How Does A Water Softener Work? - Water Softener Basics
Вставка
- Опубліковано 7 чер 2024
- Check out The Durbin Compound merch store now @
thedurbincompound.com/
I will try to ship within 24 hours from receiving your order so that you get what you order FAST!
Thanks for the support everyone!
Figuring out how a water softener works is quite simple. The operation isn't complicated and a well maintained water softener can last you for many years of service. Keep your brine tank full of salt and make sure you keep the filters clean if you have them!
Hang out with The Durbin Compound on Facebook
groups/25840...
Some of my favorite stuff! I have done reviews on a lot of these items! I may receive commission on some items.
Best Garage Lights! The best I’ve found!
amzn.to/2zCYNdJ
15% DISCOUNT CODE: 151PMNBX
Check Out Some Of My Tool Reviews!
• Tool Reviews
Milwaukee Rolling Toolbox 48-22-8426
amzn.to/33Gm2h6
Milwaukee Large Toolbox 48-22-8425
amzn.to/2X1bK8r
Milwaukee Toolbox 48-22-8424
amzn.to/32Fkq5W
Milwaukee Slim 11 Compartment Organizer 48-22-8431
amzn.to/2p9l5yK
Milwaukee Slim 5 Compartment Organizer 48-22-8436
amzn.to/2X5oCL4
Milwaukee M12 Compact Inflator 2475-20
amzn.to/2X6XUSd
Milwaukee M18 Oscillating Multitool 2626-20
amzn.to/2CE9tXu
Milwaukee Switchtank Backpack Sprayer
amzn.to/2rDyEHA
Check Out My Work Pants Series!
• Chasing The Best Workw...
Dickies Flex Work Pants (Best price is on Amazon)
amzn.to/2qPSUVL
Blaklader X1600 Pants
amzn.to/2NHM1iz
Check Out My Work Boot Series!
• Chasing The Best Work ...
Rock Rooster Wedge Sole Work Boots
bit.ly/3g9oEts
Timberland Pro Gridworks 8” Boot
amzn.to/32DpYxt
Timberland Pro Boondocks 6” Boot
amzn.to/33FaudK
Thorogood Moc Toe 8” Boots 814-3800
amzn.to/2X9MJrU
Electrician gear / Test Equipment!
Fluke 1AC Non-Contact Voltage Tester
amzn.to/2NEqHuf
Fluke T6-1000 Field Sense Meter
amzn.to/2Qf22y2
Fluke Ammeter and Multimeter Kit
amzn.to/2rDFVal
Feildpiece Manometer SDNM-5
amzn.to/33IWv6G
Fluke 62 Max Infrared Thermometer
amzn.to/2Qf2OuW
My Favorite Flashlights!
Streamlight Stylus Pro Pocket Light 100 Lumens
amzn.to/34QPGjy
Surefire Stilletto Pocket Flashlight
amzn.to/2qPVUS1
Surefire Tactician Pocket Flashlight
amzn.to/36X15Al
I don't know where to begin. First, if you are on well water, that sediment filter should always be placed BEFORE the water hits your water softener. You want the sand, silt, dirt, etc. removed before it hits the resin beads....not after. Second, the process that a water softener goes through is called ion exchange. As the water is passing through the resin, the calcium, magnesium and iron is being magnetically charged to the resin. The calcium, magnesium and iron attaches to the resin beads and it is replaced with a sodium ion. Your water softener is "holding" all of that calcium, magnesium and iron so it doesn't pass through to your home. In can only hold so much of that before it needs to be cleans out. That is regenerating...that is what the salt is for. In your case, that happens every 800 gallons. The system will count down from 800 gallons to zero. When it hits zero, that night at 2:00 am, water will be pumped into the brine tank...dissolving the salt to make salt water. It is then pumped back into the resin tank. All that salt water is doing is reversing the polarization of the ions. Releasing all of that calcium, magnesium and iron that it has been holding there. It back washes, like a pool into your sewer. Then it starts over again at 800.
