Water Softener Repair & Service
It is normally recommended that your water softener or other water filtration equipment be serviced or maintained annually, There may be interim issues that come up which can be diagnosed and remedied by the homeowner. Proper maintenance will help get the maximum useful life out of your equipment. It will also ensure proper functioning to consistently deliver softened or conditioned water to your home. For more complicated problems, contacting a water treatment service technician for water softener repair is your best option. Below is a list of some common symptoms of problems with your water softener.
High Efficiency Water Softener
REPAIR CHECKLIST: IF WATER SOFTENER NOT WORKING
Assure that the water softener is actually “on”, that is, that the system has electric power, then:
- Check the water softener bypass valve: You want first to see that the water softener is not on “bypass” – is household water flowing through the unit? This valve is an option and may not be installed on your unit. However, there may be standard plumbing valves or globe valves that accomplish the same purpose.
- Check power to the water softener: If the unit uses electricity to run a timer, be sure it’s plugged in to a live outlet and has power. Some water conditioners use a low-voltage transformer for powering controls – be sure it is present, plugged in, working. Also, a power failure could cause the timer to be improperly set. Re-set the day of week and time of day on the water softener timer after any loss of power to the unit.
- Check salt tank: Is there salt in the salt tank? If not, add salt to the tank.
- Manually regen cycle: Then try a manual regeneration cycle – you’ll see on most units a lever you can push on the control box to start that regeneration process. Note: your home will not be delivered conditioned or softened water while the water softener is in the regeneration cycle. Therefore, its best not to use water (or use as little as possible- flushing toilets is OK, etc.) in the home until the regeneration process is complete. This is why most programmed regeneration is set for late at night when water usage is much less likely.
- Feel & test the water supply: if you can’t get a lather when bathing, water may be insufficiently treated.
OTHER POTENTIAL WATER SOFTENER REPAIR SYMPTOMS
Without fully diagnosing, it may be impossible to diagnose the problem and if a repair is even necessary. This is where a service technician will be able to trouble shoot the situation and come to a determination and solution to the problem. While there are many possible symptoms and problems a softener may experience, the following are possibilities.
- Loss of water pressure downstream from the softener
- Mineral discharge from the water softener and into the home’s water supply
- Staining on home fixtures even though the water softener seems to be running properly
- Excessive salt usage by the system, requiring higher than normal salt tank fill ups
- Hard water evidence observed right after a regeneration cycle.
