Almost 85% of homes in the US have a problem with hard water—making a water softener a fantastic investment. They work to remove minerals like calcium and magnesium from your water, so it’s purer and more natural.
However, since a water softener can be expensive, you need to know how you can look after it. With preventive maintenance, your new softener will last for decades, so you’ll never need to worry about hard water again.
To learn more, keep reading to find five water softener maintenance tips that every homeowner can use.
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Look Out for Signs of a Problem
One of our top maintenance tips is to always lookout for signs of a problem with your water softener. Issues such as a different taste to your water or dry, scratchy clothes after washing are indicators that you have a problem.
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Top Up Your Salts
You should be checking your salt levels every 4-6 weeks to make sure they’re correct. If they’re too low, your system won’t be able to work properly.
When topping up your salt levels, be sure to use the right type of salt as recommended by the installer of your tank.
Your manual should let you know more about salt types, but most machines use either rock, solar, or evaporated salt.
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Clean Your Tank
Tanks only really need to be cleaned every few years if they’re working properly. However, if you’ve developed an issue with your tank, it’s probably worth having it cleaned to remove any build-up or debris.
If you’re not comfortable doing this yourself, hire a local service company to get the job done.
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Break Up Salt Bridges
Salt bridges occur when salt at the top of your pile has hardened into a solid formation or bridge. Use a broom handle to break it up, since it will stop your water softener from working properly.
If they’re happening often, it might be because you’ve been putting too much salt in at a time.
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Decide If Resin Is Right for You
Some homeowners use resin in their tanks as a way of stopping hard water from developing, but it’s important to know the pros and cons of this method. For example, they can be expensive and require more appliance maintenance.
To learn more, this article can help:“Water Softener Resin: Everything You Need to Know”.
Use These Preventative Maintenance Tips to Look After Your Water Softener
With these preventative maintenance tips, you can look after your water softener for years to come. As they say, ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’—that is, looking after your water softener on a regular basis will prevent expensive repair bills in the future.
To get started, create a water softener maintenance schedule and pop it on your calendar—that way, you’ll always know what you should be doing. It will help your water softener last for years to come.
If you found this article helpful, please keep reading for more informative tips.