Your explanation was not horrible, just not that informative of how the system really works. As far as bridging. If you use salt "pellets", you should never have that problem. They are the bigger pieces of salt that weigh more than rock salt and drop to the bottom of the brine tank easier. Also, you really can't hurt the water softener by filling up the brine tank. But, you should really only fill it up a little over half way full. There is a white "valve" on the side of your brink tank about 3/4 the way up on the outside that will make the water empty on your floor if the water in the brine tank gets that high. Just fill it up half way and you should never have a problem. I know you're not a water guy, so I don't blame you for not knowing how everything works. But, you kind of got the gist of it.
Awesome explanation! Thanks so much for the comment! I can safety assume that you are a water guy! Pinned your comment to the top
@@TheDurbinCompound Yes, I am a water guy. :)
Thanks for the wisdom! I always like to learn new stuff. I definitely plan on redoing my filtration setup before my softener. I may enlist your help to do it properly! Thanks for the pro advice!
@@TheDurbinCompound Thank you both for your video and comments, as a guy who has never worked on one yet needs to know about it to pass my redseal exam this have been very informative.
Jason C
Jason is it safe to drink this water? I got water from a friend she has a salt system and i made ice. The ice was coated with salt so i was scared to drink it.
Never understood how the system worked until i saw this. Many thanks for people like you.
After 12 years, now I understand how the thing works. I have a contract company that supposedly keeps it up. They have not been doing a good job. They are so busted. THANK YOU
Man alive homie...I bought a house n have a water system dats new to me n have been looking to educate myself so I can maintain it n have good water n d house...well I kid u not 50 videos n asking real people n Contractor’s how it works no one I mean no one has explained like u just have n ur video...ur an answered prayer brother..can’t thank u enough for teaching n educating me...I have subscribed to ur channel n recommend u to everyone who wants to learn...keep on teaching cuz we r learning n ur very helpful wit ur drawing board.
Well thanks a lot David. I am actually at a buddies house tonight and we are doing a bunch of videos that should help educate the new home owner. He just bought a house and invited me over to teach him what to look for that his home inspector did not catch!
TheDurbinCompound I bought my house six years ago and just now have a better understanding to how my water softener works thanks to you! I pd the original people That it come from in to explain it a few times to no avail! I even had the person I paid to inspect my house try to explain it to me and that didn’t help me! So thanks so much for your video! I added a question for ya on the comments! If you could please look for it and see if you know anything about my problem I would appreciate it so much! I’m starting to think I don’t need to call a repair person for the water softener! I’m wondering if it something else entirely! If my stinking sulfur smelling is only coming from one sink and no other it might just be the sink that is the problem! I just don’t know what it is!
Thanks so much! This was incredibly helpful! I just bought a new home and had no idea how this worked (and even worse what I'm supposed to do with it).
Salt bridging! I wonder if this explains why after a year my brine level has remained the same. I'm tempted to get out of bed and go down to the basement right now with a stick! I rent my unit and this was never mentioned to me. Thus, my 1 AM UA-cam search. Best video yet on these things. Thanks!
I’d say you have an issue!
Excellent tutorial and explained clearly.
Thanks man. You explained what a book and another youtuber couldn't.
Well I appreciate your comment!
Very informative! I just bought a house with a well that has a similar system and I knew nothing about it! Thank you!!!
Awesome! I’m glad it can help you out! That’s what the channel is all about. A one stop shop for jack of all trades, master of none!
Thank you very much. I am that guy that had no clue about water softeners. Just installed a new one & didn't understand fully how it worked. Your video made it simple (like me) and helped me greatly. I have not yet installed the pre-filter. But I have bought it and that is next.
That is what the channel is all about! Hope to see you around the channel!
Thank you very helpful. Just replenished the salt on my new system for the first time today. Understand everything a lot better. Appreciate 🙏
Awesome! That is what the channel is all about. I hope to see you around the channel. I will be doing more home maintenance videos along with my regular content!
Great video, thanks for sharing.
Getting ready to buy one of these. I’m on well water too. Thanks for the break down.
Thank you! New home owner with my first softener and I had no idea
Thanks so much, you explained well, now I learn something!
Many Thanks Devon this was very helpful and just the way i want to learn it, so simple. Keep up withe the good work!!
I’m glad I could help! Hope to see you around the channel!
This was great thanks!
Great explanation!
Very informative video, well done Durbin
Thank you! I appreciate your comment!
extremely helpful thanks so much!
Nice job! I appreciate the use of the chalkboard🙂
🤜🏼🤛🏼
Great explanation, thanks!
