If you have a whole-house water softener, you need to keep up with regular maintenance in order for the unit to work at its best. After all, a water softener cleans all the water that enters your home, which can be a tall order. Aside from the maintenance steps that you complete as a homeowner, our team can help with professional maintenance and even a water softener salt subscription in Mundelein.
Just give our team a call to schedule your service. We can talk to you about how many gallons per month you use and how often you need to refill the salt. You can also keep reading to learn more about some of the other maintenance steps you can complete for your whole-house water softener.
Adding More Salt
One of the most important tips we have for maintaining a water softener is refilling the salt. You may be tempted to check on your water softener every six to eight weeks to refill the salt. However, this can allow salt levels to be dangerously low by the time you do check. Instead, we encourage you to check on your water softener on a weekly or biweekly basis.
This allows you to maintain a consistent schedule and identify any problems sooner rather than later. Plus, when you’re adding salt all along, levels never get so low that your water softener becomes ineffective at improving water quality. There may be some weeks when you use more water than normal, and salt levels decrease faster. It’s better to check sooner and add more salt all along than to wait and risk any problems.
Clean the Brine Tank
Once each year you need to completely empty and clean the brine tank where the salt is located. Over time, the salt can begin forming clumps in the tank and can generally just be dirty. Removing the salt and cleaning the tank out completely is a good way to ensure optimum efficiency at cleaning the resin beads.
Address Salt Bridges
Salt bridges are a buildup that can form inside the main water softener tank or the brine tank. This is essentially salt buildup that is not dissolving the way it should. If the salt buildup becomes to significant, it can impact how your water softener operates.
Having salt bridges here and there is not a big deal. But if you are constantly having to break these down, then you may have a larger problem that needs addressing. For example, you may be using a lower quality salt and need to switch to a different type for brand. If you live in an area with high humidity, that could also be a factor increasing the risk of salt bridges inside your water softener.
Contact Althoff Home Services today to schedule an appointment with our professionals. Chicago’s Choice Since 1961. Hand It Off to Althoff!