Category: Watermart

We know before installing a water softener the question arises in your mind, “Can you drink softened water?”. Yes, you can drink softened water as it has no hard minerals affecting your hair, skin, and stomach.

Soft water has good effects on your health while protecting your faucets, helping you reduce the lime scale build-ups, and improving soap leather. It also increases the overall performance of your dishwashers, water heaters, and other devices that use water.
Many people have health concerns like hypertension, diabetes, or some stomach issues that they are worried about drinking softened water. Knowing about the softened water, and its good and bad effects can help you better understand its consumption.

Is Softened Water Safe to Drink?

Softened water is normally safe to drink. However, during the softening process, as the hard minerals are removed, some amount of sodium may be present in the water. This increased sodium may cause hypertension in people with high blood pressure.
Ideally, a water softener should not let sodium go into the water during the softening process. But during brine wash, some amount of sodium may go into the household water increasing overall sodium concentration which may not be suitable for blood pressure patients.
Before you get worried about soft water and its potential uses and its pros and cons, let’s discuss what is softened water and how it is achieved.

What is Softened Water?

Softened water is the water that you get from a water softener, after getting all the hard particles and their salts removed from it. Softened water does not have the salts of calcium, magnesium, and sulfate that increase the water hardness levels.
A water softener works on the principle of ion exchange, where hard particles accumulate on resin beads and are then removed by using a brine solution and high-pressure water. This brine removes the hard minerals from the beads and changes the beads with positive sodium ions.
This charging of resin beads is called the regeneration process which helps to soften further hard water.

Does Soft Water Contain Sodium?

Soft water contains little to no amount of sodium in it normally. A 250 ml of soft water may contain less than 12.5 mg sodium which is safe to drink according to the doctors.

Potential Side Effects of Drinking Softened Water

There are no potential side effects of drinking softened water reported so far. However, people with hypertension may have sensitivity toward higher levels of sodium in it. So let’s look at all the potential side effects of drinking soft water and how can you overcome them.

Increased Sodium Levels in Drinking Water

Increased sodium levels in drinking water can have serious health risks, especially for people with high blood pressure or kidney problems. You can check higher sodium levels, through a certified lab, which will measure the sodium concentration in milligrams per liter (mg/L).

If the sodium levels exceed the recommended safe limit( which is 30-60mg/L set by EPA), consider installing a reverse osmosis system or a water softener with a sodium-free resin. Regularly monitor your water quality to ensure the sodium levels stay in check. If unsure, consult a water treatment specialist for tailored advice.

Taste of Softened Water

Softened water has a smooth, silky feel due to the removal of hard minerals like calcium and magnesium. Some people notice a slightly salty taste, especially if the softener uses sodium in the process.
But, the softened water is not salty at all. It is just the feeling, otherwise a slice of ham is saltier than a gallon of soft water. It also depends upon the roots of the drinker. If you are raised in an area of hard water and have been using soft water for a long time, you may not feel any taste different.
Actually, the absence of hardness makes it feel different from regular water, often described as slippery. This change can be more noticeable when drinking or showering, but many find it refreshing and gentler on the skin compared to hard water.

Effects on People with Specific Health Conditions

Softened water can affect individuals with certain health conditions, particularly those on low-sodium diets or with kidney problems. Since water softeners often use sodium to replace hard minerals like calcium and magnesium, the increased sodium levels may pose a risk for people with high blood pressure or heart disease.
For those with kidney issues, the added sodium can strain the kidneys, leading to complications. It’s essential for these individuals to consult a healthcare provider before using softened water or consider alternative methods, like potassium-based softeners, to minimize sodium intake while still enjoying the benefits of soft water.

Some Myths about water softeners

People get so confused while opting for water softeners as a drinking water option. In Canada, most of the states have hardness levels ranging from 16 – 25 grains which is considerably higher. Installing water softeners may solve 90% of water problems but if you are getting the following opinions, take them only as myths.

• Water softeners remove the healthy minerals from the water.
• You can’t make tea or coffee using softened water.
• Sogftneed water tastes salty.
• You get a film on your skin if washed with softened water.
• Municipal water is clean and you don’t need water softeners for it.
• Soft water is bad for your gut health as it removes good bacteria from the water alongside impurities.
• Forget all these things, if these myths are stopping you from getting a water softener. The water softeners are one of the best and economical methods to remove your water hardness, making it usable for your household.

Benefits of Drinking Softened Water

Benefits of drinking softened water include improved health, taste, hydration levels, clean dishes, less use of soaps and detergents, and other skin and hair health improvements. Let’s discuss the major benefits you can have if you start drinking soft water.

Improved Hydration

Drinking softened water improves your hydration levels by making the water feel smoother and more palatable, encouraging increased water intake.
As minerals like calcium and magnesium are absent in soft water, it allows the water to be absorbed more efficiently by the body. As a result, cells can hydrate more effectively, promoting overall well-being and better bodily function.

Less Scaling in Appliances, and Pipes

Soft water has no lime present in it. As a result, you don’t get any scale build-ups around your faucets, showers, taps, and sanitary fixtures. There is no mineral buildup in the pipes, dishwashers, and electric heaters, which protects your property and prevents damage.

Potential Skin and Hair Benefits

Hard water contains hard minerals like salts of calcium and magnesium, which are dry in nature. Using this water may dry and damage your hair while irritating your skin. Soft water has the opposite effect as it has no hard particles in it, it makes hair shiny, and moist and nourishes the skin leaving it smooth, silky, and scratch-free.

How to make soft water drinkable

Soft water has such added benefits one can’t deny. It is safe for your health and good for your household appliances, and it has an economical budget. Now let’s discuss the people who have sodium intolerance and need sodium-free water. They can install the following additional components to avoid sodium in drinking water.

• Use reverse osmosis
  RO (reverse osmosis) systems are small portable filter systems that you can install under your sink. RO system uses a carbon pre-filter and a permeable membrane that prevents chlorine, sodium, dust, and many other impurities from going through. You can filter the soft water and enjoy the benefits of both systems in the form of soft, purified, sodium, and chlorine-free water.
• Use bypass valve
  You can use the bypass valve to divert the water from the softener and get some water untreated. This will be the hard water that does not contain sodium but has hard minerals with it. You can mix this hard water with some quantity of soft water to create a low concentration of hard and sodium water for drinking purposes. This is less recommendable as it still has hard water along with sodium in it.

Conclusion

Water softeners have many benefits that can help you get softened water for better health, improved hair and skin, and protection of your appliances from white scale and mineral build-ups. However, people with low sodium diest or hypertension problems may have high sodium levels in water which is not good for their health. Installing a reverse osmosis filter system can help you get rid of any problems softened water has.
If you are feeling uncomfortable and have no idea how to check the hardness or sodium level of your softened water and how to get an RO system for it, contact us at Watermart where we provide all kinds of water solutions for residential and commercial buildings. Get in touch to discuss your details today.

FAQs

Why is soft water not always suitable for drinking?

If your softened water contains sodium ions or chlorine, drinking it is not recommended especially for patients with sodium intolerance.

Why are some water softeners banned?

High discharge of sodium and potassium to sewer systems contaminates the wastewater ultimately adding up to natural resources of water. Aquatic life is affected by high sodium levels along with environmental destruction in terms of adding hard minerals to water. In places of water scarcity or environmental awareness. Some water softeners are banned.

Is there anything better than a water softener?

Yes, the choice of a filtration system depends upon your needs. If your major concern is sodium, use water conditioners. Whole house water filtration systems and RO systems are other alternatives.

Do you need a water filter if you have a water softener?

If you want to remove chlorine or sodium from soft water, you need another water filter before the point of use.

 

 

 

If your water softener isn’t working properly, you need to fix it immediately.
Normally water softeners last 15- 20 years if taken care of properly. Apparently, you can see if the systems are operating correctly, the controls are fine and what are the salt levels and their consumption. You can also see the resin beads visually and examine them to check the quality or the condition.

But what if you ignore underlying imperfections that bring irreplaceable damage to your water softeners? Or if the water pressure, capacity, or salt usage isn’t right? Yes, many factors can bring issues to your water softeners.

To cater to them all, you need to understand common water softener issues and their troubleshooting tips.
Want to get more details? Let’s continue understanding the common problems water softeners may have.

Common Symptoms of a Malfunctioning Water Softener

Common signs and symptoms of a malfunctioning water softener include getting the hard water again in your tap water(at the point of use). You may get spotty dishes, leatherless soap, and detergents, white cast or scale build-up around your faucets and sanitary fixtures, and dry and damaged hair and skin.

At the softener’s end, there might be an increase in slat usage and a raised water hardness level showing you a red flag. You may also notice a salt build-up in the brine tank solution or sludge at the bottom. Understanding each of the issues can help you know how to troubleshoot a water softener either at home or by calling an expert.

Common Water Softener Issues

There can be many issues that stop a water softener from working. The most common water softener issues include softener not using salt, using too much salt, low water pressure, use of excessive water, or leakages. But, there can be other issues that are not visible but may impair water softeners. Here, we discuss all the issues one by one, along with their possible troubleshooting tips.

Water Softener Not Using Salt

Look at the salt levels of your brine solution regularly. If your salt levels don’t drop for more than a week or two, it is a clear symptom that your softener is not using the salt. Your softener does not use the salt if:
Salt Bridge Formation: there might be salt bridge formation in your brine solution tank. The crust does not let the salt dissolve in the water. Break the crust and remove the salt bridge to promote salt dissolution in the water.
Clogging In Brine Line: the line that transfers brine solution from the brine tank to the water is called the brine line. Sometimes, the brine line is clogged resulting in the prevention of salt usage and improper working of softener. Check for the brine line clog and remove it. In case you can’t do it at home, call for professional help.
Regeneration Settings: you might set low salt usage in your regeneration settings. If you have checked all your hardware is working correctly, see your water softener regeneration settings and adjust the salt usage according to your water softener capacity needs.
Salt Specifications: in case your salt type isn’t compatible with your softener or is too old, it will not take part in the regeneration process.
Technical Malfunctioning: if you have checked for all the issues and haven’t spotted any of these, there might be some mechanical malfunctioning in your water softener. Check for the softener’s hardware and look for mechanical malfunctioning or call an expert at Watermart, where we provide full technical support to handle all the problems and their solutions.

Blockages or Clogging

Blockages and clogging are a big cause of softener’s improper working. The salt and the mineral build-ups may block any lines that affect the regeneration process and the softener does not work.

Salt Bridges or Salt Mushing

Salt bridges are the formation of solid salt crust on the top of brine solution. It is hard and does not let the salt dissolve in water. Salt mushing is the recrystallization of salt at the bottom of the salt tank without letting it dissolve in the water. Salt bridges and salt mushing both are caused due to various factors including humidity, temperature fluctuations, dissolution problems, unsuitable salt choices, and excessive salt build-ups. If you find such indications in your brine solution tank, remove the salt build-ups, wash the brine tank, and restart the process. If the problem persists, call an expert.

Resin Replacement

A salt softener may need a resin replacement every ten years. But sometimes you need the resin replacement earlier because of the high hardness levels of your water. Resin replacement may affect softeners working in the following ways:

• Delaying the resin replacement can prevent the water softener from working.
• Installing the wrong resin media may impact the water softener and its working.
• Installation malfunctioning can create problems.
• Inadequate resin does not soften the water as per requirements.
• If the resin is not compatible with your water softener or the quality of the water, your softener may stop working.
  You can check your resin and its replacement based on these factors to figure out the issue.

Motor Malfunctions

In water softeners, motors are responsible for supplying and controlling the water pressure and its flow. In case the motor fails, it cannot control the water supply resulting in inadequate water softening, delaying regeneration, or system failure. In all these situations, inspect the motor and its functioning, wear and tear, and replace the motor or the affected parts.