Hey good job. Very informational I appreciate it. Need the Barney style and it was helpful. Keep it up!
Thanks for the comment! I’m glad you found value in my content!
Good job, thank you!
I learned things today, this was awesome! I have a system with a resin tank. I'm now looking at what I need for an additional whole house filter
Sweet! Glad you learned something! Thanks for coming to my TED Talk!
Why do you not believe in using bleach in the well?
@@guitaristamann5494 hey, so the chlorine content will kill the resin beads...chlorine, aka bleach, is an oxidizer, and can 'oxidize' the resin beads, or crack them over time, causing them to not be effective. From there, they can swell and absorb water. If it's iron that's a problem in your softener, then the bleach will cause the iron to stick to the resin beads and that wouldn't allow for a mild acid cleaning to work. Mild acid cleaning would be something like "iron out" for a resin cleaner, check it out. Wouldn't recommend the bleach though 👌 find a cheap resin cleaner offline
Thanks for the insight! Great lesson!
Im an A/C guy, today a customer asked if I would look at her water softer as if I new every thing fortunate for her I do (kidding) of course jetted ( 80's term) home to learn more, This in a nutshell was what I needed , thanks for clarifying how this THING works , your video gave me great insight ...
Awesome!! I glad it helped out!!
Dude.. needed this video. Thank you so much.
💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻
I literally just closed on a house with a softener system in it, it threw me off. I was like wtf is this science experiment in my new house?! 😂
Great explanation. Thanks, but a clarification needed. May I know what was the hardness of input water in terms of ppm as well TDS, pH, Iron content. These details might be helpful to assess a requirement.
I live out in country and get the red staining. I love the product red out works great .
Thank you for this explanation. Very informative. I have a problem with my Culligan softner. With the storms this spring and the electricity flickering off and on apparently that made the system shut off and I didn't realize that until a month or so ago. I went to see what was wrong and it's full of mildew-not mold. Can you tell me how to clean it out so I can use it, please? My toilets are getting cruddy and even my cats water bowl and my pans when I boil water have a gritty feel to them. I'm wondering what it's doing to my pipes and drains. I hope this makes sense. Thanks for any info you can give me.
Awesome bro well edify
Thank u for the info sir
Time out. A well/aquafer? Is this safe in places in Florida? With the limestone and sinkholes?
good video i have a well water too
Great explanation.... I'm looking for info on maintenance to a rainsoft EC4. Bought house with a system. It has zero salt and needs to be cleaned. Thanks
+Michael Clark best I can recommend is get it all cleaned out. Wipe it down with bleach or cleaner. Then fill with salt, run a regeneration cycle, and see if it gives you the results you want!
Excellent review... The only thing I needed to hear more about was backwash... FD wash and FF.. I'm not sure what FD and FF stand for. Backwash.. I think I understand.
A water softener isn't designed to remove 'sediment', which is removed by simple mechanical filtration. A water softener's primary function is to remove certain dissolved ions (eg, calcium, magnesium, iron) and replace them with other ions. This is done to prevent build-up of hard water deposits that form when the original ions are present. By replacing those ions with sodium (or potassium) ions, the formation of hard water deposits is prevented.
The pinned comment from jasonc9791 is mostly correct, although it is quite mistaken to state that "the calcium, magnesium, and iron is being magnetically charged to the resin." The binding of these ions to the resin has nothing to do with magnetism. Calcium and magnesium aren't even magnetic. The ion exchange process is driven by electrostatic attraction. + and - ions are attracted to one another.
Awesome 👍
Good video
Well thank you very much!
Question... my system was installed the way that the flush line was screw on the side of my driveway! This is causing my driveway to get green stains (big time) I dont know how to get that off the pavement and also, I was wondering why would they do that? Instead leaving it on the grass....would it kill the grass because of the salt? Im just trying to figured out what the best action to take since my driveway looks ugly now.
I liked the video but could you explain how the brine is sucked from the tank to the softener? I see no pump for this. T
hanks.
your “how does a water softener work “ was very informative. thank YOU.
my dad a softener unit that has a resin tower & an external brine tank. both with displays. the resin tower got unplugged from the electrical outlet somehow. now i need to reset the settings on both units, correct?
i’m in the dark here.
