how exactly does a water softner work?

[justin1795]

we purchased a new house with a well. i dont believe the water softner to be working. its a kenmore demand, it had about 3 foot of water in the salt area since we got the house. i disasembled all the valves ect and cleaned them and the float. i vacumed all the water out of the salt tank. i found the salt to be solid around the big tube in the middle. i broke it up and hit recharge and i seen salty water comming out of the drain so i figured i had fixed it. so i got the manual online and it said to set it up put 3 gallons of water in the salt area and hit recharge to get the water level set ect. i put the 3 gallons in and it seems like it never disapears and just sits there. perhaps im on the wrong track and dont understand how its suposed to work.

 

[djjsr]

The water should be there.

When a softener goes through the 'regeneration' cycle .......

It first draws fresh water in to backflush the resin. This is similar to backflushing a swimming pool filter. It cleans out the "big" stuff that has accumulated in the resin.

It then draws the salt water from the salt tank (aka brine) and washes the resin with that brine solution. This cleans out the rest of the minerals that are stuck in the resin.

Then it draws in fresh water again as a final rinse to clean the brine solution out, so you don't get dirty or salt water afterwards when you open a tap.

And finally, it puts fresh water back into the salt tank. The water just sits there, slowly dissolving the salt and becomes the brine solution for the next time it regenerates.

As the salt dissolves, the salt level in the tank drops.

The cycle may take over an hour, so typically your timer starts the cycle at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning when nobody is using water.

 

[justin1795]

thank you for the explanation. i was under the impression that the water around the salt was sucked in and out everytime the softner dumped.

 

[vmusch]

I found this site to be very helpful for the DIY
http://www.softenerparts.com/

 

[Spinaker01]

The water should be there.

When a softener goes through the 'regeneration' cycle .......

It first draws fresh water in to backflush the resin. This is similar to backflushing a swimming pool filter. It cleans out the "big" stuff that has accumulated in the resin.

It then draws the salt water from the salt tank (aka brine) and washes the resin with that brine solution. This cleans out the rest of the minerals that are stuck in the resin.

Then it draws in fresh water again as a final rinse to clean the brine solution out, so you don't get dirty or salt water afterwards when you open a tap.

And finally, it puts fresh water back into the salt tank. The water just sits there, slowly dissolving the salt and becomes the brine solution for the next time it regenerates.

As the salt dissolves, the salt level in the tank drops.

The cycle may take over an hour, so typically your timer starts the cycle at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning when nobody is using water.

The salt water is used to regenerate the zeolite resin. It is a chemical process that uses ion exchange to positively charge the zeolite sodium (Na+) cations. Once back in normal service, the sodium ions are exchanged for Calcium and or Magnesium anions (the principle cause of "hard water")

 

[jmarkwolf]

Be advised that the resin beads can apparently become "clogged" such that the regen cycle can't clean it anymore.

We have a very fine peat in our well water that prematurely killed a couple water softeners until I added a whole-house water filter.

 

[djjsr]

Be advised that the resin beads can apparently become "clogged" such that the regen cycle can't clean it anymore.

Very good point. If you think your softener is not doing the job, take a water sample before and after the softener and have them analyzed.

The resin is a bit pricey so I suggest cleaning it before replacing it. There are a few chemicals available to do it. I use one called ResUp. You just add it to the brine solution. If it's an ongoing problem, there are dispensers that you mount in the brine tank to automatically add some of the cleaner (acid).

 

[Joe G.]

We have a very fine peat in our well water that prematurely killed a couple water softeners until I added a whole-house water filter.

Good point. Since the OP is using well water, does he have a filter before the softener?

 

[justin1795]

thought i would update. have been working all week. i took everything apart and cleaned it. the line from the salt tank had alot of **** it in i cleaned out. i tried it once and it seems to be working now.

 

[graffix000]

I moved into a place with a well and softener back in June and found out my system wasn't working properly. I watched the following video to get an idea on how the system works to see the prior owners didn't have the brine tank set up...

Now it is running properly and I have salty water. There are a few vid's by this guy, but it takes you through the whole system and how it works.

 

[Ross/Kzoo]

I have had a softener for 25 years and got the Water Boss about 12 years ago. I have large amounts of iron from my well water and have a whole house filter. My softener cycles about every three days and when it's finished I have have very rusty water for about the first 50 gallons. Any ideas?

 

[djjsr]

..... when it's finished I have have very rusty water for about the first 50 gallons. Any ideas?

Try using a chemical cleaner as I mentioned in an earlier post. If you've had a lot of iron, you may have to do it more than once.

I ran into this same thing recently with 2 large commercial softeners that I have in my business. The manufacturer said I may need to replace the resin because of what they suspected was iron build-up in the resin that normal regeneration would not clean out. The cost was almost $2000 for 18 cu ft of resin.

Then they suggested trying the chemical first. I used it for 3 cycles and it took care of it. Total cost was about $90 for 3 gallons. A smaller softener that's in a house would use much less.

 

[gungatim]

I have a Kenmore demand bought new in '97. Do you have the manual for it? in it it explains how to take apart and clean the orifice tube/suction valve on the inlet. they are before the softener so get clogged with sand and/or iron. you can clean it 2x before you have to replace it. It is cheap, just a few rubber parts and a screen. I have to do it every 3-4 yrs or so. When it clogs, the flow of fresh water does not create enough suction through the tube to pickup the brine solution in the tank, thus too much water, and no regeneration of the resin bed. Very easy to do. I have extremely hard and rusty water and in 16 yrs. have not had to replace the resin bed (also rare), despite what some online sites claim. I clean it once a year, and it regens every 3 days or so. I did have to rebuild the timer once about 5 yrs ago, also easy and cheap fix, and the timer motor rusted out from a salt spill I didn't know about but you can fix this stuff fairly easy and keep one of these going for a very very long time. PM me and I will try to scan you the procedure if you need, otherwise hit the sears parts site and they may have the manual as well.

Good Luck.
Tim.

oh and they work by the resin absorbing the minerals, and then during regen salt displaces the minerals on the resin beads (very simplified but basicaly how it works)