Brine Tank Overflow

Brine tank overflow is the situation in which the brine solution overflows from the tank instead of going to the brine lines. It may be a reason because of clogging, blocked valves, or injectors or stuck in the float switch. Visual inspection can indicate the reasons for tank overflow and you can troubleshoot them accordingly.

Water Feels Hard Despite Softener Running

After running a softener smoothly and everything working fine, you may get hard water in your household. Getting the hard water in your taps means the resin beads are not working correctly and are unable to remove the hard minerals anymore. If, it happens, check for the regeneration system and the cycle. You can run the regeneration process if you have an old softener or have set your settings on manual action. Once the regeneration takes place, check the hardness level of the water and see if the problem still exists or has gone away.

Water Softener Regenerating Constantly

Water softener regeneration runs continuously and does not stop because the system stucks. The regeneration process stucks and keeps continuing because of malfunctioning control systems, including brine tank issues, control valve problems, or fluctuations in water pressure. Check for these problems and see if you can fix them at home or calling a technician can solve this problem.

Water Tastes Salty

Your water may taste salty in your household faucets if the regeneration process is not working correctly. The problems may include issues appearing during the regeneration process like salt build-ups, brine line blockage, improper salt settings, low water pressure, or clogged or dirty injectors. Checking for each issue and resolving what’s causing salty water can help you.

Water Softener Not Regenerating Properly

If you come across your regeneration process not working properly, look for reasons that stop a water softener from regeneration. There can be issues like low water pressure, system failure, blockages, clogs, salt bridges or salt mushing, malfunctioning of valves or injectors, improper functioning of resin media, or motor failures. Checking for these issues and getting them fixed can proceed regeneration process once again.

Timer Problems

Modern softeners have built-in timers where you can set the frequency and the timing for the regeneration process. If the timer goes faulty, fails to work or you have set wrong timings, the regeneration process may stop working or does not work at all.

Power Problems

As the water softeners are run on electric power, any kind of power lag, power surge, outage, faulty power supply, low voltage problems or power malfunctioning can lead to problems in the regeneration process. These problems affect the regeneration process, its timing, incomplete cycle, incorrect timer settings, and complete system failure.
Using protective switches, a backup battery, a voltage stabilizer, and regular maintenance of electric connections can save water softener and keep its working functioning.

Bypass Valve Problems

Over time bypass valves may leak or their seals, and gaskets expire or stop working. Any leakage around the bypass valve is a clear indication of its condition. Inspection and replacement of faulty seals, and valves can help you get your softener in working condition again.

How to Prevent Common Water Softener Issues

Once you see these problems, you can check and have an estimate of whether you can fix them at home or need professional help. But taking preventive measures regularly can help you avoid all these problems beforehand.

Regular Maintenance

Maintaining your water softener regularly needs special care. Keep an eye on salt levels, check the resin beads quality, figure out and remove any slat build-ups, keep the water pressure regulated, and check for the motor, valves, injectors, by-pass valve, and the control panel settings. If you see any of these factors malfunctioning, fix them on the spot to avoid any further inconvenience.

Periodic System Inspections

Periodic system inspection includes checking the water hardness on a regular basis to have an idea of any issues if present. Make a regime and check all these parameters on a monthly basis.

• Regular monitoring and testing: the tests include
  Water hardness testing
  System checkups.
• Check the salt quality and its level
  Using the right salt is crucial. Check whether the sal being used is suitable or not.
  Maintain the salt levels according to the recommendations.
• Cleaning and Sanitation of the resin media and the water are necessary.
  Check the resin bed and remove any build-ups of iron, silt, and organic compounds that reduce the resin’s functioning.
  Sanitize the water periodically using anti-bacterial solutions approved for water softeners.
• Seek Professional Help: getting your water softener checked and maintained by professionals extends the softener’s life and helps you get professional help.
  Professional inspection helps you get all the troubleshooting and preventive measures. You can contact us at WaterMart to get a water softener maintenance appointment.
  Recording all the information in a journal and documentation keeps all the records that you may need in the hour of need.
• Adjustment of Settings: regular checking can help you adjust your settings accordingly.
  Regeneration frequency can be changed if your water requirements change over time.
  Setting customization can help you choose the amount of salt, and regeneration frequency according to the hardness level of water.

Use High-Quality Salt

Using high-quality salt increases salt efficiency, speeds up the regeneration process, helps you decrease salt usage, and gives you large volumes of soft water. A low-quality slat is a waste of time, money, and effort that generates poor results.

Install a Pre-Filter

Installing a pre-filter can help you remove chlorine from the water. Water softener itself does not remove chlorine ( see our detailed article Does a Water Softener Remove Chlorine?) so it remains either in the system or goes to the household water. Installing a carbon-activated pre-filter increases the lifespan of your water softener and improves the water quality.

When to Call a Professional

Common water softener issues are softeners not using salt, low water pressure, salt bridges, salt mushes, and electrical or mechanical malfunctioning. Not all the users are capable of handling such issues. If you have a technical background and can handle these issues, check your machine manuals and see for troubleshooting tips.

Anyhow, if you are new to water softeners and have no clues, simply turn off the switch and call a professional help. You can either contact your water softener suppliers or contact us to get expert advice from our technicians.

We at watermart have trained staff with hands-on experience in installing and troubleshooting water filtration plans including water softeners. Get in touch today and discuss your water softener conditions.

Conclusion

In Canada, water softeners have become an important household equipment as they provide you with soft water, remove hard minerals, and protect your sanitary, health, and other devices. But during their functioning, common water softener issues may appear.
If you keep a regular check and balance and look for the common issues and fix them in time, you can take benefit of water softeners in the long run, without wasting your money.

Why Would A Water Softener Stop Working?

Your water softener may stop working if it is switched off, has blockages or clogging or the resin beads are not regenerated. There may be issues with low salt levels, water pressure, and electrical or mechanical malfunctioning.

Why Is My Water Softener Not Treating The Water?

There are many reasons for water softeners not working. Lack of slat, presence of salt bridges and salt mushing, depleted resin, clogged or damaged valves, damaged venturi, broken or failed motor or timer. Look for each of the issues and fix it at home or call an expert.

How Can I Test If My Water Softener Is Working?

Use a water hardness test kit to check the before and after softening hardness levels of water. Also, if you feel improved soap leather, and shining dishes, it means your water softener is working and producing soft water.

How Can You Tell If Your Water Softener Is Clogged?

See if your water softener is clogged by observing reduced water pressure, poor water flow, or if your water remains hard despite regeneration cycles. Also, check for salt buildup in the brine tank or blockages in the brine line and injector, which can indicate a clog.

How Long Do Water Softeners Usually Last?

Water softeners usually last for 15-20 years. Regular preventive maintenance can extend the life span up to 25 years.

What Happens When A Water Softener Fails?

It stops softening the water and you get hard water in your household faucets.

If you notice bad odor and smell in your water because of high chlorine levels, you are not alone. Most of our clients come with the same issue, intriguing does a water softener remove chlorine? To your surprise, water softeners don’t remove chlorine from the water though they are best for removing hard minerals from the water, softening it for household use.

As a water softener does not remove chlorine from your water, they are still important to remove hardness from your water. Having chlorine in your water may impact your skin, hair, and respiratory tract and cause allergies to you. It can also impair your dishwashers, water heaters, and water softeners.

On the other hand, if your water has high hardness, you may end up damaging your skin, hair, faucets, water heaters, and many other issues. But, let’s learn a bit deeper and find out what is a water softener. Does a water softener remove chlorine? Or if not a water softener, what are other methods for chlorine removal and how can you use them?

What Is A Water Softener And How Does It Work?

A water softener is a salt-based water filtration system that uses an ion exchange method to remove hard particles from the water. In Canada, most of the states have higher water hardness levels, which impair the quality of your water. Installing filtration systems is crucial for your health and property benefits. Let’s find out what a water softener does for you. If you’re wondering what a water softener is and how it works, you can read more in our detailed guide.

The hard water has a higher amount of salts of minerals like calcium and magnesium, iron compounds. Generally, it has a higher concentration of bicarbonates, sulfates, and chlorides with small amounts of ferrous oxides at times. The water softeners have resin beads as a filtration media as the water flows through them, they trap the hard particles, leaving the soft water behind.

Now these hard particles accumulate on the resin beads unless a brine solution reacts with them, in the regeneration process, and flushes away the hard particles through the system. This whole process is known as the ion exchange technique.

What Does Water Softener Remove

Water softeners remove hard minerals, salts of calcium, and magnesium, small amount of ferrous sulfates present in hard water. The water softeners soften water and make them useable for households. They don’t remove chlorine, bacteria, or sediments, as they work on an ion exchange method using salt and resin beads.

Does a Water Softener Remove Chlorine?

Water softeners don’t remove chlorine as they work on the ion exchange principle which only removes hard minerals from the water using resin beads. You need to install whole-house water filtration plants or carbon filters if you want to remove chlorine from your water.

Do Salt-Free Water Softeners Remove Chlorine?

Salt-free water softeners use potassium instead of sodium. And they don’t remove any chlorine or hard minerals from the water. Their function is based on chemical reactions, where they change the chemistry of hard minerals and they are no longer hazardous to usage they don’t build up in pipes and the water runs smoothly. But these salt conditioners, don’t remove the hard minerals from the water.
People use salt-free conditioners as they are inexpensive, don’t need electricity, and use of salt and water. However, they are not a good option to remove chorine or hard minerals from the water. And you need other filters either in your kitchen or bathrooms in order to use salt conditioners in your homes.

Why Is There Chlorine In Water?

Chlorine is a disinfectant and municipalities, around the world, use it to clean water. The process is known as chlorination of water. As natural water resources may have many impurities, biological contaminants, dust, sand, sediments, oil, grease, and microplastics.

Municipalities use different filtration systems to clean the water, and chlorination is a must-have as it keeps the quality better, while the water transports to your disposal. The addition of chlorine is inexpensive, effective, and the easiest way to make the water drinkable.

Why Removing Chlorine Is Important?

Smaller levels of chlorine are considered safe and you can use chlorinated water for drinking, cooking, showering, laundry, and cleaning. But, larger amounts of chlorine may have some adverse effects.

• Chlorine has strong oxidizing effects, so it may harm your skin and health.
• Drinking high amounts of chlorine is unpleasant as it has a strong odor.
• Exposing your skin and hair for a longer time and larger concentrations may cause eczema, dryness, and itchiness as chlorine strips away the essential oils from your body.
• Your dishwashers and washing machines may leak chlorine reacts with the rubber seals and gaskets, causing them to rupture.

How to Check for Chlorine in Your Water

Before you move to advanced filtration techniques, diagnose the problem. Check your water for chlorine levels and, once you find a rise, switch to modern water filters that handle both the hardness and the chlorine.
Checking chlorine concentration in water is important. The very first indication you may get is a bleach-like smell and taste, the way you feel in swimming pools.
To check chlorine levels in your water, conduct the following test.

Strip Test:

It is the most common and inexpensive test used to check the chlorine levels in water. The strips have one part infused with DPD or diethyl-phenylene diamine. Put this part in the water, if it changes the color, match it to the chart and get the chlorine concentration idea which is 90% accurate.

DBP Tablets:

There are many types of DBP tablets available in the market. The main types include DPD1, DPD2, DPD3, and DPD4 which are used for chlorine, chloramine, combined chlorine, and total chlorine respectively. You add one tablet to a sample of water, it changes the color if high amounts of chlorine are present. You can estimate the %age using the color chart.

Pool Test Kits:

Another easiest and quick way is to use pool test kits. These kits are based on a chemical reagent known as orthotolidine that turns drinking water to sunny yellow. You can run this test at home to find out the higher concentrations of chlorine in your water.