The factory settings on it should suffice in many cases
hi thanks for the discussion - appreciate comments as well - so i have a pretty complicated kinetco with sediment tank and softener - has had fair amount of issues over past 8 years but basically seems to be working ok in terms of staining but well water is murky so filter doing a lot of work to clean - water often smells and tastes musty - not sulfa smell and neutrasol doesn't really help - is it possible for resin to be corrupt and tank may need to be replaced? is generating and using salt ok but have this problem for years and ? related to earlier issues such as outflow valve problem etc? thanks!
Yeah sounds logical that it could be a resin issue
Is the entire plumbing system pressurized, from the water pump to the water tank? The pressure is determined by the water tank optimal set point, I believe, but do you have to set the pressure somehow on the resin tank as well? I assume the resin bead cleaning cycle is not pressurized by the rest of the system?
Please help I got old model and trying to set the Regen day...I got little pins numbered 1-6...do I push or pull those pins and what numbers?....it's only me and hubby in house
How long does it flush the resin tank for, Few minutes or hours?
Lifesaver for me. Thank you
does the tank need to get the resin dumped and replaced ever?
3:40 pm 8-21-23
Our softener is supposed to regenerate daily around 3 am. Every once in a while, we get a shot of very salty water. Is this due to someone running water during the regeneration cycle? Due to power outages, I have found the need to reset my timer on the water softener which is now about 7 years old.
Thanks much..: i just moved to the country and have no idea how this works, feel better now :-)
Glad you found my video useful!
I just moved into a new house, I didn't think the water softener was working, so I started experimenting, I need to but more resin beads, can they be bought at hardware stores? sure wich I would have watched this video before I started exploring. thanks
New tank in a new home here. Upon first use, before you add salt, do you pour water in first or does the brine tank fill up automatically with water? Thanks!
It will automatically add water
Did Eric Swalwell film the chalkboard part? :-) If you don't get the reference it's probably for the better.
Hi. Well detailed video, I recently moved into a cottage country house, I've never dealt with well water softener. seems I have two resin tanks? and it tells me to "regen" on the display on both on a regular basis do they both do the same thing? Can I not schedule to "regenerate" as you described? We seem to have the same resin tank and display/buttons... Unfortunately the previous owner did not leave me a manual or regular maintenance schedule... Thanks for your time. all the way from Canada ... Brrrr.
Usually a second resin tank has a different media in it to do a secondary process. I’m not sure what that is. Maybe a sticker on the tank can tell you. I had a Kinetico system that had two different tanks. One was a iron breaker (to specifically remove iron) and the other was the regular resin tank to soften. I’m not sure how the programming works. You’ll have to fumble your way through the menu and try and figure it out. Google a part number if you can find one, may be able to find a manual. Good luck!
Hello Christopher, I have the same situation. I been up and down UA-cam looking for directions or clarity on this. Not sure which needs the salt or both. Did you ever get more on them?
Hey Jay, what exactly are you referring to?
Can you help me program automatic softner controller?
Okay for clarification, pressure tank should also be in line prior to hard water system as well as the sediment filter, right?
Yes
hey how long is the regular maintenance for a medium household ? like each month or 3 ,4 times a year ? & do u need to change the resin or they last a lifetime ?
1st time i hear about legit water softeners, i thought they were a scam in my country ( the ones you hook next to the tap water sink & 1500 $ price tag ), mixing sugar with water for it to taste good :P
(well in my defense, the technician told us to rub sugar on the filters after cleaning them ..
Just watched your video and it helped. But now I have some questions. My resin tank looks about half way full with beads. When I take a flash light I can shine it through and see the water. Yesterday my water started having air in it. I checked that resin tank and water was only an inch or two above the beads. This morning the resin tank was full of water. We used the toilets and sinks and now the resin tank is low again on water. Our brine tank is almost out of salt . Should I start with adding salt or do I have a problem with water coming into the resin tank?
I've never seen the resin tank not stay full besides yesterday and today. I however have seen the brine tank this low and its never been an issue.
My concern is did we run out of water from our well? How is the resin tank not filled with water. Shouldn't that always be full ?
