How to Add Salt to a Water Softener
A water softener system filters minerals that cause hard water. This process is accomplished by filtering the water through salt in the brine tank of the water softener. The salt acts like a sponge and holds the metals (for example, calcium, iron and magnesium concentrates) and renders the water "soft." Salt must be added regularly to the water softener unit in the saltkeeper. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Keep the salt level of your water softener at half-full in order to have consistent performance. The more water you use, the more to add salt. Check the saltkeeper at least every 30 days.
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Check the water level in the unit to make sure there is enough salt to dissolve and create brine. Inspect the float mechanism. Verify that it's working properly to allow water to enter the tank as necessary.
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Use a special filter when the water has a particularly high level of iron. Iron-fighting additives are effective in water that contains 2 part per million (ppm)iron or less. High iron levels require additional products or an iron filter.
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Clean out the brine tank before adding salt. This is particularly important when using salt that is high in water-insoluble matter.
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Break up any "bridging" or "mushing" masses that have formed before adding new salt. This condition is usually prevented by reducing half the amount of salt added at any one time. Use a stick to break up masses of salt or contact a service to do a complete tank clean out.
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Tips & Warnings
Do not overfill the saltkeeper.
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Comments
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waterstuff
Sep 16, 2009
This article is totally incorrect. The description of how a water softener works is WRONG. The reason that you put salt in the tank is WRONG. The water softener has three main basic components. First is a "mineral tank" or "resin tank". This tank is typically about 2/3 full of tiny resin beads. As the water passes over these beads, hard water minerals are collected by the beads. The beads are what soften the water and remove the calcium/magnesium/etc. Second component is the "brine tank" or "salt tank". When the resin is completely saturated with hard water minerals it needs to be cleaned(regenerated). The water softener sucks dissolved salt (brine) into the resin tank from the brine tank. This brine solution runs through the resin and a process called "ion exchange" causes the resin to drop off all the hardness minerals it has collected. These minerals and the excess salt a...
