Uncover More About Well Water Softeners
Ready to learn more about well water softeners? Discover the innovative options that Culligan offers and see which one may be right for your home.
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Like most appliances, your water softener requires a little regular maintenance to keep it running at peak performance. This is especially true for well water users or anyone with significant water issues, including high iron content. Luckily, it’s relatively easy to care for your system.
Your local water softener supplier is the best resource to help with the regular maintenance of your softening system. Being proactive by maintaining salt levels and having your system cleaned as needed can help increase the overall lifespan of your system and its ability to consistently provide you with cleaner, soft water.
Besides regular salt refills, there isn’t a lot that needs to be done. So how do you know if your water softener needs maintenance? The biggest sign is the return of hard water issues, including:
Here’s what to know about water softeners and their maintenance requirements.
When it comes to water softener maintenance, your most significant responsibility is to stay on top of things. That means paying attention to your system and any apps, smart features or notifications designed to keep you on track with basic care. You should also note any routine maintenance recommendations in your owner’s guide (find Culligan’s HE and Smart HE Water Softener Owner’s Guide here). Get a quick overview of what’s needed in this video:
The core task in maintaining your water softener is maintaining the right salt level. That’s because your water softening system is full of resin beads that attract the hardness minerals to help remove them from your water. When these resin beads become saturated with hardness minerals, they need to be cleaned with a saltwater substance called brine. If you never added water softener salt, the resin beads would be overloaded, and you’d be right back to your old hard water problems.
Your salt should be:
If that sounds like a lot of salt buying, carrying and replacing, don’t worry — there are two key ways to make things easier:
Regeneration is a water softener process that recharges the resin beads so they can keep doing their job: removing the calcium and magnesium that cause hard water.
Water softeners typically have a second tank called a brine tank, which contains a saltwater solution. During regeneration, the saltwater brine solution flows through the resin tank, rinsing the calcium and magnesium from the beads and flushing the minerals from the system.
There are two significant cases in which your water softener might regenerate at incorrect intervals:
A well-sized, well-maintained water softener system will likely regenerate every four to seven days.
The best part about water softeners is that they don’t require a lot of care — beyond keeping your eye on the salt level, that is. However, there are certain times when you might need to clean internal parts. (It’s best to have an expert help with that.)
In other cases, you may need to sanitize your whole system. Examples include:
While most water softener maintenance is simple and infrequent, there are a few everyday things you can do to keep your system functioning effectively:
If your system has smart features and an accompanying app, you’ll likely receive a notification when a salt refill is needed or if your system has a problem. However, it’s still good to know what to look for:
Hard Water
If your water softener has issues — for example, it’s running low on salt — hard water problems will return. For most people, the first red flags appear in the shower, where the water feels different and soap or shampoo products don’t work as effectively.
Keep in mind that some water differences actually mean your softener is working properly. Many people say that softened water has a “slippery” feeling, which is a good sign; that means the natural oils in your skin are able to do their job without being stopped by hardness minerals.
The Soap Test
Soap with soft water will create a strong lather, but hard water won’t create the same amount of foam. While not exactly scientific, this “soap test” can be the first step in determining if your water softener is working properly.
Brine Tank Appearance
To see if you have salt level problems, try lifting the lid of your brine tank. You should be able to see salt — but if you see water, it’s time to add more salt to the tank. If you do see salt but are still having issues, you might have a problem with salt mushing or bridging. You’ll need to call your water softener supplier for help.
Salt, Water and Energy Usage
If you just replaced or upgraded your water softener, you may notice that it’s using less salt, water and energy. That’s not necessarily a sign of maintenance issues; it’s just the newer, more efficient technology doing its job.
Changes In Your Habits
Say your softener seems to be failing, but you can’t find anything wrong. In this case, maintenance might not be the issue; instead, you’ll need to look at your habits. For example, if another family member recently moved in with you, your water usage might have gone up — which, in turn, made your current water softener settings less effective. You might just need to make some system changes so your softener can keep up — no maintenance or repairs required.
Inspections
Whether you have proof of a problem or just suspect that something’s not right, it’s best to call the experts. Schedule a system inspection to test your water and your softener.
A well-maintained softening system is an effective softening system. But what does that mean for you? Here are just a few benefits of caring for your water softener:
If well-maintained, a high-quality water softener can produce soft water for decades. That means you shouldn’t have to replace your system frequently.
That said, it’s important to know the difference between a maintenance issue and a more substantial problem. Let’s take a closer look:
The cost to replace your old water softener will depend on a variety of factors, including size, capacity and system features.
The good news is that water softeners save you money in the long run. Here are a few examples:
When purchasing a new system, consider all aspects such as durability, available service, time- and energy-saving features and more. You should also think about maintenance agreements. Some providers, including Culligan, offer programs including salt delivery, maintenance, repairs and help managing your system. This doesn’t just make it easier to support your water softener and keep hard water at bay; it also helps save time, money and effort.
There’s a lot to know about water softeners, from finding the right one to caring for the system over its decades-long lifespan. The good news is that you don’t have to take these steps alone. Your local Culligan Water expert can help — and they’ll even have information about water hardness levels in your area.
The process begins with a water test, which helps you and your local expert get started on a personalized water plan.
Take the first step today — schedule your free, in-home water test and consultation.
*HE Softener when configured with proportional upflow brining with Aqua-Sensor®
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