That is a good question that I don’t have an answer to. I feel the same way as you, the resin tank should be full of water at all times. I don’t think I would jump to the conclusion of the well being out of water but maybe the resin tank is draining off in between uses of water. I can’t see through my resin tank even with the brightest flashlight i have unfortunately
Do you ever have to replace your resin beads
You mention the water smelling like rotten eggs. I am on a community well, and have a green sand filter system that is suppose to remove the smell and I also have a water softner. I believe my water softner is working fine and the green sand filter as well, but I still have a slight sulfur smell. Any ideas/thoughts on addressing this? Does may water softener and green sand filter need to be on different regen schedules? Interested in your thoughts. Thanks. Nice video BTW.
Hummm I’m not familiar with the green sand filters. I would alternate regen cycles because usually during the duration, it bypasses the filtering. Not all filter are fool proof. It may be letting through some odor. It may be residual from the regen cycles.
What part of the system should we place our sediment filter ? Should we filter the water going into the softener or coming out of the softener?
Sediment filter before the softener. I have a sediment before and a taste and odor (charcoal) filter after the softener
Ideally, if you're on city water, you'd filter the water prior to a softener with carbon (activated charcoal, carbon, GAC, etc.), then soften the water, then you could do a post-sediment filter, although with carbon you wouldn't necessarily need it. Carbon CTO (chlorine, taste, odor) filter helps the water 'taste good' but does not help with the higher sodium content in the water...best to RO the water, but it is what it is I guess. Awesome stuff though!
Does your extra sediment filter remove any iron from well water? I'm asking because I need one about that size for an iron issue in my water
One filter is before my softener and it is to remove the iron. The filter after my softener is a carbon filter designed to remove taste and odor.
@@TheDurbinCompound How well does it work at removing iron? Do you have a link I can purchase it from? Thank you
Do you use a storage tank? How do you use soft water while it’s in regen?????
Where is the drain that regen tower drains yucky stuff into? Is it on the floor of garage or basement wherever softener is?
Usually goes through a clear hose to a floor drain near by
Thanks for the video and classroom education :) My question is this... If your softner is on a regeneration cycle in the middle of the night, can you run water and flush toilets? Someone told me I should not as it ruins the cycle? FYI.. I dont believe that as the waste water gets carried out to the septic tank. Help?
Do not worry about using the water during regeneration. Depending on the model and design. It is probably bypassing the main resin tanks during the process. It will act as normal and you won’t mess up the process.
@@TheDurbinCompound thank you.
Do these water softeners wear out? Mine is probably 15 years old. Can that tube that goes into the brine tank get plugged up? I manually cycled on my water softener because the water seems hard. I took the white cap off in the brine tank while it was cycling but didn't see water level rising towards the float inside... any thoughts? The salt had run out for a while (and noticed water got hard) and we recently filled it a couple weeks ago.
I would definitely change the brine tank tube. It can get built up after years of neglect and regular use. The average lifetime is said to be between 10-15years. I’ve never had a unit this old. If the water level is not changing then I’d say that it’s not doing what it’s supposed to do
@@TheDurbinCompound Thank you. Yes, I don't think it's putting water in the brine tank! As soon as I cycled it on it acted like it was trying to push water in the tube going in for maybe 8 minutes but the level didn't change. Then it quickly acted like it reversed the direction but didn't last long either. Can you just by the brine tank tube and replace it?
Yes, you can replace it with any semi rigid tube from the local big box stores. You could remove your existing tube and try to blow down it to see if it is blocked. The electronic unit on top could be plugged up as well. There are small moving parts inside the head that could be clogged as well.
@@TheDurbinCompound If your system is 15 years old, the resin is probably not working anymore. It may have zero problems using the salt during the regeneration process. But, if the resin has gone bad, then it is not removing any of the calcium, magnesium or iron anymore. This video showed a house on well water. Well water isn't treated in any way. It doesn't have any chlorine in it. If you are on city water, there is definitely chlorine in that. The enemy of any resin is chlorine. It rips it to shreds. Carbon is designed to remove the chlorine in the water. If your water softener doesn't have carbon in it, and you are on city water, the resin is shot by now. You can change out the resin in the tank, but after 15 years...just get a new system.
How often should brien tank be emptied out and cleaned?
