How to Clean a Water Softener

Water softeners are increasingly popular among home and business owners in hard water areas. These systems filter out calcium, magnesium, iron and other minerals from water, for the purpose of supplying soft water throughout the home or business. If you have a water softener, cleaning its salt storage tank on a regular basis is an essential part of the softener's proper maintenance, and is necessary for optimal performance.

Things You'll Need

• Screwdriver
• Scoop or small bowl
• Bucket
• Scrubbing brush
• Garden hose
• Sponge

Instructions

1. Turn off the power to your water softener unit to prevent the risk of electrocution. Turn off your water at the main shut-off valve.

2. Remove the cover from the salt tank (also called a brine tank). Lift the brine valve carefully from the tank. And set it aside.

3. Scoop out any dry salt, using the scoop or small bowl. You can either discard this salt or pour it into a bucket, if you would like to save it. Ideally, you should let the salt level in your water softener fall to a low level to minimize the amount of salt you will have to discard when cleaning out the brine tank.

4. Remove and discard the brine (salty water) and any remaining salt that is left behind in the salt water tank.

5. Use the screwdriver to remove the screws that are on either side of softener's salt tank, and then remove the brine valve chamber.

6. Remove the salt plate that you will find at the bottom of the brine tank. Clean the salt plate as well as any dirt and debris that may be trapped beneath it.

7. Scrub out the inside of the tank with the scrubbing brush. This is a messy process, involving a lot of dirt and silt and is best done outdoors. Use the garden hose to rinse out the tank thoroughly.

8. Re-assemble the brine tank and then re-fill the water softener's salt keeper with fresh, clean salt or salt pellets. Pour in enough salt to fill the tank almost all the way to the top. Replace the cover of the tank. Restart the water softener.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not discard the brine from the salt storage tank into an area where there are plants or flowers, as this will kill them.