Use of Calorimeters:

Chlorimeters are one of the most advanced methods that use special light beams to test and show the chlorine levels in the water. But these are expensive and onlyu professional labs or industries use them. Homeowners don’t use these methods because of high prices.

Calling An Expert:

You can also call an expert or your filter supplier to get the quality of your water tested. At Watermart, we offer professional water testing services to ensure that your water is safe and free from harmful contaminants like chlorine, hard minerals, and other impurities.

Our special team of dedicated experts understands the sensitivity of water quality and your concerns. We conduct comprehensive water tests to determine the exact nature of your water problems and suggest the best solutions to rectify them. You can call us today to get a quote or for more details.

Solutions For Removing Chlorine From Water?

Now come to the troubleshooting. Once you have figured out how much chlorine your water has, the next stage is to find viable solutions to remove it. Normally, the following methods are popular and effective for chlorine removal from drinking water.

Carbon Filtration:

Carbon filtration is one of the processes used to remove chlorine from the water. Carbon does not react with chlorine directly, it actually uses a catalytic reaction that converts chlorine into chlorides that are more absorbable to the carbon filters. Being spongy in nature, these carbon filters attract all kinds of impurities on their surface, leaving the water chlorine and chemicals free. You can use these carbon filters in pitcher filters, RO drinking water filters, shower filters, and backpacking water filters.

Combination Systems:

Combination systems are combined filter systems that consist of a water softener, along with granular activated carbon filters (GAC). The GAC media is added to the resin bead bed, to ensure it traps the chlorine and then the water is softened through the process. But here is a catch, resin beads are quite reactive with chlorine, so the GAC only lasts 3 to 4 years, and replacing them after they degrade becomes quite expensive in total.

Reverse Osmosis:

Instead of pairing up GAC with water softeners, reverse osmosis is a smart choice for those, looking for chlorine-free water in their kitchens. Being small and integrated shaped, you can install an RO filtration system under your kitchen sink. The best part about these filters is, they are highly efficient and NFS-approved.
In the reverse osmosis process, water is first passed through a carbon filter known as the pre-filter stage. At this point, all the chlorine, fluorine, sediments, and impurities are removed and water goes to the next stage where it comes in contact with the RO membrane.
This membrane has tiny holes in it which allow the water molecules to pass through. It filters out many harmful particles including heavy particles, sediments, and bacteria.
The water then flows through a post-filtration stage where another carbon filter is present to remove any leftover impurities and improve the taste and odor.
The reverse osmosis is a viable solution to remove the chlorine from your water and you can easily use it in your kitchen to get pleasant water.

Whole-House Filtration:

A whole-house water filter system can help you get the right water quality for use in homes or commercial buildings. It improves the quality of water throughout your home, from the point of entry (POE) to the point of use (POU).
The best part about whole-house water filtration systems is their versatile nature and ease of use. Some systems also include water softening treatments, combining filtration with hard mineral reduction for homes with hard water.
UV Filters can be added to kill bacteria and viruses, making it ideal for homes using well water or in areas with water safety concerns.

If you are using a whole-house water filter, it can solve maximum of your water problems. This is how a whole-house water filtration system works.

Main Water Line Connection: The filter is installed at the point where water enters your home, filtering all the water before it reaches your kitchen or any faucet, appliance, or shower. It follows these stages before providing you with high-quality water.
Pre-Filter: this step removes large particles like sediment, rust, and dirt that can clog pipes and appliances.
Carbon Filter: this is the second stage where activated carbon removes chemicals like chlorine, pesticides, chemicals from municipal, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), improving the taste and smell of the water.
Specialty Filters (Optional): Some systems include additional filters to remove specific contaminants like heavy metals, bacteria, or hard water minerals.
Availability of Clean Water: After filtration, the clean water goes to every part of your home for use in drinking, cooking, bathing, and washing.

So, this is the best process for bringing you pure, and healthy water that you can use for any household use. The choice depends upon your needs and budget.

We are water Experts At WaterMart

At WaterMart, we are one of the leading brands in Canada, offering all kinds of water solutions to ensure you get quality water for kitchen and household needs. Our main services are to check your water quality, present a comprehensive quality report, make an estimation, and suggest a filtration system including water softeners, reverse osmosis, and whole house filtration systems.

We also deal in countertop filters, drinking water faucets, and multi-stage filtration systems for houses, cafes, restaurants, hospitals, hotels, and other commercial buildings.

Our expats are one call away to serve our clients with the best of the services and consultation. You can get in touch by contacting us, writing an email, or calling us today at 4164666488.

How To Choose A Water Softener?

Choosing a water softener is tricky if you are new to the filters. But a little homework can help you make a better decision. Here are some of the key points you must consider before choosing a water softener.

• Know your needs. Do you really need a water softener or any other filtration system is what you require.
• Estimate the daily usage of your water. Make a calculation to check what your daily household water needs are.
• The quality of water also decides what kind of softener you need. What is your water hardness level and other impurities in water?
• Budget also plays an important role in your selection.
• Calling an expert from WaterMart can help you do all the math and suggest what you should buy.

Conclusion

So if you are curious to know about “Does a water softener remove chlorine”?, no the traditional water softener doesn’t do this job. However switching to modern water softeners, installing a carbon pre-filter, and using advanced filtration systems like RO or whole-house water filters can help you remove the chlorine along with other sediments like sand, hard minerals, dust, debris and other toxic elements. Calling our experts at WaterMart can help you get a complete estimate according to your water needs within your budget. So, get i n touch and call us now.

FAQS

What happens to chlorine in a water softener?

Chlorine remains untreated in traditional water softeners and even reacts with resin beads shortening the lifespan of the beads.

Does softened water contain chlorine?

Yes, in case you are only using traditional water softeners without any carbon pre-filters, your softened water may end up having chlorine in it.

How do get rid of chlorine in water?

You can either install carbon prefilters with traditional water softeners or use modern water softeners with GAC present in them. Using RO filters and whole-house water filters can also be a great choice.

Do water filters remove chlorine?

Traditional water filters don’t remove chlorine from the water. Modern and high-tech water filters with activated carbon filters can remove the chlorine from the water. RO filters are great for removing chlorine but they don’t go well with hard water. Using whole-house water filtration, or a water softener with carbon pre-filters is the best choice to handle all kinds of water.

 

In Canada, water softeners are high in demand because they remove hard particles and filter out soft water for home use. A water softener uses an ion exchange method, which uses resin beads to clean the hard minerals from the water.

In return these beads get saturated with hard minerals, the process of removing these minerals and cleaning the beads is known as the regeneration process or REGEN.

The process may seem complex to first-timers and users who have just switched to water softener systems from other filters. That’s why we are here to explain what is water softener regeneration in detail. We will also explore, the step-by-step process, types, the amount of salt used, and its pros and cons. Let’s continue to understand it.

How does a water softener work?

There are many types of impurities in water and hard water is one type that needs a special filtration process. The filters usually installed for hard water are known as water softener filtration systems. These water softeners remove the particles from the water that cause water hardness. These impurities are usually salts of calcium and magnesium.
Now what happens in a water softener is to be understood. A water softener uses resin beads and salts as the main filtration media. When the hard water enters into the water softener, the resin beads entrap the hard particles in them, leaving the soft water as the filtration product.
The whole process is possible because of the ion exchange process. Look at the ion exchange process to understand the whole science of water softener.

Ion Exchange Process:

The ion exchange process is the key to a water softener system. In this, hard water passes through a bed of tiny resin beads, covered in sodium or potassium ions. The resin beads attract the hard minerals, calcium, and magnesium since these minerals have a positive charge. The beads then swap out the sodium or potassium ions with the calcium and magnesium ions.
As a result, the hard minerals stay on the beads, and the water that exits the system is softened. Over time, the beads get saturated with calcium and magnesium, and they need to be cleaned through a regeneration cycle, where saltwater (brine) is used to flush the hard minerals out.

How Does Water Softener Regeneration Work

Water softener regeneration is the process of flushing away the hard minerals using pressure water and brine solution. The regeneration process works when the resin beads are saturated with mineral build-ups and they can’t absorb more of them. It makes the resin beads charged and ready to accumulate new mineral buildups.

Steps Involved In Regeneration Process

Now let’s understand what is the process of regeneration, what steps it involves and what is the science behind each process.

In the water regeneration process, the water beads clean themselves and recharge to continue cleaning the water. The process consists of the following steps:

A. Backwash

The first step is backwash. In this ten minutes process, the water flows in reverse direction, to clean the whole filtration system. During backwash, the water pressure is quite high, removing all the dirt, debris, and sediments from the beads helping them loosen the particles for further cleaning.

B. Brine Draw

The next step is the brine draw, the process that introduces a highly rich brine solution to the tank. Here the brine solution contains the sodium or potassium ions that replace the hard minerals from the resin beads. This process takes 50 to 60 minutes. Another ion exchange process takes place at this stage, during which the sodium ions replace the magnesium and calcium ions from the resin beads. The sodium ions recharge the resin beads which play a crucial role in the next water softening batch.

C. Slow Rinse

Water flows through the system after the brine solution is passed. This slow rinse of water pushes the brine to every corner of the beads tank, ensuring that all the beads have been treated with the brine.

D. Fast Rinse

Once the regeneration process is done, a slow rinse is carried out by flowing high-pressure water through the system. This removes all the unwanted mineral pile-ups, if any. It also removes the leftover brine/salt particles from the system to bring salt-free water to your water disposals.

E. Refill

This is the last step in the regeneration process where brine tanks get new water, which is helpful for dissolving salt, to make the brine for the next regeneration cycle.

How Long Does It Take A Water Softener To Regenerate?

The regeneration process takes 90 to 120 minutes per cycle, depending on the size of the water filter and the amount of water it cleans. The backwash stage takes 10 to 15 minutes, the brine wash takes 60 to 80 minutes, and the slow rinse, fast rinse, and refill almost take 5-6 mins each.

Why Do Water Softeners Go Through A Regeneration Cycle?

As you know, water softeners work all the time to remove hard particles from tap water and give you soft and usable water with maintained hardness levels. However, the hard particles and minerals accumulated on the resin beads oversaturate them, so they no longer remove the hard particles from the water.

At this point, softeners have to remove all the mineral build-ups, clean the resin beads, and charge them with sodium ions for further water filtration. For this purpose, regeneration takes place and removes all the hard minerals from the system.

How Much Water Is Needed For Regeneration?

Now, when you install a filtration system, you think of water economy too. How much water is required for the regeneration process surely depends upon the capacity of your water softener and the amount of hardness of your water. On average, a water softener uses motive water three times more than concentrated brine.
Let’s say your brine tank capacity is 10 to 20 gallons, the amount of water used will be around 35 to 65 gallons.

Break Down Of Water Usage During Regeneration Process:

If you are using an average of the older model, your water softener will use water in the following amounts:

• Backwash Stage:
  It uses 15 – 20 gallons. This process eliminates all the dirt and debris collected during the softening process, so needs a higher volume of water.
• Brine Draw and Slow Rinse
  This process takes up most of the water volume. It uses 15 -30 gallons to ensure that beads are fastly tightened together, washed completely, and have exchanged the sodium ions while removing hard minerals from them.
• Fast Rinse
  This is the final washing stage which uses high-pressure water volumes to remove the residual salt and minerals from the system, taking up 10 to 15 gallons of water.

At watermart, water softener systems are designed with maximum salt and water efficiency. They add up the minimum cost of salt and water to your bill. If you contact us today, our experts can completely guide you and offer you the best models with the latest technology and maximum efficiency.

Different Kinds Of Water Softener Regeneration Cycles

In new models, regeneration processes are customizable and you can choose any depending on your convenience and availability.