Hardly ever should need it. Don’t let it get too nasty. The salt water should keep any growth down anyways
Should the brien tank be full of salt at all time or is it best to allow salt to go down.
Always at least half full
How much water stays in the brine tank? I have always thought only a few inches at the bottom but my new unit fills nearly to the overflow valve. I called Pelican Technical Support and they said this is normal.
I have experience with a lot of different units and none are the same. The brine tank designs are all different. Mine at home, as shown in the video, does not hold more than a few inches even during regen. That is why I keep it full with salt. The unit we use at work for a chiller is the opposite. It stays full of water and you only fill the salt to about half way or it will overflow.
@@TheDurbinCompound Thanks
Thanks for the video. A quick question -- just so I understand correctly -- When I open a faucet the following happens: Hard water from the city flows through my pipes -> hard water goes into my water softener through the 'IN' pipe of the softener -> hard water goes through the clean resin beads -> Soft water comes out through the 'OUT' pipe of the softener -> water flows to my faucet and is soft water. If this is the case, whenever I open a faucet or take a shower, should I hear water flowing through my softener?
Yes that is correct. You probably won’t hear water flowing through it much.
how much water is washed out into the drain after rinsing, how many gallons?
I do not know the number for sure because every design is different. My setup wastes around 25 gallons per regen cycle
Please make a more detailed diagram. Where does the drain come into the picture? I'm in a condo, on city water, my unit is only 1 tub w/2 containers in it.
So, drain line needs to run to sewer...it technically isn't allowed to discharge elsewhere. Find somewhere you're able to if you have a condo...those can be tricky. Hope it helps!
*Devon, I just installed a New Water Softener (GE) After All was finished with assembly, it came time to add Salt. My son-in-law was reading the directions...***It said to Pour 3 Gallons of Water in the Tank and THEN pour in the Salt into the Water. Devon, we accidentally poured the Salt in 1st and then poured the 3 Gallons of Water onto the Salt Pellets...Is this a Serious Error? Will Problems result?
I decided to do an Initial "Re-Generation" and the Tank began filling with water and I noticed when the water stopped entering the Tank the Salt Level (@ 2) was lower than the Water Level by about 3 to 4 inches or so...Is this normal? This is a Brand New Machine and I just want to be sure I didn't damage anything...Thanks for any assistance you can Give Me Devon, Thankyou....J/.
Yeah you are good! It’s not a big deal to add water or salt first.
Is there a problem if you hear water constantly running thru the softener?
Just the video I was searching for, I am learning this for 7 weeks now and wonder why my salt level never changes. I have what looks like excessive soap scum in the tub after thorough cleaning in only 2 days. I think it's the softener. What do you think.? Thanks for your knowledge.
I think it may be the softener!
Thanks for a fast response.my softener is like yours, is the balls or inner media hard to replace and are they hard to find. The electronic head seems operable doing its thing on time. I also have a cylinder before that one that works in conjunction with the softener.
@@larrylentz2592 hey, so the softener resin is actually very common, but finding someone with it may not be. Hopefully your problem is fixed now, but the soap scum build up may be because the softener isn't working properly...you'd want to try and troubleshoot with someone over the phone probably. There may be a few things that could pop up with it. bastar@colorado.edu - shoot me a note if you need anything
@@rgbking488 thanks for the response. I totally emptied and cleaned the salt tank and pushed the manual button on softener head. Now no residue and the water feels silky when bathing or washing hands. When the auto runs it just backlashes the ph tank. I watched the timing dial and gear shaft under head cover and does nothing unless I push the manual button for the softener. Thanks again for your help, if you think of anything that may explain or help please let me know.
@@larrylentz2592 the dial won't necessarily turn...that you'll notice. It's most likely set up to run/backwash/flush every X amount of days...it's like a clock (most likely) and turns very slowly. Emptying the brine tank (salt tank) is fine and if that helped then good deal. Anything else hit me up - bastar@colorado.edu
So the regen tank puts water into brine tank and then takes it back to rinse resin beads?
