Prevent Unsightly Buildup And Expensive Breakdowns - Maintaining Your Home's Water Softener

If you've installed a water softener in your home, you're likely seeing the benefits in reduced utility bills and fewer mineral deposits. However, adding another step to the process means maintaining another piece of equipment, as when your softener breaks down, the flow of water to your home could be jeopardized.

Below, you'll find a guide to some steps for maintaining your home's water softener. It's often said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so following these suggestions should go a long way toward keeping things up and running and avoiding untimely and costly repairs.

Brine Tank Cleaning

Many water softeners operate by forcing untreated water through a brine tank which removes sedimentary material by a salt filtering system. Unfortunately, over time, this can lead to buildups of both mineral deposits and the salt that's used in the filter. Cleaning the brine tank can help eliminate this buildup.

When you clean your brine tank, it's important that you break up any salt that you notice beginning to cluster together. Over time, this could form a salt dome inside your tank which could substantially restrict the free flow of water, stressing your system and significantly hampering its effectiveness.

Removing Iron Fouling From the Resin Bed

Iron and other metal particles that are removed from your water will eventually settle in the resin bed at the bottom of your tank. While these beds are designed to imbibe a great deal of material, they can become saturated without regular cleaning, thus substantially decreasing their effectiveness.

Thoroughly cleaning and scouring your resin bed is an important step in making sure your system continues to function efficiently. Maximizing your softener's capacity will guarantee that you're able to enjoy treated water as efficiently as possible, and cleaning the resin bed can allow you to avoid more expensive backups and clogs.

Clear the Injector

If you notice that water appears to be flowing regularly but it seems untreated, there may be an issue with your salt injector. Over time, minute salt particles can cling to the walls of the injector and form a crust that prevents filtering material from being properly introduced to the brine tank. Taking the time to clear the salt injector will break up this crust and restore the proper flow of salt, allowing your softener to function at its highest capacity.

For more information about caring for your water softener, talk with a specialist like Anderson Water Systems.

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