• Time-initiated regeneration
  In this regeneration, the system is set for a certain time period, let’s say 48 hours. So as soon as the time reaches, the regeneration starts automatically. It is a good approach but at times, even if the regeneration isn’t required, the system is forced to do the regeneration, resulting in a waste of salt and water.
• Meter-initiated regeneration
  In meter-initiated regeneration, the controls are set at a certain amount of water softened before the process starts. As soon as the system softens that amount of water, it starts regeneration. This is the most economic regeneration process as it starts when the beads have delivered the required amount of soft water and need to be cleaned before the next softening process.
• Manual regeneration
  In these water softeners, manual controls are used to start the process. When the analog meters show a certain time has passed and the softener has cleansed the threshold amount of water, the filter owners start the regeneration manually. This process is on demand and needs a manual inspection of the beads and the meter readings before you start the regeneration process.

Factors That Influence How Often Regeneration Is Needed

How often your water softener should regenerate? The simple answer to this question is how often the beads are saturated with hard minerals. You need to clean and regenerate the beads as often as they accumulate the hard minerals in them normally the frequency of the regeneration process depends on the following factors.

• Hardness of water
  If your water hardness is high, the resin beads remove a large amount of hard minerals to soften the water. As these minerals pile up the beads, a regeneration process is required to clean and recharge the beads.
• Water usage in the household
  The frequency also depends upon the amount of water used in your household. In simple words, if you are on vacation, and have not used water at home, your system will not need any regeneration until it softens the amount of water. The same goes for excessive use of water, if you use a higher amount of water, regeneration is required more frequently.
• Capacity of the softener
  The capacity of a water softener is the amount of grains it cleans or softens every time it works. If you are using water more than the capacity, it needs frequent regeneration and vice versa.

Salt Usage in Regeneration

The amount of salt needed for every regeneration process is dependent on a few factors.

• Capacity of water softener
• The hardness level of water
• Amount of water being softened during each cycle
• Salt settings and their efficiency
  As a simple rule of thumb, the more water usage, the higher the salt requirement. The amount of water softened is directly proportional to the amount of salt required for cleaning and regenerating the beads.
  Usually, normal house water softeners need 5-6 pounds of salt per cycle, but you can increase the salt efficiency and decrease the usage by choosing low salt settings on your system. But in case your water hardness levels are higher, you need higher amounts of salt.

How To Stop Water Softener Regeneration

• For troubleshooting, you need to understand a few things about the regeneration process or how to stop it. If you spot a leak, unusual sound, or broken part inside the softener, the regeneration should be stopped immediately. Otherwise, you may incur higher repair costs, salt costs, and water bills. Here are some steps you can follow to stop regeneration.
• By unplugging the water softener you can stop the process immediately.
• By using the bypass valve it does not let water enter into the water softener and thus the regeneration does not occur.
• Use the digital control system if you are using a newer model water softener. Choose the cancel or pause button to stop the process.
• Check the manual, see the instructions, and follow them to stop the process. It is only possible if you have the manual of your water softener.
  In case, you don’t have an emergency and don’t find an option to stop the regeneration process, simply wait until the regeneration completes. Then switch off the whole system. This is usually workable if you are going on a vacation or need thorough maintenance. Otherwise stopping the process during regeneration is not recommended.

Common Problems with Water Softener Regeneration and how to fix them

If you feel your water hardness level is still high after the softening process or you get salt in the water, it is an indication that the regeneration is not properly done. Your water softener regeneration process may be having the following problems.

• The softener not regenerating properly
  There could be several reasons for that you need to check for all manually. The reasons may include improper functioning of the bypass valve, improper programming, or any broken jigs and fixtures. Check your system for these issues one by one, and fix them if spotted.
• Salt bridges and clogs
  Over time, salt clogs and bridges appear in the brine tank. You can figure them out in case you see salt pile-ups at the surface (known as salt bridges) or salt deposits at the bottom (known as salt clogs or mushing ). In both cases, salt does not take part in the regeneration process and either recrystallizes at the bottom or oxidizes at the top. You can remove the bridges and clogs from the system by manual cleanliness and flushing a high volume of water for complete removal.
• Water still feels hard after regeneration
  This is due to the inefficiency of the regeneration process. It might happen because of low salt settings or high water consumption. Look for both reasons and fix them accordingly.

Final Thoughts On Water Softener Regeneration

Water softener regeneration is important for the maintenance of your filtration system. It increases the lifespan of your system and the beads, otherwise, your beads may deteriorate because of the dirt, debris, and mineral build-ups. In simple words, every hard mineral it removes from the water is accumulated on the beads’ surface which should be flushed away and replaced by sodium ions for the next cycle of water softening. This process of cleaning and renewing beads is known as the regeneration of REGEN.
The process is based ion exchange method, along with water and brine solution, and is automated mostly. A close look at the water softening system can save your salt and water bills. But in case your water softener is using too much salt, or needs thorough maintenance, you can call us at watermart, to get expert help.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I drink water while the water softener is regenerating?

During the regeneration process, water is hard, so if you drink water during that period, you will end up getting hard water. That’s why experts don’t recommend drinking water during the regeneration process.

What happens if you don’t regenerate your water softener?

The system stops filtering the hard minerals because the resin beads don’t have any space to accumulate hard minerals on them. So it results in getting the hard water again until you regenerate the resin beads.

How do I know if my softener is regenerating?

Every water softener has different programming. As a general rule, there are different timers that show you when it is time for regeneration, and you can also get this indication from the control panels. The regeneration process is usually set at night when the household requires the least water for use.

What happens if you shower while the water softener is regenerating?

Showering during the regeneration process gives you hard water, that may impair your heating elements if you are using hot water for the shower. Apparently it may or may not bother you, but it can reduce the lifespan of your water heaters.

Can I change the time my water softener regenerates?

Yes, though the regeneration time is pre-set in the factory, you can re-set it at home especially if you are using new models of water softeners. Go to the control panel, choose settings, find the time and day buttons, choose the cycle start time, and set it while selecting A.M or P.M, after that save the settings or confirm it by pressing the relevant buttons, based on your softener model.

Can you hear a water softener regenerating?

Yes, the regeneration process involves high-pressure water that flushes to and fro many times to clean the beads. In case you hear some sounds like gurgling, clicking, or clunking.

Toronto is one of the most populated cities in Canada, with 9 million people living in it, having highly dense trees, and people from more than 200 ethnicities in it.
With rich demographics, and having more than 25000 lakes, rivers, and water streams, the whole city is supplied with water from Lake Ontario.

Though the Ministry of Environment, Conservation, and Parks maintains the water quality, the lake’s water is pulled through a thick network of pipes, treated, and added with chlorine, fluorides, ammonia, and other cleaners to remove contaminants and improve overall quality. But is it safe to drink tap water in Toronto?

Whether you’re new to Toronto or a lifelong resident, the question often arises: Is tap water in Toronto safe to drink? In this discussion, we’ll explore the water quality, potential impurities, health risks, and the financial costs associated with drinking tap water in Toronto.

What Is Toronto Water Quality, And Is It Safe To Drink Tap Water?

The water quality of Toronto is declared safe by the Water Regulating Authorities. The water is tested every six hours, added with chlorine, fluoride, and phosphoric acid, and then sent to multiple water stations, pressure pumps, pipes and other resources to be used.
However, the water isn’t routinely checked for hardness or microplastics, and increased levels of lead in older plumbing systems can pose significant health risks. Since Toronto’s water comes from Lake Ontario, it’s important to understand the lake’s water quality, how it’s treated, and what tests are performed before the water is deemed suitable for consumption.

While Toronto tap water meets safety standards, the potential presence of impurities like microplastics and lead suggests that additional precautions, like home filtration, may benefit some households.

Where Does Toronto Get Its Water From?

Though Toronto has more than 25,000 natural water resources, including waterfalls, rivers, canals, and lakes, only Ontiaro’s water is used to provide drinkable water in taps. Since such a populated city uses water from one lake only, it is important to know what characteristics it has.

Toronto Public Health ensures that the necessary tests are conducted to maintain healthy water quality. The water from Lake Ontario is pumped directly to four water treatment plants, which then supply 18 pumping stations and 11 underground reservoirs. These facilities filter and treat about 1 billion litres of water per day, operating 24/7 to meet the city’s needs.

Additionally, Toronto has four elevated storage tanks and over 5,000 km of water mains that deliver treated water to residential, commercial, and industrial areas across the city.

What is the Water Treatment Process in Toronto

When you are figuring out all the pros and cons of Toronto’s tap water, it is important to know the water treatments the tap water goes through and what is the frequency of these tests. As the quality of water keeps changing from time to time, seasonal factors, algae, and other environmental factors change the chemistry of water.

• Firstly, large pipes, 1 to 5 kilometres far away from the shores collect the water from the lake.
• The lake water is passed through screens to check everything about its chemical composition, impurities present, and the amount of different elements in it. Then large debris particles are collected and the water is disinfected either through chlorine or ozone.
• Then the floc(accumulation of large particles) is collected by adding alum or polyaluminium chloride.
• Afterwards, the water is passed through settling basins, where larger particles (if any) then it is passed a series of gravel, sand, and carbon, which is useful in removing impurities and micro-organisms.
• Before supplying this water to your household, chlorine, fluoride, phosphoric acid, and ammonia are added for disinfection, bone and teeth health, corrosion control, and balancing the chlorine respectively.
• The water is then sent to substations, to pump through the pipelines to your homes.

Though this water fulfils the health standards of Canada, it is not tested for its hardness and microplastics, and no post-filtration testing is done. Whatever amount of microplastics Toronto water has, it is deemed to be safe as there is no technology available to check microplastic levels in tap water. You get drinkable water with unknown amounts of nutrients, hardness levels, and any present contaminants (unfiltered).

How Often Is Toronto Water Tested?

Ontario’s lake water is tested every six hours in labs for its detrimental effects.
Moreover, 20,000 tests are conducted in labs at different water filtration plants and 15,000 tests for different types of bacteria. Thus, more than 410,000 tests are performed during one year.

Can You Drink Toronto Tap Water?

Is tapwater drinkbale in Toronto? This question is still relative. Water chemistry changes daily, and the safety limits too. Some contaminants are banned in Europe, but not in Canada. So drinking tap water can bring you ailments like hepatitis, liver damage, and stomach issues in case your water is contaminated and not tested before use.
Normally water supplied at your tap is safe to drink, the main culprit might be the pipeline that brings filtered water to your tap. It may contain rust, lead, chlorine by-products that reside in pipes, unregulated microplastics, and PFAS.

Although tests are regularly performed and various measures are taken to clean the water sourced from Lake Ontario, it’s important to understand just how polluted the lake can be and whether these treatments are sufficient to ensure safe drinking water.
Contaminants such as industrial discharge, agricultural runoff, and plastic waste continue to impact the lake’s water quality. While municipal authorities test and treat the water for many pollutants, questions remain about whether these tests fully address the presence of microplastics, lead, E. coli, and other harmful substances.
Let’s explore more about the quality of Lake Ontario’s water and the effectiveness of these purification processes.

Why is Lake Ontario Polluted?

Lake Ontario is polluted because it accumulates contaminants from other lakes including agricultural runoff, industrial discharge, and commercial wastage.

Plastic And Trash

Many factors contribute to the rise in plastic and trash in Ontario Lake. These include local improper disposal of bottles, disposable plastic crockery at beaches and other waste material, and direct littering of the water.

Storm Water And Sewage Mixing

Rainwater washes debris, dirt, plastic, and trash from the streets, roads, and walkways, that directly run off to the storm drains and rivers, ending up into Lake Ontario. If the sewage water gets mixed with rainwater runoff, it also adds up to lake water.

Lead Risks In Aging Plumbing

Even if the water at your faucets is filtered and cleaned through your municipality authorities, old pipes may increase the lead %age in your drinking water. The industrial run-offs illegally added to the lake, or via improper disposal may also increase lead amounts in lake water, which also adds up to your tap water.