Yes
There is nothing wrong with using Clorox (Sodium Hypochlorite) in your well. Well drillers sanitize wells with Clorox or stronger concentrations of Sodium Hypochlorite after drilling. But be careful if you have galvanized well casing or galvanized drop pipe since Clorox is corrosive it may accelerate corrosion. The amount you use will be dependent on well depth, casing diameter and the water elevation. For a 4in casing each foot of water is approximately .65 gal., but be careful a 100 ft. deep well with water at the 60 ft. (below) ground level is only 40 ft. of water or approximately 26 gallons. For every 50 gallons of water in the well use one quart of laundry bleach. So in this example you will use 1 pint (16 oz.) of bleach. It helps to use a small diameter hose inserted into the small opening in the well seal rinse the casing and drop pipe.
Brine barrel is 1/2 full of water. Never had it that full of water before and it has been full like that for a week. Why? I took most of the water out just now and did a regen. Should I fill it back to the top with salt or is there another problem. Also noticed when the pail I was using scraped against the inside sides of the barrel, there was black stuff on the brim of the pail.
Also the water water in the brine tank was dirty.
@@mezmorize76 hey man, so it depends. The valve on the top of the tank may not be working properly. I would add 3 bags of salt, check it in a week...the salt level will go down because the water will dissolve it, but you need to make sure it's using salt during the regen. You will notice the salt is dissolved, so add 1 or 2 bags of salt to keep the salt above the water line. The tank could be filling post-regen or before (pre-regen). Also, the black stuff is normal...salt is dirty, it's mined and isn't a clean process. Shouldn't be an issue honestly. bastar@colorado.edu - hit me up if you have any questions
I moved to a house in the country and we have a water softener. I'm not knowledgeable about any of this and all it does is confuse me. We go through approximately 3 bags of salt pellets every 4 months for a family of 2. Our softener is set at 30% so my partner says. We are on well water. Is this water not safe to drink or is it only safe to wash clothes, dishes and bath? I have pets and am rather concerned if they drink it. Also should it be set less than 30% or more?
Well water is not harmful to you. It is often times more healthy than municipal drinking water in the city. Your softener is set up and calibrated by the water company that installed it for the correct amount of softening needed for the ground water you are using. My dog loves our well water and we love the taste as well. We hate city water as it often contains chlorine and other chemicals. Well water is filtered by the ground and natural. If you have any concerns, contact a local water company to come out and test your water and teach you about it. That is how I learned.
What kind of whole house water filter do you use??
I used the Pentair filters from Menards. There are so many variations available
Hi.So if I see water above my salt does that mean I don't have a bridge?
Correct. It would be highly unlikely you would still have a bridge
How much sodium will the water have with the softener?
I refill the salt every two weeks.It used to be 6 weeks at least.
Can you tell me why does it dissolve so fast?
You must be regenerating more often. Does your softener have a display on it? The softener should regenerate every 800 gallons. That’s once a week for me. A 200lb brine tank will last me a couple of months. Household of 2, using about 800 gallons once a week.
Check your float valve in the brine tank - considering that the rate of salt consumption increased without any other changes, it sounds like you're getting too much water during the brine tank refill portion of the regen cycle.
@@TheDurbinCompound How often your softener regenerates is typically based on a fixed timer or a water meter actually tracks the gallons that have passed through it. Different size softeners can process a different number of gallons before needing to be recharged - you'd have to confirm the grain rating for the softener as well as the grains/gallon of your local water source to confirm how many gallons can be processed before needing to be regenerated.
3:33. Is that a Clack valve ?
what about if my PCboard doesn't work anymore?
How do you know if your water softner is automatically set to kick on
You will have to pay attention to it. I notice that a lot of softeners do not have displays. Pros say they are preset for 800 gals before they regen. In my house this takes about 2 weeks to go through.
Depends for sure. If there's a display, jam through the settings. If not, check where it's from, hit up the manual, and then try to program the regeneration days or gallons to some #, depending on how many people in the home and your water hardness/resin amount
My water softener keeps saying check salt. The salt is full, I poked a stick down in the salt to see if there was a bridge. Nothing changed. I removed the brine tube and blew into it to see if there was a clog. No clog. I forced a reign, it ran through the cycle. Once again no more automatic reigns only the notice “Check Salt.” Very frustrating.
Hummm weird! I don’t know! May be time to call a pro 🙃
While you may have salt in the tank do you have water in the bottom, at least 5 to 8 inches. Without the water you will not have the "salt brine" liquid which is necessary to be drawn into the resin tank which "cleans" the system. This is probably why you are getting the check salt. Your "float" may be malfunctioning (contained in the salt/brine tank in the round tube usually) or some other issue with the water getting into the brine tank.
