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 is an important system to improve the water quality in your home. It represents a significant investment, but it saves people a lot of money in the medium to long term. Soft water reduces energy consumption, the lifespan of appliances is increased, and the lack of scale protects the plumbing system. Even soap, detergent, and shampoo costs are reduced because soft water lathers easily. But, if your water softener is not working properly, all of these gains are lost, and the system is a waste of money. In this article, we will look at five signs that the water softener needs some attention to restore normal functionality and improve efficiency.

1.  Hard Water Spots and Stains

One of the first things that people notice when their water softener begins to stop working is the formation of hard water spots and stains. This will be gradual; as the water softener becomes less effective and the efficiency is compromised, the spots and stains may become more noticeable. These hard water spots, the formation of scale, and the accompanying stains on sinks, faucets, tubs, shower doors, and more are caused by dried out dissolved minerals. If you need to clean more often or the cleaning is more difficult than normal, contact your local water treatment specialist.

2.  The Water is Hard

When you install a water softener or if you’ve inherited a system in your home, it can feel strange when you use soft water for the first time. Softened water has an almost slippery quality on your skin because it has no hard minerals. Many people notice that their skin feels cleaner, their hair is less prone to tangling and their skin problems clear up. But, if the dry and itchy skin returns and you’re getting more “bad hair days,” it’s likely that the water has become hard.

3.  Reduced Soap Effectiveness

One of the more annoying characteristics of hard water is that it inhibits the formation of soap suds. This reduces the cleaning power of soap, shampoo, detergent, dishwashing tablets, and other cleaning products. So, if you’ve noticed that you need to use more soap to get the cleaning power that you need, this may indicate the presence of hard water.

4.  Lower Water Pressure

Hard water minerals form scale in the water carrying pipes which will gradually narrow the internal diameter, and the water pressure will drop. There may be historic scale formations in the pipes from the time before the water softener was installed. But, many people notice that the water pressure improves when they make the switch to soft water. If your water pressure has dropped significantly, it’s time to contact a local water treatment specialist or a plumber to check the pipes.

5.  A Lack of Preventative Maintenance

A water softener requires some preventative maintenance to maintain the performance and efficiency. If the system is serviced annually, it’s more likely to work as intended, and it may deliver many years of dedicated service. If you cannot remember when the water softener was last serviced, contact your local water treatment specialist and schedule a visit now.

What Happens During Preventative Maintenance?

Adopting a proactive approach to preventative maintenance is a great way to protect your water softener investment. Annual maintenance is recommended to keep the system working at optimal efficiency. A good preventative maintenance plan may include:

  • An evaluation of function for both raw and treated water.
  • The identification of components that require repair or replacement.
  • A component inspection and cleaning for the flow meter, injector, and stack assembly.
  • The brine tank should be topped up as requested.
  • The resin and brine tank should be checked for leaks, cracks, and salt bridging.
  • The complete will undergo a functional test.
  • A final test will be conducted to ensure that the system is working as intended.

A water softener should work properly for years, but like any system, there are components that will wear out over time, and replacement will be required.

3 Water Softener Components Explained

To round out our article on the identification and the fixing of water softener problems, let’s take a look at three components that can fail in more detail:

1.   Resin Media

The resin media tank is filled with resin beads that are coated with brine which creates a charge. This facilitates an ion-exchange process when the incoming hard water is passed through the media tank. The dissolved hard water ions (calcium, magnesium, and iron) are exchanged for salt (sodium or potassium) ions. This occurs on a very small scale, and yet the result is softer water that is kinder on your home. But, over time, the surface of the resin beads is coated with dissolved minerals, and it becomes less efficient. The water softener has a regeneration cycle, which flushes the tank with a brine solution from the brine tank. This fulfills two needs, it cleans the resin bead surfaces, and it recharges them to facilitate future ion-exchange processes.

2.   The Control Valve

This is the functional brain of the entire water softening system, and it triggers the aforementioned regeneration cycle. There are different types of control valves that initiate the cycle based on a timing system or the volume of water used. But, the regeneration cycle usually takes place at night when the demand for soft water is lower. During the cycle, the water softener is placed into bypass mode, and hard water is in use until the cycle has concluded. The control valve needs to be reset when major changes occur in the household to avoid wasting water.

3.   Water Softener Sizing

When you choose a water softener, or you inherit one in a home that you’ve purchased, it’s important to realize that they come in different sizes. If you have a water softener that’s too small, you won’t have sufficient soft water to meet your needs. If the system is too large, you may be wasting large volumes of water, which can be expensive. If you suspect that your water softener is incorrectly sized, contact your local water treatment specialist.

If your water softener is not working at optimal efficiency, contact your local water treatment professional today.