Lake Ontario Beach E. Coli Concerns

E.Coli is a bacteria living in the intestines of warm-blooded organisms, including humans. It originally stems from the gut system. Usually, it is your gut bacteria that keep you healthy, but the Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) bacterium, causes food-borne health concerns like UTI, pneumonia, diarrhoea, and some serious ailments in severe exposure.
E.Coli adds up to Lake Ontario either from stormwater, rainwater runoff, improper disposal of hospital waste, or fecal matter directly to waterways, rivers, and lakes leading to Lake Ontario.

Risks Of Chlorine Byproducts

Though the water is cleaned at government water stations before supplying to your taps, it may have indirect pollutants. The chlorine often reacts with microplastics (which are neither checked nor regulated )

Localized Contamination

In many places, locals add their disposals to Ontario Lake. Though this is illegal and Canada’s government has made strict policies against such individuals, there are sites where proper regulation is not possible because of geographical barriers. Such contaminations add up to the overall pollution of lake water.

Needles And Other Debris

Illegal dumping or improper disposal of syringes may add up to waterways. These waters ultimately fall into Lake Ontario, causing higher pollution to aquatic life and human water ingestion.

Agricultural Runoff

It is the wastewater from agricultural land flowing to the nearby water bodies like rivers or lakes, that ultimately add the highest levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, and fertilizers to the lake’s water.

Dead Fishes Across Lake Ontario

When a large number of fish die in a lake, their bodies remain there until they decompose. This decomposition leads to nutrient imbalance in the lake by adding phosphorus and nitrogen increasing the production of algae and overall water pollution. This water pollution not only harms other aquatic life but also poses serious health hazards if humans come in contact with this water.

Oily Water Near Lake Ontario

Industrial or commercial facilities add oils or oil-based discharge products either illegally or through improper disposal. Other causes of oily water are rainwater runoff or boating activities in the lake. This causes an increase in contaminants in water resulting in poor quality for drinking purposes.

Musty, Earthy Odors And Tastes

Musty and earthy odors in your tap water, are mainly because of the presence of algae and dead fish in lake water. You also get a bad taste when this water is chlorinated before reaching your household.

Is Toronto Water Hard?

Does Toronto have hard water? The answer is “yes”. Generally, groundwater is harder than lake waters. Lake waters are considered soft water because of their natural resources and the series of processes they go through during filtration. But surprisingly, Toronto water is hard. It has an increased amount of calcium and magnesium and their compounds, leading to a hardness level of 6 to 7 grains per gallon.
Hard water may not cause health hazards, but scale buildups in faucets and electric heaters can cause property damage.
Before you install a water filtration system, make sure to have a water hardness test. At Watermart, we offer water testing services to fully understand your water filtration plant’s needs. Call our experts to get a quote.

Is It Necessary To Have A Water Filter In Toronto?

Toronto was the first city to start chlorinating water to kill bacteria, viruses, parasites, pesticides, and other pollutants after the epidemic of typhoid in 1800. The Ministry of Environment and Parks is very concerned about regulating water quality as per Canadian standards.
However, having water from one lake in such a populated city may compromise the quality of the water because of the pipelines and other uncontrollable factors. Installing a water filtration plant is a wise decision, as you may get healthy water at a reasonable cost.

Install A Whole Home Water Filtration System

Installing a whole-house water filtration system is highly recommended. It can keep you healthy, maintain hair and skin health, keep your plumbing fixtures scale-free, stop mineral build-ups in your water heaters, and many other benefits.
You get comprehensive coverage for filtration and get quality water in quantity that helps you stay hydrated and healthy with no financial losses and property damage.
You can call our filtration experts at WaterMart, who can help you get a free online estimation and quotation for the installation of a whole-house water filtration system.
Our filtration systems are safe, and inexpensive while offering a long-lasting warranty with comprehensive support.

FAQS

Is Toronto Water Good for Hair?

Generally, Toronto water is good for hair. But, in case water in your area is hard because of natural resource contamination, poor plumbing, or scales in your water pipelines, it may affect your hair and make it dry and damaged.

Why Does Toronto Water Smell Earthy/Fishy?

The reasons behind the earthy and fishy smell are because of the naturally occurring compounds made by algae, and microorganisms, the presence of dead fishes, seasonal changes, and the result of the addition of chlorides and fluorides.

Is there chlorine in Toronto water?

Yes, chlorine is added to water in Toronto to kill bacteria, viruses,, and parasites causing health hazards.

If your water pressure has drastically dropped after installing a water softener system, the first step is to run the “bypass” test. Set your main supply water valve at “bypass” mode. This will supply the water directly to your household sanitary without using the water softener. Check if the water pressure is restored or improved. If so, your water softener is the main culprit.

But, what are the other techniques to diagnose and fix low water pressure issues, and how can you do it at home? Let’s discuss everything in detail so that you can know how to troubleshoot on your own and when to call an expert.

Water Softener Low Pressure: What Does It Mean

Low water pressure from a water softener typically means that the water supply in your household plumbing is insufficient and the softener isn’t filtering water at the required pressure. This issue often arises when the resin beads in the softener become coated with hard minerals, like calcium and magnesium, which obstruct the water flow and cause low pressure.

• A water softener works on an ion exchange process, where resin beads trap heavy minerals like magnesium and calcium.
• During the regeneration process, a brine solution flushes these minerals away, allowing the softener to continue operating effectively.
• The system consists of a brine tank, a resin tank, and various valves that regulate water flow, brine solution, regeneration, backwashing, and water pressure.

When hard minerals clog the resin beads and they aren’t properly regenerated, they can no longer effectively filter the water, reducing flow and low water pressure in the softener.

But if mineral buildup or scaling are not the reasons for low water pressure, look for the other factors discussed below.

Possible Reasons for Water Softeners Causing Low Water Pressure

Can water softener cause low water pressure? Yes, it can. The water supply in your household goes through several steps in a water softener tank, making many factors responsible for low pressure. Let’s look at all the factors individually and see how you can diagnose a low-pressure problem at home.

Pipe Leakages

Check all the pipes connected to the water filter, both incoming and outgoing. If you spot any leaks, replacing the pipe may resolve your pressure issue. If no leaks are found, the water softener could be the cause of the pressure drop. In that case, further investigation is needed for other symptoms related to the water softener pressure drop.

Bypass Valve Issues

Check your bypass valve in the water softener system, and set it at bypass mode and see if it lets water go to your household at the full pressure or not? In the “bypass” mode, the water goes directly to your household without entering the filter. If you get improved pressure, the softener may be the cause.

Clogged Resin Beds

Clogged resin beads don’t filter the water resulting in poor or low water pressure at the consumer end. Check the water beads and see if you find scale or clogged minerals on them. Run a thorough inspection or call an expert from Watermart where we bring comprehensive maintenance services for water softeners.

Resin Cleaning Or Replacement Needed

If you find clogs or scaling on the resin beads, look for the cleaning options too. A normal filter resin beads’ lifespan is 3-20 years, but a low quality resin may deteriorate earlier. So look at your resin’s condition and check whether it needs maintenance or a replacement. At Watermart we provide complete maintenance services that can help you understand which step you must take next. You can call us to get a quote or for further details.

Salt Bridges Or Salt Mushing

Salt bridging is the solidification of salt on the top of brine solution as a crust and salt mushing is when the salt recrystallizes at the bottom in the form of sludge. In both cases, less brine or no salt goes to the resin tank, resulting in poor brine supply to the beads. This may deteriorate the overall filtration process of the water softener resulting in poor performance. You can either remove salt bridges and sludges on your own or call our expert technicians for thorough cleaning.

Sediment Clogging

Sediments are a natural part of hard water. Sometimes they get clogged in the pipes and other plumbing within and around your softener resulting in poor pressure.

Flow Rate Correlation

If your water is not flowing at the required pressure to your water softener, you can’t have the right pressure at the point of use. Simply check the main supply, and adjust the water pressure according to your needs.

Pre-Filter Clogging/ Mineral Build Ups

If the quality of water is really poor and it has other sediments or minerals like magnesium, calcium, iron, coal and other particles along with high hardness, it chokes the pipelines and all plumbing systems. These scale and mineral build-ups clog the pipes and do not supply water to the water softener at the right pressure resulting in overall low pressure in the softener system. Changing pre-filter plumbing pipes can help you regain the water pressure.

Filter Size And Type

Miscalculating softener size and type can drastically affect the output water supply and pressure. Instead of doing a comprehensive calculation, it is wise to call an expert and get an estimate.

Dynamic Head Loss

Dynamic head loss is the pressure drop caused by frictional forces during the flow. It happens when a fluid moves through pipes and different plumbing fixtures, including valves and fittings. The reasons behind this pressure drop are the type of material of pipes, their friction, and the length or diameter of these pipes. If all these factors are not chosen properly, they can cause a pressure drop.

Salt Level

Unnecessarily higher salt levels increase the salt recrystallization and tendency of clogging, resulting in low pressure. Keep a regular check at salt levels and troubleshooting if your softener is using too much salt, can solve the problem.

Blocked Injector

If your brine solution injector valve is blocked by debris, it will not let the brine pass to resin tank, resulting in clogged resin. The water softener with this clogged injector does not support the brine cycle in the resin. So check for the injector and see if you can see through the holes or not. Use the needles to open or run proper cleaning to unclog the injector.

Expanded Media (Resin + Chlorine)

Resin is basically a plastic, a composite material to be precise. It is directly attacked by any oxidants like chlorine or chloramines. In Canada, if you are using city water, coming from local municipality station, there are chances of high chlorine levels as compared to water coming from natural resources. So presence of 1 ppm chlorine, may decrease resin’s life by half.

Chlorine Damage

If your water softener is cleaning 0.5 ppm chlorine, the resin’s life will be around 10 years. When to change resin is another question. There is a simple “sqush test” which states that if you can mush the resin beads by your figures, it is time to change the resin.

Improper Configuration

If you have not configured your water softener properly for hardness values, water pressure, salt levels, and regeneration cycle, you may experience low water pressure. So configure it properly to avoid this malfunctioning.

Electrical Interruption

Water softeners are electrically connected. In case you are having a power outage or fluctuation, your filter may end up reducing the water pressure.

Incorrect System Sizing

The size of your water softener should be according to the amount of water you need daily. Calculate your water usage by counting your family members and amount of water needed per person. Then multiply it with the hardness level of your water. The grains you get are the capacity of your water softener. A normal person uses 80- gallons a day. In Canada if you are living in an area where water hardness is 10, a house of 4 people will need 4*80*10= 3200 GPG a day. So your water filter should be according to this capacity.

Age Of The Water Softener

A good quality water softener’s lifespan is 20 to 25 years if you have been maintaining it very well. However poor maintenance can reduce its life. Check whether it has expired or not, if your system is too old, it is better to replace it because maintaining it can cost you more than the price of a new unit. At Watermart, we have water softener systems for different sizes and needs. Calling us today can get you an idea of the cost of a new unit.

How Fix Water Softener Low Pressure Issue

If you have diagnosed your low water pressure problem and the reasons behind it, look at the following solutions to the specific problems.

Inspect And Clean the Filters

In case your filters are clogged or messy, either change them or clean them for proper functioning.

Regenerate Properly

Poor regeneration leaves the resin beads uncleaned and clogged, resulting in low water pressure. Set your water softener at the proper regeneration cycle for a thorough cleaning.

Salt And Brine Tank Maintenance

Log your salt and brine tank maintenance. Remove any salt bridges and mushes for a proper supply of brine solution to the resin beads tank.

