Six Reasons Why Your Water Softening System Is Requiring Premature Replacement

It's essential to use your water softening system properly and keep it well maintained to maximize your system's lifespan. If your system is wearing out and requiring replacement sooner than it should, you may be making some usage and maintenance mistakes.

The following are six possible reasons why your water softening system requires replacement prematurely.  

1. You're not using the right salt.

The type of salt you use is important when it comes to both the functioning and the lifespan of your water softening system. Make sure you're aware of whether your water softener takes rock, evaporated, or solar salt. When looking at the type of salt you need, also consider its purity. Be sure to discuss your salt choice with your system installer to find out what the ideal salt product is for your needs. 

2. You're not checking the salt level in your brine tank often enough.

You probably already know that you need to periodically refill the brine tank of your system with salt. However, you might not be checking often enough to see if your tank needs a refill. Excessively low salt levels in your brine tank can put added stress on your system that increases the likelihood of malfunctions and repair. Get in the habit of checking salt levels every couple weeks or at least every month. 

3. You're neglecting to clean your resin tank as necessary.

The resin tank of your system doesn't have to be cleaned that often. Resin tank cleaning needs to be done at most every couple of years. However, it's important not to neglect this task or your system will suffer. Discuss resin tank cleaning frequency with your water softener installer to find out how often this task needs to be done. 

4. Your water softening system isn't appropriate for the water consumption of your household.

Water softening systems are sized based on how many people are in a given household. However, some households consume more water per person than others. Calculate carefully the size system you need. If your system is too small for your household consumption, it's going to wear out and require replacement quickly. 

5. You're neglecting to clean out your brine tank often enough.

The brine tank of your system needs to be cleaned out periodically. During cleanings, it's important to make sure that salt bridges or salt mush aren't building up. Brine tank cleanings should take place every few years. During cleanings, the tank should be completely emptied out and thoroughly cleaned inside. 

6. You're neglecting valve maintenance.

There are numerous valve maintenance tasks to keep up on to maintain your water softening system properly. Valves need to be exercised every few months. To exercise the valves, you simply twist them to the off position and back on again. This prevents the valves from becoming jammed.

Another valve maintenance task is cleaning the nozzle and venturi valve that is located between the resin and brine tanks. This ensures that the system will maintain adequate suction at this valve to pull water through the system.