Having a water softener installed can significantly improve the quality of your water. It removes the hard minerals that build up on your sinks, showers, dishes, plumbing, appliances, and even on you!
But having a water softener also requires some care and attention on your part. So let’s dive into your water softener and how to keep it running at it’s best in between service visits!
Understanding Your Water Softener Components
Keep Adding Salt
Your water softener uses salt to remove hard minerals from the water flowing through your home. Using ion replacement, it swaps out hard minerals for a very small amount of salt. So it is very important to keep your water softener full of salt on a regular basis.
How much salt, and how often you need to add it, depends entirely on how much water your family uses and the hardness of your incoming water. Every home is completely different. Here are some general guidelines to follow:
- Monitor your salt level weekly for the first few months
- Keep the salt filled above the water level in the brine tank
- Soon you will get an idea of how often you need to add another bag of salt
What Kind Of Salt To Use
There are a few different options out there – but most importantly you need to add salt manufactured for water softeners. Here are a few of the most common options:
- Standard Salt Pellets – larger salt pellets that are interchangeable with standard salt crystals
- Standard Salt Crystals – smaller salt crystals that are interchangeable with standard salt pellets
- Salt with Iron or Rust Reduction – a specific formula that also removes some iron from your water
- Potassium Chloride – for households with a family member on a strict salt-restricted diet potassium chloride is more expensive but can be used interchangeably with standard salt options
Keep In Mind: Debris Is Normal
Although salt for water softeners is very close to pure salt, it is not perfectly pure. A small amount of debris in your brine tank is normal.
Professional Maintenance
We recommend having your water softener professionally maintained every six months, or at least once a year. For water softeners installed by Trident Plumbing we offer a worry-free service plan just for our water treatment customers!
Regular professional maintenance will extend the lifespan of your water softener so that you get the most out of your investment!