Pressure Gauge Test And Installation

A pressure gauge test is carried out to check the overall pressure of the water softener system. If you get any abnormal readings, you can easily check for the potentail reasons and solutions. Modern water softeners come with built-in pressure gauges, a handy tool to compare the inlet pressure, outlet pressure, and pressure within the softener, helping you manage the right softening system for adequate supplies.
If you don’t get a pressure gauge with your water softener, you can buy and install a separate pressure gauge to keep an eye on system’s pressure beforehand.

Bypass Mode Test

The purpose of conducting the “bypass” test is to isolate your water supply from the water softener. It helps you identify whether your water softener is faulty, or the water resource pressure is dropping. If the bypass mode test ensures adequate pressure, then you can run other tests to diagnose the problem within the water softener system.

Check And Replace Resin

The ability of resin to filter the clean water and hold heavy minerals decreases over time. Also during regeneraion process, the beads deteriorate. With the passage of time, resin beads stop working. If you see any sand like particles during the inspection, it is an indication that the resin needs a replacement.

Inspect And Clean Components

Run a cleaning operation every month, check for any clogs, mineral buildups, and recrystallization in the tank, valves, controls and other plumbing in and around the water softener. Even if you don’t see any visible signs of clogs or scale pile-ups, Cleaning the tank is a recommended practice.

Check Filter Housing Size

Filter housing size is as important as the size of a water softener itself. If the diameter of the filter housing is too small, it will restrict the water flow, resulting in reduced pressure. So choosing the right filter housing size will improve overall pressure and will help you reduce dynamic head loss.

Consult Water Softener Maintenance Professionals

Diagnosing low water pressure causes can be tricky if you are a non-techy person or don’t want to do any work. In that case, you can either contact your supplier or call us for water softener maintenance services at Watermark. Our professionals can diagnose and fix any problems that are causing you higher bills and the inconvenience of unavailability of water.

Final Thoughts

Low water softener pressure can cause salt waste and unavailability of water even after filtration. This often happens when the resin beads are either dirty or choked, valve injectors are clogged, the size or type is not accurate, or there is mineral buildup, salt bridging, or leaks in the system.

You can thoroughly check your system, starting with the “bypass” method and progressing to other inspection methods. As soon as you diagnose simple problems, you can fix them at home.

Or simply, if you want to avoid any hassle, give us a call at WaterMart, where our technicians bring you the right solution.

FAQs

How can I know if my water softener is causing low water pressure?

Run the “bypass” mode test to check if the water pressure in your house is alright without using a water softener. If the pressure improves, it confirms that the water softener is causing a pressure drop.

How much water pressure does a water softener need?

Water softeners have different pressure ranges, ranging from 20 psi to 100 psi. However, the recommended pressure is 80 psi to avoid damage to faucets or filtration fittings.

How often should I check for salt bridges and resin bead blockages in my water softener?

However, it is a visual inspection that you can do even daily or weekly. But perform it monthly spot any unusual accumulation of salt and remove it.

If you have installed water softener filtration and get excessive salt usage or hard water supply, you might be either missing the right size of the filtration plant or re-generation is not properly working.

But what if everything is working fine and your water softener is using too much salt or your filtered water is still hard? If you don’t monitor the amount of salt being used, you may face excessive costs while negatively impacting the environment.

If you are new to water softeners and don’t know how to diagnose salt levels, their usage, or ways to lower excessive salt usage, let us help you clarify it step by step.

How Do I Know My Water Softener is Using Excessive Salt

The first indication is excessive use of salt and high hardness levels of your filtered water. Usually, a water softener uses 25 pounds of salt per month, 400 pounds a year, but if your usage has increased, it’s time to take action.

Now the question is what to do next. Simply run an investigation to find the root cause. Unless you don’t know the process of salt-based water softeners, finding the problem might be difficult for you.

Process of Salt-Based Water Softeners

In water softener systems, a resin bed (beads) is used to entrap all the hard minerals from your water like magnesium or calcium, leaving your water in a neutral state, often known as soft water. This water is used for drinking, laundry, or other household purposes in your homes or workplaces.
On the other hand, the resin bed is cleaned using a brine solution that reacts with heavy mineral particles to make binary compounds. A flush of water removes those compounds, leaving the resin fresh and clean. This is called the

Regeneration Process

This regeneration process of water softener uses salt, and salt usage is monitored to ensure proper unit functioning and budget maintenance. If your unit is using excessive amounts of salt, look for the following reasons that are immediate causes of salt wastage.

Reasons for Excessive Salt Usage

A normal softener uses 25 pounds of salt a month. If you notice a surge of 20% without increasing your water usage, this might be an indication of the following faults.

• You might have leaky valves in the water softener system that cause water wastage, resulting in the need for more clean water than the softener system capacity and the use of more salt.
• You might have high concentrations of brine flowing through your re-generation resin beads.
• Your water filtration controls are poorly optimized or clogged, resulting in emergency salt needs and higher usage.

The causes may cost you an arm and a leg. To avoid excessive salt usage know the factors that directly control the amount of salt used.

Common Tests To Check Your Softener is Using Higher Salt Amounts

Carry out the following steps one by one to check what’s missing in your filtration plant and its hardware.

• Hardness Test: Check the hardness level of your water. Higher hardness results in a clear indication that your softener is wasting the salt instead of using it to soften the water.
• Leaky Valve Head: Check if the valve head is leaked as it is a clear indication of internal wear.
• Overflowing Brine Tank: Check if the brine solution is overflowing, causing high salt levels in the water. You can see the salt stains on the floor and maintain the brine levels to a low position.
• Record Salt Usage: Log the daily salt usage and be sure there are no major changes but little ups and downs.

Once you have determined whether your softener is using excessive salt, troubleshooting becomes easy and straightforward. We recommend getting expert advice from reliable technicians or suppliers. You can also contact us for a complete checkup of your water softener system. At Watermart, our water softener maintenance services ensure quick and reliable diagnosis and fixing so that you don’t waste your money.

How Much Salt Should A Water Softener Use?

You must have an idea of your water softener system, its capacity, your water usage, and how much salt your softener must use. The manufacturer’s specifications can help depending on the model you are using. Salt usage depends upon many factors that we have enlisted for better understanding.

Salt Consumption Depends On Water Usage

Salt consumption in a water softener is directly proportional to the amount of water it processes. Simply put, the more water it treats, the more salt it uses. However, sometimes a water softener salt bridge can form, preventing the system from using salt effectively, which may lead to misleading readings or salt wastage.

There may also be times when your water needs are low, so you choose a softener accordingly. However, if your water usage suddenly increases, you might notice a higher rate of salt consumption.

In that case, check the amount of water being filtered through it. You can also check any leakages in your house’s sanitary fixtures, toilets, or faucets. It’s a better idea to run a check for any leakage from the stem to the stern of your plumbing system. Any leakages may cause an unnecessarily higher amount of water needed which results in higher salt consumption.

Intensity Of Water Hardness

When you install a water softener, an increase in water hardness may lead to higher salt usage. This could happen due to an inaccurate hardness measurement during installation or because your water supply source changes over time, bringing water with different hardness levels.

In Canada, for example, water from natural sources tends to have higher hardness levels compared to water supplied by government or private providers. If your water source changes, the hardness level may fluctuate, requiring you to re-estimate the salt usage and adjust the softener’s capacity accordingly.

Water Softener Size

If you’ve chosen the wrong size for your water softener, you might experience high water demands that lead to excessive salt consumption. To avoid this, it’s important to estimate your water usage accurately and ensure you have the right size of water softener. On average, a person uses about 80 gallons of water per day. Calculate your household’s total water requirement by multiplying 80 gallons by the number of people in your home.

Next, multiply that number by the hardness grains per gallon (GPG) of your water. For instance, if your household uses 2400 gallons per day (80 gallons per person for three people) and your water hardness is 8-10 GPG, your softener needs to handle 24,000 grains of hardness daily.

Water Softener Capacity=(Gallons per Person×Number of People)×Hardness Grains per Gallon (GPG)

Make sure to install a water softener with the appropriate capacity. If the softener is too small, you’ll end up paying more for salt, water, and maintenance in the long run.

Incorrect Water Tested

Sometimes, water testing is incorrect resulting in a false hardness number. It is better to get a water hardness report from authentic testing services, or you may ask your supplier to run a test for proper estimation.

Wrong settings or Programming

Make sure that grains per gallon are correctly programmed in your softener settings. Your Hardness is 8 GPG and you have selected 12 GPG as your softener, it will cause your system to work more for lesser hardness levels. So avoid overtime and excessive usage of salt by programming it properly.

Regeneration Frequency

Regeneration is the process in which the resin beads clean themselves by using salt and removing the hard minerals from themselves. How often this regeneration occurs, determines the amount of salt used.

If your resin bed regenerates itself more frequently, it uses a higher amount of salts. The regeneration is directly proportional to the amount of hard minerals entrapped in it. It usually happens when your softener is cleaning the water amounts higher than its capacity. Understanding your water usage and installing a properly sized water softener is the solution to this problem.

Brine Tank Water Level

If your brine tank water level is unnecessarily raised, it will cause overflow resulting in salt wastage. Ensure to keep it at recommended levels or a bit lower than that.

Valve malfunctions

Your softener sends brine water to the resin for regeneration through a venturi or injector valve. If the water softener is clogged or not properly cleaned, it may decrease the water pressure to the resin during regeneration, resulting in lower salt levels in the regeneration area. This diluted brine is not sufficient to clean the resin, causing the softener to signal for lower salt, leading to increased usage. A thorough cleaning can remove any clogs and regulate the water pressure needed.

Resin Issues

Resin quality and capacity fairly decide the amount of salt used. A low-quality resin uses higher salt amounts and vice versa. Also, the hard water needs more hard grains to be removed, and it is the resin that bears all the hard minerals pressure. Over time it is all spent in the process of regeneration. So if your resin is too old, like over 15 years, it is better to replace it.

Salt Crystallized On The Tank Bottom

Sometimes, wet salt when unused, recrystallizes at the bottom of the tank creating a white solid mass that cannot be used during the regeneration process. Also, this mass clogs the water tank and does not let the water come in or out of the tank causing unnecessary salt usage and unit deterioration. It happens when you use extra amounts of salt in the tank, so keep an eye on the programming and water softener salt level setting.

Dirty Units

Dirty filtration units may cause high hardness levels and the contaminants to be cleaned resulting in higher consumption. Inspect your water softener chambers and clean them up before they get clogged and dirty. It will keep your filter long-lasting yet economical.

Salt Quality

The amount of salt used also depends upon the quality of the salt. Poor-quality salt wastes hard minerals and does not filter them like high-quality salt. Replacing poor-quality salt with the right quality may reduce salt consumption.

Age of the Water Softener

With proper maintenance, a water softener’s lifespan usually ranges from 15 to 25 years. If your water softener has aged, there are chances of high salt usage. In that case, you need to talk to your technicians or suppliers.

Manufacturer Specific Issues

Sometimes, your water softener system has a built-in issue or manufacturing malfunction that causes higher salt consumption. You can claim your warranty or talk to your suppliers for immediate troubleshooting or unit change.

When You Should Consult a Water Treatment Specialist

You can troubleshoot small problems like plumbing issues, poor-quality salt, clogged valves, overflowing brine solutions, programming, and others. But, if you are having capacity issues, hardness levels have been changed or any other problems that you can’t handle, call your manufacturer or any other technicians to run a thorough check.
We at WaterMart have helped thousands of clients maintain water softeners to avoid excessive salt usage and reduce salt and utility bills. For further details call us now or talk to our live support agent.

Conclusion

In Canada, water softeners are commonly used to tackle hard water for both health and financial reasons. However, if your softener is consuming too much salt, it can lead to unnecessary expenses and environmental impact. Understanding your salt usage can help you manage your softener more effectively, saving you money on salt and utility bills. At Watermart, we ensure your water softener is properly maintained to minimize salt consumption and reduce costs. Contact us today for more information or to schedule a comprehensive evaluation of your water softener system.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How Can I Adjust Salt Dosage At Lower Levels At Home?

