Water Softener Service & Maintenance
Water softener service is normally recommended annually, however, interim issues may come up which can be diagnosed and remedied by the homeowner. Consistent water softener maintenance will help get the maximum useful life out of your equipment and ensure proper functioning to consistently deliver softened or conditioned water to your home, as these systems process thousands of gallons of water per month. There are many brands of water softeners, some much more efficient than others in terms of water and salt usage. Some are capable of conditioning a larger volume of water, therefore estimated water usage prior to selecting a system is very important. See a list of some common symptoms of problems below.
High Efficiency Water Softener
WATER SOFTENER SERVICE & REPAIR CHECKLIST:
Make sure water softener is actually “on” and working, that is, that the system has 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? A bypass valve is an option and may not be installed on your unit, but 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 to power the control – be sure that device is present, plugged in, and 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 an electrical power failure or after the softener has been powered “off” for a time.
- Check salt tank: Is there salt in the salt tank? If not, add salt to the tank.
- Manual regeneration cycle: Then try a manual regeneration – most units have a manual regen button on the control box. Note: your home will not be delivered conditioned or softened water while the water softener is in the regeneration cycle, therefore, best not to use water (or use as little as possible- flushing toilets is OK, etc.) in the home until the 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: if you still can’t get a lather when bathing, water may be insufficiently treated.
OTHER POTENTIAL WATER SOFTENER SERVICE SYMPTOMS 
Without a full diagnosis, it can be very difficult to determine what is really causing the problem and whether of not a water softener 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 so many possible symptoms and problems a softener may experience, the following are a few that you may see.
- 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.
H2O Care is an established full service water filtration and testing organization, originally formed in 1989, based in Middleton, MA off route 114 with additional offices in Stow & Lakeville, MA. See our published articles in Water Technology Magazines at http://publications .Reach us at [email protected] or 978-777-8330.
Water Softeners