With more than 30 years’ experience in the residential and commercial water treatment space, Mark Nelson is a Class 1 Drinking-Water Operator and a CBWA (Canadian Bottled Water Association) Certified Plant Operator. As founder and president of Nelson Water in Ottawa, Mark focuses on dealing with challenging water treatment system designs for problem water. He also heads the largest water bottling plant in the city of Ottawa with a delivery network throughout the Valley.
A water softener represents a significant investment and if it isn’t working as intended you cannot get the softened water that you paid for. Although a water softener seems to be pretty complex, it is possible to identify problems and troubleshoot them. In this article, we will look at ten common water softener problems in more detail.
1. The Brine Tank
An ion-exchange water softener needs a fully functioning brine tank filled with water softening salt to work properly. Many brine tank issues can be traced to poor overflow or clogging issues that degrade the performance. There are a number of possible causes, but there are a couple of common problems that you can troubleshoot.
The Float Valve: If this component is set too high it will cause the water to build up too much and the system may be unable to release it as intended. Draining the water level down to the correct level may fix this problem.
Broken Entry Control Valve: If the control valve has been damaged, the flow of water to the brine tank is affected, and this can cause localized flooding. Any problems with the entry control valve must be fixed as a priority.
2. Brown Water
If the water softener is allowing brown water into your home, there is a good chance that there are sediment and dirt deposits in the water feed. Other possible causes are the growth of bacteria in the water softener or worn out plumbing pipes. If the water softener is the cause, it’s a good idea to sterilize the system with chlorine or hydrogen peroxide. A sterilizer can be placed in the brine tank, and a manual regeneration cycle can be initiated. After several cycles, the plumbing system can be flushed, and this may fix the problem.
3. Salt Bridges
A salt bridge occurs inside the brine tank, a layer of salt builds up, and the salt cannot reach the water to create the brine solution. So, when a regeneration cycle is initiated, there isn’t sufficient salt in the water to clean and recharge the resin media beads. To check for a salt bridge, look inside the brine tank, and you may see a salty crust. This can be carefully broken apart with a long and blunt object such as a broom handle.
4. Low Water Level in the Brine Tank
If the brine tank water level is low, this may demonstrate the system is working efficiently or that there is a problem somewhere. This may seem like an oxymoron, but the water should be cycling through the brine tank regularly, and the level will change depending on when you look at it. As a rule of thumb, contact a water treatment specialist if the water level is very low and it doesn’t seem to change.
5. The Water Softener Consumes Very Little Salt
If the water softener is consuming no or very little salt, it’s a good idea to check that there is sufficient softening salt in the brine tank. But, if the water softener isn’t using the salt, this may indicate that there is next to no ion-exchange occurring in the media tank. The aforementioned salt bridges are the primary cause of this problem. So, turn off the incoming faucet and break apart the salt bridge, which may restore normal operations. If you cannot fix the problem, it may be time to contact your local water treatment specialist for some essential water softener maintenance,
6. An Operation Error
Modern water softeners have more digital controls, and they can be prone to operation errors. The specific error may be detailed in the owner’s manual for the specific water softener that you own. But, this is not a problem that you can fix yourself, and you need to contact a water treatment professional to check the unit for you.
7. The Water is Not Soft
The water softener will not work properly if the system is in bypass mode or there is a salt bridge formation in the brine tank. If the resin media beads are working inefficiently due to a lack of proper regeneration, this can also be a factor. In many cases, breaking up a salt bridging, running a manual regeneration cycle and/or checking that the system is not in bypass mode will fix the problem. But, if you’ve tried these three approaches with no success and there is sufficient salt in the brine tank, it’s time to call a water treatment specialist.
8. Low Water Pressure
There are a few reasons why a water softener may lower the water pressure in your home. First, the system is too small, and there is a disparity between the inlet and outlet pressure. This is more common in homes where a new big box water softener has been installed with no professional advice. Next, a buildup of sediment or scale in the water softener components may reduce the water flow, and this affects the water pressure. Another potential problem is a resin clog that has formed in the media tank, and this can be solved if the tank is flushed and the resin beads are replaced. Finally, a buildup of iron in the resin tank can degrade the water pressure, and this can be fixed with a mineral cleaner in the tank.
9. No Regeneration Cycle
If the water softener is not running a regular regeneration cycle, this will degrade the performance and efficiency of the system. Eventually, the water softener will not function at all because the resin media beads are coated with mineral ions that prevent the ion-exchange process. The source of the problem may be the regeneration timer unit which may require maintenance or replacement if it’s damaged. The easiest way to check this is to initiate a manual regeneration and listen for the usual sounds. If you cannot hear anything, it’s time to contact a water treatment professional to check the control valve and other components.
10. The Water Tastes Salty
The ion-exchange process does add minute quantities of salt to the water. Most people cannot detect a difference unless they are on a low-salt diet or they are especially sensitive to salt. If you can taste salt, the problem may be an incomplete regeneration cycle or a clogged drain hose.
If you’ve been affected by any of these common problems and you cannot fix them yourself, contact your local water treatment specialist today.