It is simple. Use the manufacturer’s manual and set your salt dosage accordingly. Setting it at a lower level increases salt efficiency and water filtration.

How Long Will My Salt Bag Last?

It fairly depends upon the hardness level of water in your area and the amount of gallons you clean through it. Usually, a salt bag should last 30000 gallons of water before it needs a replacement.

How Much Water Does A Regeneration Process Use?

It uses water equivalent to doing laundry on a load.

How Much Salt Does A Water Softener Use Per Month?

A normal range water softener system uses 25 pounds salt per month.

Can You Put Too Much Salt In A Water Softener?

No, putting too much salt raises your salt bill, will clog valves and recrystallize at the bottom of the tank while deteriorating your unit.

A clogged water softener is as good as a malfunctioning water softener. That’s because it reintroduces hard water into your home and also, the menace it brings, including soap scum, limescale buildup, and brittle, frizzy hair.
And worst of all, when you kneel down to check the brine tank, you find it overflowing with water. The high water level in your water softener indicates that your water softener is clogged. You may wonder, “Is my water softener clogged?” If yes, “What should you do?”
In this article, we’ll answer all of your questions related to a clogged water softener and the ways to deal with the clog.
Read on!

Water Softener Clogged? How To Diagnose The Exact Problem

 

If you find out that your water softener is clogged, it’s time to dig deeper and find out the main cause behind the problem.

That’s because before starting to treat the problem, it’s important to diagnose it first. In order to do this, you need to understand how a water softener works. Know Suppose, your water softener is clogged because of the big chunks of salt in the brine tank. And instead of treating the salt bridge, we end up cleaning the mineral buildup. Therefore, it’s crucial to diagnose the exact problem to avoid any major inconvenience.

This is how to diagnose the exact problem:

1. Take a flashlight and open up your brine tank.
2. The water softener is usually clogged due to two main reasons: salt bridge and mineral buildup. Locate the main issue.
3. Follow the troubleshooting steps in your user manual and enjoy your soft water.

If the problem persists, or if you do not have any plumbing experience, you can always schedule a call with the professionals.

How To Fix a Clogged Water Softener

Facing hard water problems again? Don’t worry. It might be a minor salt clog that is affecting your softener’s efficiency.

Here’s what to do to fix your water softener.

Salt Clog

One of the most common types of water softener clogging is the salt clog. Since salt is the main ingredient in your brine tank to clean the resin beads, it can sometimes react with moisture and other conditions to form salt bridges.

If your water softener is clogged due to a salt bridge, you don’t need to call a professional.

Here’s a simple DIY process to help you unclog the softener.

1. Open your brine tank.
2. Take a mop or a broom and break the salt bridge in the center.
3. Scoop out the big and small chunks of salt to clean the brine tank.
4. To thoroughly clean the tank, pour some hot water to dissolve the salt around the edges.
5. Once the clog is gone, fill up the brine tank and add new salt pellets as per your user manual’s guidelines.

Clogged Pipes

If the pipes are clogged, the water level in your brine tank is usually higher than it should be.

To fix this, clean the valve injector to allow suction during the brine cycle for your regeneration process. Simply take the injector out and look through the hole. If you cannot see anything, take a pin or needle and clean it properly.

Clogged Drains

Clogged drains happen due to clogged control valves. It usually happens when you receive high iron levels at home.

One of the main signs your water softener is not working properly is an overflowing brine tank. If that occurs, clean the control valve and your water softener should be good to go!

Common Reasons And Solutions Of Clogged Water Softener

Sometimes, neither the salt clogs nor the drain and pipe clogs are the reasons. To thoroughly diagnose the problem, you must locate the source of the problem.

Here are a few reasons your water softening isn’t working properly due to clogging.

Salt Bridging

Salt bridging is the most common clogging issue in your water softener. It occurs when salt is hardened into a crystallized form in your brine tank. As a result, it blocks the water flow and proper dissolving of salt, which may lead to regeneration issues.

Treating salt bridging is easy. Just take any object with a long handle, such as a mop or a broom, and tap it gently on the hardened salt to break it into smaller pieces. Later, clean the tank and fill up your brine tank with recommended salt levels.

Salt Mushing

Just like salt bridging, the main culprit behind salt mushing is high humidity levels. Mushy salt creates a water flow blockage and hinders your regeneration process. The main causes of salt mushing are humidity, incorrect salt type, and low-quality salt that mess with your water softener.

To treat salt mushing, clean the brine tank and remove the sludge. Add the recommended amount of salt and store your salt in a cool dry place in an airtight container to prevent mushing.

Brine Tank Problems

Sometimes a leaking or cracked brine tank can cause havoc in your water softener. It allows foreign objects to enter the brine tank creating the clog.

Additionally, an overflowing brine tank may cause clogging due to malfunctioning float valves, incorrect salt type and dosage, and a simple clog in the drain.

To address this issue, check out the float valves and adjust the salt type and salt amount according to your water hardness levels. Also, check the drain line for potential blockages and clear them if necessary.

Please contact a professional if dismantling the components is involved, especially if you have no plumbing experience.

Bypass Valve Problems

If your bypass valve is faulty, the water doesn’t flow properly through, impacting the efficiency of your water softener. It’s recommended to contact professionals to diagnose any signs of bypass valve damage and provide solutions in terms of replacement or repair, if necessary.

Resin Bead Fouling

Resin beads are essential to keep your regeneration cycle running smoothly. However, over time, mineral build-up can pollute the resin beads with debris, dirt, and other contaminants and reduce their efficiency. It adversely affects the water quality and softening capacity of your softener.

To treat this issue, perform a resin bed cleaning treatment following the manual’s guidelines. Or best, contact a professional to clean and replace the beads so your water softener works efficiently.

Iron and Sediment Build-Up

If there’s staining around your softener and a rusty odor or taste, there are high levels of iron and sediment in your water.

To address this issue, test your water for iron and sediment levels and use Iron-out salt for optimal performance.

Low Water Pressure

Low water pressure is a result of clogged pipes, faulty pressure-reducing valves, or a faulty water softener. As a result, it hinders the regeneration cycle and leads to clogs.

To address these issues, check the main water pressure and after passing through the softener, if the pressure change is significant, clean the resin beads.
Though these fixes can be DIY-ed at home, it’s important to consult a water softening expert to rule out any potential risks and damages to your water softener.

Incorrect Salt Type

A water-softening salt should be of high purity and compatible with the make and model of your water softener.

To know the right type of salt, consult your user manual or ask a professional for assistance.

Using the wrong type and amount of salt can lead to many issues, including salt bridging, ineffective resin bead regeneration, and inefficient performance.

It’s recommended to use the right type of salt that is designed for water softeners and your hardness levels.

Excessive salt usage

If your water softener consumes more salt than it should, there could be an issue. Consult an expert and check out the brine tank float, salt dosage setting, or regeneration cycles to rule out the main problem.

Improper Maintenance

Like any other electrical appliance, regular maintenance and upkeep of your water softener is essential to keep it running smoothly.

You should:

1. Clean the brine tank.
2. Clean the resin bed and replace the resin beads when necessary
3. Carry our thorough system checks at least every 3 months

What to Do If You Cannot Diagnose or Solve the Problem

Many times, even after several troubleshooting attempts, the clogs just won’t go away and the problem persists. Fret not!

Water softener is a tough nut to crack and there’s no shame in calling in a professional.

Qualified water softener technicians have the right skills, tools, and knowledge to do their job and tackle stubborn clogs, providing useful tips and ensuring your water softener is back in action.

Always remember a timely consultation with your professional water softener expert saves you tons of time, money, and unnecessary frustration.

Get Our Water Softener Cleaning and Maintenance Service Today

DIY fixes can be time-consuming and overwhelming. Worst of all, if they don’t work, you might need some other major fixes. Therefore, it’s important to trust the services of a professional specialist.

At Watermart, you get comprehensive water cleaning and maintenance services at your doorstep. Our team of certified experts is well-acquainted and informed to diagnose any clogs or system malfunctions—Whether it’s a routine salt bridge or a stubborn resin beads issue, Watermart got you all covered!

Besides water softener installation, we also provide routine maintenance checks to ensure optimal performance of your water softener weekly, monthly, or yearly. Our team of experts offers expert advice on how to choose the right water softener for your water needs with a steady installation process.

Don’t know whether you need a water softener or a water filtration system? Schedule our FREE water testing services to know now!

Know You Know How to Fix Clogged Water Softener

If your hard water is making a comeback ruthlessly, you probably have a clogged water softener. But before you start anything else, it’s important to carefully inspect the issue and diagnose the problem. Only then will you be able to find a viable solution?

Most of the time, there are two major causes of a clogged water softener:

1. Salt bridge
2. Mineral buildup

However, many other factors also contribute to a clogged water softener, such as salt mushing, bypass valve problems, low water pressure, and improper maintenance of your softener.

Whatever the cause is, you may try to fix an unclogged water softener following the DIY tips in this article. However, if something gets serious and the problem persists, feel free to call in professional water softener specialists.

FAQS

Q: Why is water not flowing through a water softener?

When the water isn’t flowing through the water softener, there might be clogs in the bypass valve, pipes, or control valves.

Q: Why is my water softener not draining?

If draining is the issue, check the drain line or inspect the control valve thoroughly for any clogs.

Q: Why is my water softener not filling with water?

Several factors contribute to your water softener not filling with water. For example, a closed shut-off valve, low water pressure, and a faulty timer.

Q: How do you know if you have a salt clog in your water softener?

One of the major signs of a salt clog is an overflowing brine tank. Also, a telltale sign of a salt clog in a water softener is hard, crystallized salt at the bottom of your brine tank.

Q: How to reset the water softener?

You can either restart your control unit or do a complete factory reset and erase all the settings to return to its default settings. Consult your user manual for resetting your water softener.

If you feel your water softener isn’t working as it should or notice all your hard water signs returning, it’s time to check the brine tank for the water softener salt bridge.

But what is a salt bridge in a water softener?

Before diving into what a salt bridge in a water softener is, you should have complete knowledge about what a water softener system is and how it works.
Well, a salt bridge is a solid layer of salt that usually forms inside your brine tank due to high humidity, an overflowing brine tank, or infrequent maintenance. This layer of clumped salt, however, seems harmless but is the main culprit behind your water softener problems.

A salt bridge covers the entire width of your water softener tank and prevents water from dissolving the salt, resulting in ineffective regeneration cycles, and ultimately delivering hard water. Therefore, dealing with salt bridges before they cause havoc and mess with your whole water-softening system is crucial.

In this article, we’ll discuss the causes of salt bridging and ways to prevent them in the future.

Stay with us!

Causes Of Water Softener Salt Bridge

Salt bridges are not always your or your water softener’s fault. Sometimes, trivial things such as humidity can contribute to saltwater formation.

However, many other factors contribute to water softener bridging, including:

High Humidity

Humidity is the main culprit behind water softener bridging because moisture in the air causes the salt to clump in the brine tank before it dissolves in the water. If you’re located in a hot and humid climate, your softener is more prone to getting a salt bridge.

Wrong Salt Type

Not all salts are created for water softeners. Sometimes, using the wrong salt type in the water softener results in faster recrystallization and water softener salt bridge formation.

Note: Always choose the salt type recommended by your manufacturer. 

Overfilled Brine Tank

An overfilled brine tank or water softener full of water is one of the major causes of salt bridge formation because it hinders the salt dissolution process, promoting bridge formation.

