How to Fix a Salt Bridge in a Water Softener
A salt bridge is a hard crust that can sometimes form in your water softener. This is often caused by high humidity, or simply using the wrong kind of salt. A salt bridge can create an empty space between the salt and the water below, which will prevent your system from making brine. Without brine, your water softener cannot regenerate, and that will leave you with hard water. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Broom handle or other long tool.
- Small plastic bucket or handled pitcher.
- Wet/dry vacuum.
Instructions
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Steps
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1
Push your broom handle down into the salt in your water softener. If something hard stops the broom from reaching the bottom, you probably have a salt bridge.
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2
Turn off the water to your system with the bypass valve.
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3
Remove the top level of loose salt with a small plastic bucket or pitcher.
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4
Jam the broom handle down into the salt bridge in several places to break it apart into pieces.
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5
Remove the remaining chunks of salt by hand.
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6
Use a wet/dry vacuum to vacuum up any water that remains at the bottom of your system.
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7
Read your system's instruction manual to determine the type of salt you should be using. Refill your system with the correct salt and turn the water back on.
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Tips & Warnings
Using the correct type of salt and placing a dehumidifier near your system, if you live in an area with high humidity, will help prevent formation of another salt bridge.
Don't use any sharp or pointed tools that might puncture the walls of your water softener.
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Comments
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waterstuff
Sep 14, 2009
Usually you can just add a few gallons of water to your brine tank. This will raise the level of the water and help it to dissolve the bottom of the bridge. In a minute or two after adding water the salt will drop down. Your system will then adjust the level of water back to the normal level once it regenerates.
