continues through the media tank and out the tank drain during this portion of the regen cycle. At the end of the cycle the softener switches out of bypass mode and is back in service;

(Dec 5, 2015) Jack said:
Thanks for the response.

I failed to mention in my last description that I had the hose removed from the brine tank float during the fast rinse/refill part of regeneration. I had a 460TC timer installed last year, replacing the original one that stopped working. The 3 cycles on the 460TC read "Backwash", which takes about 50-60 minutes, then "Brine/Slow Rinse", which takes about 30 minutes, the "Fast Rinse/Refill" to complete cycle.

It was during the last phase I had the tubing in my hand held into the tube of the brine tank, which only contained water. When the "Fast Rinse/Refill" cycle started, water came out of the hose the entire time. It never went back into the valve systems where the timer is on top of the resin tank.

Should it have? Several times I held my finger over it but the pressure was like a garden hose. Any chance my drain system isn't

Reply:

I don't know your model in detail - for that matter I don't know it at all since I don't think you named the brand and model - but it sounds as if it's back-washing the softener before generating brine and passing the brine through the softener. The 3rd cycle sounds like removing unnecessary salt at the end of the regen cycle before returning the unit to service.

If I'm right then we wouldn't be sending the 3rd phase water into the brine tank.

If you have the brand and model we might to be able to find the manual that will describe the 3 cycles.

Question: how to hook up an old Culligan brand water softener

(Dec 27, 2015) Mary said:
I have an older culligan softener. I

had to disconnect it from the hot water heater, as I had to replace the water heater. Now, I need to know how to hook it back up again. Also, how to set the amount of salt going in. There are only two people in the house. I do not have a manuel for the softener.

Reply:

Output from the water softener usually feeds cold supply into the building. That may branch off to your heater.

If you don't have an installation and manual fdor your water softener check the REFERENCES at the end of any of these articles for links to example manuals or contact information to get your exact one.

Question: mush at bottom of water softener brine tank

(Dec 27, 2015) Anonymous said:
Hubby is cleaning out the softener, which wasn't working well. Lots of "mushy" salt at bottom, under the pellets. What do we do with the buckets of this stuff? and how do we clean out the tube, to make sure it's not blocked with this stuff as well?

Reply:

Anon:

Please see the water softener cleaning and sanitizing suggestions at

WATER SOFTENER CLEANING & SANITIZING

Dispose of the sludge crud as garbage.

Question: Mermaid water softener leaking out of wrong pipe

(Feb 14, 2016) erinandmike said:
our mermaid water softener is leaking out the wrong discharge pipe. any suggestions? we would really appreciate them...thanks in advance.

Reply:

It sounds as if perhaps your salt tank is overflowing? If so check for a stuck brine float control valve.

Reader comments:

Abirami said:
Hello! I'M really enjoyed when reading your article.Innovative information you have shared with us.Thanks for sharing this article with us.

Abirami said:

A water softener collects hardness minerals within its conditioning tank and from time to time flushes them away to drain.Ion exchangers are often used for water softening. When an ion exchanger is applied for water softening, it will replace the calcium and magnesium ions in the water with other ions, for instance sodium or potassium.

The exchanger ions are added to the ion exchanger reservoir as sodium and potassium salts (NaCl and KCl).

A good water softener will last many years. Softeners that were supplied in the 1980's may still work, and many need little maintenance, besides filling them with salt occasionally.

Question: our water softener makes our town water too slick and slimy

2016/07/22 judy Purkey said:

We have recently purchased a Whirlpool Water Softner. Our town does not have excessive hard water, but we wanted to preserve our appliances such as coffee pot, water heater etc.

When we had the softner installed by a professional plumber , he told us all he would guarantee was his work. He was not familiar with the softner itself. We understood that perfectly.

We were not familiar with the settings for the salt level so we started at "50".

Our water was "slick", but the suds in my dish water and washing machine went "dead" almost immediately after starting process of washing. We then called Whirlpool "help" and the tech said he had never heard of that and did not offer any other advise.

I have since used different detergents to no avail and have moved the water softener salt level to 14 and then to 7.

Still my Dawn dish soap and laundry detergent is not sudsing.

I thought that a softener meant you could use less soap and less everything, but I am flabbergasted and can't seem to solve the problem. I even had the water treatment plant here in town to come test the water out of the faucet to see if something else was wrong and the water tested soft and ok.

Can anyone help with this problem. I can't imagine that we are the only people that has had this problem. Thank you.

Reply:

Judy,

I recommend a different approach.

1. Take a sample of incoming water from your water system - before it passes through ANY treatment equipment. Either use a DIY hardness test kit or take your sample to your closest water testing lab and have it tested for hardness.

2. Review the operating instructions that came with your specific Whirlpool water softener model. You'll see a recommended salt dose that matches the hardness of your water - or your water may already be so soft that no treatment is even recommended.

3. Set your water softener salt dose and regeneration frequency based on the actual water hardness and the average water usage volume for your family.

judy Purkey said:

Thanks so much .... I did have the water treatment plant here in town test our water. They said nothing wrong.
I am now bypassing both hot and cold water and got a little more soap suds today that didn't die. I think I will let this work for about a week then put the softener on the lowest number.

I did notice a difference in the "white" build up on coffee pot, sink faucets etc when I had the softener hooked up.
I guess it will be a trial and error for a while.
I printed off a Manual from the internet and will study that. Thanks again

(mod) said:
Judy,

If your water is not hard enough to merit using a water softener, then using one is not helping you and in fact it may add unnecessary salt as well as making it hard to wash soapsuds out of your hair.

If your water is hard it may leave mineral deposits on faucet outlets - principally calcium and magnesium.

If your water supply is not hard and thus if you're over-salting the water, that too can show up as a white deposit - principally salt.

...

Continue reading  at WATER SOFTENERS & CONDITIONERS - topic home, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Water Softener Diagnosis & Repair Articles

• DIAGNOSE WATER SOFTENER PROBLEMS
• WATER CONDITIONER / SOFTENER MANUALS
• 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

Suggested citation for this web page

WATER SOFTENER REPAIR FAQs 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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