Easy Tips on How to Properly Maintain Your Water Softener

Water softeners, like most equipment, need to be regularly maintained to get great results and enhance their lifespan. Luckily, they’re one of the most low-maintenance water treatment systems around, so it won’t take much time out of your schedule to keep yours running smoothly. Read on to learn more about water softener maintenance. The better you maintain your system, the less likely you’ll need to call for local water softener repairs in San Antonio, TX.

Get the right kind of salt

Water softener salt comes in three basic varieties: rock salt, evaporated salt and solar salt. Your system will benefit from the highest quality salt available. In turn, this lowers the likelihood that you’ll deal with salt bridges and salt mushing. It leaves less storage tank residue behind, which is better for your water softener system operation.

Evaporated salt is the best choice, since it’s the purest salt form available. (It’s so pure, it’s 99.99 percent sodium chloride.) This type of salt is produced by a combination of mining and evaporative techniques.

Solar salt is the second-best choice. It’s produced by evaporating ocean water to create pellets or crystals, and is less expensive than evaporated salt. Finally, try to avoid rock salt if you can. It’s the cheapest option, but it also has more insoluble impurities and minerals.

You might consider getting specialty salt if your water is prone to leaving behind rust stains or you need a sodium alternative for health reasons. Just read the label carefully to find out what kind of salt it contains.

Learn how to deal with salt bridges and salt mushing

Salt mushing is a serious problem. It occurs when dissolved salt recrystallizes in your water softener, and forms a slushy or slimy material at the bottom of your water softener tank. This prevents the water softener from doing its job and may create blockages. You’ll need to drain your softener tank and remove the sludge before it will function properly.

Salt bridges are less serious, but still prevent your softener from functioning. A salt bridge is a hard crust of salt that forms between the brine tank and the salt. This prevents the water from reaching the brine tank. Use a broom handle to gently push on the salt crust and break it up.

Both of these problems can be prevented by investing in high-quality softening salt pellets. Don’t overfill with salt, and try to keep the humidity around the softener on the lower side.

Get a resin bead cleaner

Finally, flush your resin beads with water softener cleaner every few months in order to remove silt, iron, heavy metals and other insoluble materials. Simply follow the manufacturer’s instructions to keep your water softener in the best shape possible.

If you need assistance with your water softener, Big City Plumbing, LLC can help. Call us today for local water softener, water heater and plumbing repairs in San Antonio, TX. We’ve been serving area homeowners for over a decade, and look forward to hearing from you soon.

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