Did this video have Pat Benetar playing in the background at super low volume? Great technical information but spare us old broken down types the worry that we are hearing voices, lol.
At the beginning I kept going around to see if one of my kids left a TV or computer on.
I never understood my water softener until I watched this video! Thank you! I have one that has the brine, the resin, and another tank for crystal #5 for conditioning the water! I also have a charcoal filter! It used to be that when my water was stinking like sulfur I needed to change the filter! Well I keep changing the filters and it still stinks like sulfur! I checked my brine tank after watching this and it doesn’t seem do be bridging! Another weird thing is that both the hot and cold stink but hot is the worst! Also if I let it run a little bit it stops stinking as bad! I just don’t get why that would be happening! Another thing is that I don’t notice my bathroom water stinking like the kitchen water! I seem to only notice it in the kitchen! I can’t figure out what is going on! Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated!
I honestly don’t know what could be causing your problem. Have you made sure that the kitchen sink water is plumbed in a way that it is getting the softened water?
TheDurbinCompound yes it’s plumbed to get it! I don’t know if the faucet or sink we put in has anything to do with it! It was fine before that! Thanks for getting back with me! Awesome of you!
Heather R I could not believe that the faucet or sink you put in would be making the water smell.
Feel free to join our Facebook group and ask your questions there! You’ll be able to post pictures and be more interactive with the group!
facebook.com/groups/2584012825213480/?ref=share
TheDurbinCompound ok I’ll try! Thanks! How could I send my boyfriend A link to it?
Barney style - When I'm brushing my teeth and having so much fun I never let the water-softener run out of salt
We almost have the same name, sounds the same though🤙
Did you... just make an Expeditionary Force reference?
Probably just did
@@TheDurbinCompound Good! For a second there I was afraid some damn beer can had hacked my account.
This guy is fucking great!😂
When you have a new system how long until the sulfur egg smell goes away
Should see a difference within the first 800 gallons. If you do not, consider adding a carbon filter for odor control
Hello my son has not put salt in the container for 3 month, it's an old white tank and I'm not sure but it seems to me not sure but ice nasty and not sure about cooking 🤷 NOT 3 Months It’s Been 2 an a half years
Definitely bleach the brine tank and clean it out really well. Then put in salt, and run a regenerate cycle before cooking and tasting
@@TheDurbinCompound ,Sorry It’s Been 2 and a half years, I just realized how long I’ve been here 3 years and I keep telling him to get some but he doesn’t ( Well is on the side of the house old white tank is in the basement)
Softeners go badly very quickly when salt is not kept up with. They need to be flushed with salt water every 900 gallons or so
Our POWER Went 3Times LAST Week During The middle of the night. Maintenance For Our City Must Have BEEN Doing work And It Probably Was The Best Time BC IT WAS LATE 😱. Well, I’ve noticed THIS week In Our Bathroom In Basement THAT the Liquid soap Just SEEMS GRIMEY when I’M Done walking my hands And It’s NOT REALLY Lathering!! I WENT and looked to see if the light was blinking for sale BUT it’s FULL And my husband Said It regenerates. BUT I SAY Something IS WRONG 👎🏼Any Advice WOULD Help 😊G-d♥️Bless
I have problem our softener alarm Call day
Message CALL DAY show us like that
I’m pretty sure my system doesn’t have a resin tank. Just the salt tank
Your unit is an all in one unit. If it has a cover on it, you’ll have to open it up to see the resin tank inside. It should share the space with your brine tank.
"give it a little pokesies"
Why do you not believe in using bleach in the well?
Just doesn’t seem like it will do anything. I might be wrong but it is what it is
We put chlorine tablets in wells and then flush the water out of the house. A lot of people get that rotten egg smell, the tablets works.
Awesome. Thanks for the reply!
@@TheDurbinCompound I can't possibly see how adding BLEACH to any water that you will be drinking or bathing in is EVER a good idea. I'm not on well water, but that seems like a horrible idea.
why don't you add some anti-freeze to it while you're at it...lol. That was a joke!!! I don't want to end up on Dateline some night. Don't do that!!