Infrequent Maintenance and Refills

The infrequent cleaning and maintenance of your water softener may accumulate undissolved salt particles and impurities at the bottom of your tank, contributing to salt bridge formation.
Keep in mind that you need to maintain your water softener from time to time.

How Do I Know If I Have A Salt Bridge?

One of the most important signs you have a salt bridge is when your water begins to feel like it did before you installed your water softener. All the hard water signs return and you’re left with stubborn limescale stains, dry, brittle hair, and soiled laundry.

Additionally, one of the best ways to check if you have a salt bridge is to do a visual inspection and poke the salt with a stick or broom handle.

1. Open the brine tank.
2. Observe the insides of the tank. If you notice a hard crusted layer, you’ve salt bridge formation in the tank.
3. Take a stick or broom handle and carefully produce the salt.
4. If it feels solid and hard and doesn’t break easily, it’s now confirmed that you have a water-softener salt bridge.

How Do I Remove a Salt Bridge?

If you’re one of those DIY enthusiasts, you’re going to love this!

Investing in a water softener is one of the wisest decisions you’ll ever make, but handling a salt bridge can get challenging.

Here’s how to remove a salt bridge in your water softener.

1. Cut off the water supply to your softener with a bypass valve of the incoming valve completely.
2. Take any tool with a long handle, such as a broom or stick.
3. Flip your tool upside down and try to break the salt bridge.
4. Now, tap the center of the bridge with your tool. Make sure you crumble it because cracking will damage the tank.
5. Keep tapping the salt until it breaks apart and falls into the tank.
6. Once broken, scoop out the salt chunks.
7. Pour warm water to dissolve any salt crystals clinging to the bottom of your tank.
8. Turn the water supply back on and run a regeneration cycle until all the existing salt is cleared.
9. Once your tank is cleared, add fresh salt into your brine tank for luxuriously soft water.

Is Your Salt at Fault?

Yes, the choice of your salt can impact the formation of salt bridges in your water softener.

It’s a known fact that not all salts are created equal. If you use table salt or salt with impurities, you’re more likely to face salt bridge issues in your water softener.

For water softeners, the recommended salt type should be high-purity salt especially designed for water softeners, such as evaporated salt or solar salt. These types of salts minimize the risk of salt bridge formation. Also, they dissolve easily in your brine tank, smoothing the water-softening process.

Additionally, it’s important to not overfill your tank with water because it largely affects the performance of your water softener. That’s because if you fill the brine tank to the brim, there’s less water surface area, taking longer to dissolve the salt in your tank. As a result, clumped, crystallized salt is formed. We recommend checking the user’s manual for tank filling to avoid inconvenience.

Furthermore, it’s crucial to choose the right type of salt as per your needs and the model of your water softener. Before choosing your perfect water softener salt, keep your water hardness levels, water consumption, and household size in mind.

Note: For long-lasting, consistent softening, consult your user manual for the manufacturer’s recommended salt type.

Preventing A Salt Bridge In The Future

To keep your water softeners running smoothly without those pesky salt bridges, here are some steps you can take to prevent them from forming in the future.

1. Always fasten the brine tank lid to keep your humidity levels at bay
2. Use the right salt according to your user manual. Never use regular table salt or impure salt because they are more prone to crystallization and clumping.
3. Avoid overfilling your brine tank to keep it working smoothly. Consult your manufacturer’s recommendations. Most softeners work the best with a ⅓ to 2.3 full range.
4. Clean your brine tank regularly and remove any salt residue and mineral buildup. Follow the user manual for cleaning instructions.
5. Store your water softener salt in a cool and dry place, ideally in an air-tight container to keep the moisture in control.

When to Call a Professional

Unlike most water softener problems, salt bridge softener can be tackled at home. However, sometimes, the DIY reaches its limit, and it’s now time to call a professional for help.

Here’s when it’s best to call the experts.

1. If you follow everything as per the user manual to remove salt bridges, the issue persists. A professional may help to diagnose the problem and provide a viable solution.
2. If you’re new to plumbing projects, your water softener may involve dismantling the components that can be too overwhelming for you. In such cases, an expert would help you handle the complex repairs and educate you with the necessary information.
3. When you think your water softener issue is beyond a salt bridge or if you’ve already ruled out the salt bridge formation. It’s important to call a professional for a thorough inspection. They can also recommend the best solution as per your needs and requirements.

At Watermart, we not only provide the best water softeners but also provide water softening solutions, including professional maintenance and installation services. We have a team of qualified and trained professionals who can easily diagnose your problem and provide the necessary solutions to deliver optimal performance.

Contact us now to get a FREE quote.

Final Thoughts

Water softeners are excellent solutions to deal with hard water problems, but sometimes, they encounter their challenges. For example, salt bridge formations.

Salt bridges are crystallized buildups of salt in your water softener that impact its performance and deliver subpar results.

But now that you finally know the causes of salt bridges and ways to prevent them in the future, it’s easier to deal with them. All you have to do is:

1. Secure the brine tank lid to keep humidity at bay
2. Choose the right type of salt
3. Avoid overfilling the tank
4. Schedule periodic brine tank cleanings
5. Keep your salt in a cool dry place

Above all, call in the professionals if the problem persists or if dismantling complex components is involved for better performance.

FAQS

How Often Should I Clean My Water Softener?

Clean your brine tank once a year to prevent salt bridges from forming. However, if you have high levels of iron or sediment, it’s recommended to clean your brine tank more often.

Test your water for FREE to check iron and sediment levels.

What Happens if I Don’t Remove a Water Softener Salt Bridge?

If the salt bridges are not removed, they will continue to grow. Over time, it becomes harder to remove the bridge and the efficiency of your water softener is compromised.

Can I Prevent Salt Bridges Completely?

Though it’s not possible to prevent salt ridges completely, you can reduce the risk by using high-quality salt, maintaining humidity levels, and cleaning your brine tank regularly.

How Often Should I Check the Salt Level in My Brine Tank?

You should check the salt level in your brine tank at least once a month.

How can you tell if you have a salt bridge?

The best way to check if you have a salt bridge is by inspecting it with a long sturdy handle.

We understand the charm of DIY projects and how they all make you feel so creative while saving you money and providing a sense of accomplishment.

However, installing a water softener at home can lead to more frustration than fulfillment. Suppose, you’ve brought your fancy new water softener home and DIY-ed it with the manual as your sole guide. You follow all the steps correctly, but still, the next morning, there’s a salty surprise—an overflowing brine tank.

In this article, we’ll discuss 11 common water softener installation problems and ways to prevent them.

Let’s go!

What Are Common Water Softener Installation Problems?

Water softeners are a true lifesaver for people living in hard water regions, but proper installation of the water softener is essential for its efficiency and performance.

Here are a few factors that contribute to improper water softener installation.

HINT: It’s not always the fault of your water softener installer.

Improper Water Softener Sizing

One of the few things we recommend considering before buying a new water softener is the size of your household. If you choose a water softener too small for your household, it will fail to remove hardness.

Similarly, if you choose a water softener too big for your household, it would be inefficient and wasteful. You should be very careful when choosing a water softener system.

Incorrect Placement

If you place your water softener in a compact place where there is little room for drainage, it will greatly impact its functionality.

Tip: Always keep your water softeners in an open space. If you live in a small apartment, it’s advisable to get wall-mounted ones that occupy little space.

Using Incorrect Pipe Sizes

Sometimes, the pipes of your water softening system are too small, they restrict water flow and cannot handle the pressure of the system. As a result, they cause water softener installation problems and hinder the working of your softening system.

Connecting Pips Incorrectly

Check your pipes for leakage or improper connectivity to prevent water waste and avoid risking damage to your property.

Inadequate Drainage

Sometimes, the drainage issues will cause problems draining the wastewater properly. As a result, your softener, despite being installed properly, won’t work.

Bypass Valve Issues

A bypass valve that is malfunctioning or installed incorrectly will prevent the softened water from reaching your faucets. As a result, you’ll get hard water in your faucets instead. A bypass valve that is malfunctioning or installed incorrectly will prevent the softened water from reaching your faucets. As a result, you’ll get hard water in your faucets instead.

Electrical Supply Problems

Make sure the electrical supply is proper and stable for your water softener to work efficiently.

Improperly Connected Brine Line

The regeneration cycle of a water softener is crucial for it to work efficiently. If you connect the brine line improperly, the salt will not be available for the regeneration cycle. Therefore, your water softener will not carry out the regeneration process like it should, making it ineffective.

Using the Wrong Type Of Salt

Every water softener comes with a recommended salt type in their user manual. Therefore, it’s always recommended to use the right type of salt for your softener. Using the wrong type will lead to system clogging and ineffective softening solutions.

Incorrect Programming

It’s advisable to program your water softener for optimal performance based on your water hardness levels. These programming methods vary according to the make and model of your water softener.

Find the hardness setting of your water softener and adjust it to match the level of your water hardness.

Note: If you don’t know your water hardness levels, schedule a FREE water test!

Incorrect Venting

The venting system is used for air intake and pressure relief. Therefore, improper venting may lead to some serious problems, such as reduced efficiency of your softening system, component damage, and other safety hazards. For instance, a ruptured tank.

Make sure to choose the correct venting requirements based on the model of your water softener and local plumbing codes.

The Disadvantages Of Incorrect Water Softener Installation

Water softeners are a blessing in disguise for people living in hard water regions, such as Canada. However, an incorrectly installed water softener can turn everything upside down.

Here are a few serious disadvantages of incorrect water softener installation.

System Malfunction

Incorrect water softener installation can lead to system malfunction in many ways.

1. It can cause electrical issues with faulty wirings and improper grounding, damaging the internal components of your softener.
2. It can cause water pressure problems either by hindering the regeneration process or preventing water from reaching the softener because of clogged pipes or leaking connections.
3. Component damage is one other factor that may cause malfunction and leaks
4. Programming errors through incorrect settings and incomplete settings during the initial programming leaves your water softener incapable of working properly
5. Using the wrong components or wrong salt type can lead to malfunction and hinder the softener’s ability to turn your hard water into soft.

Inefficient Water Softening

Inefficient water softening occurs when your water softener is running but not working properly to remove hardness. This may be due to leaky connections or incorrect settings of your softener.

Water Pressure Issues

Since water softeners are plumbed into your main line, incorrect installation may affect its performance and disrupt the overall water pressure in your home. It may lead to a restricted water flow to your faucets and showerheads. Also, it causes many internal issues, such as a clogged resin bed that restricts water flow within the softener.

Water Leaks

Improper water softener installation in the form of loose connections or improper bypass valve installation may result in water leaks and water waste that ultimately damages your property.

Salt Overuse Or Underuse

A water softener when installed incorrectly messes up your salt usage while initiating unnecessary regeneration cycles. And your water softener starts using extra salt. As a result, too much salt is wasted, which can also form salt bridges. Similarly, improper installation may leave the bypass valve open, reducing your salt usage but leaving you with hard water.

Increased Water Usage

An improperly installed water softener goes through inefficient regeneration cycles that lead to water waste, which is hazardous to our environment. Additionally, increased water usage adds up to your overall monthly expenses of water softener salt and utility bills.

Electrical Hazards

Faulty wirings and improper installation of water softener components can be hazardous to you and your loved ones and pose a safety risk.

Drainage Problems

The improper installation of a water softener can result in drainage problems and create unexpected clogging issues, ultimately preventing your softener from working effectively.

Voided Warranty

If you go for DIY water softener installation or choose a local plumber to install your water softener, most manufacturers void warranties.

Increased Maintenance Needs

The quick fixes and re-installation of an already poorly installed softener can be more complex, expensive, and time-consuming.

Potential Health Risks

Inaccurately installed water softeners lead to pressure imbalances, contaminating your water supply. This may cause potential health risks.

System Longevity

The lifespan of your water softener depends largely on its installation. An incorrectly installed water softener has a lower lifespan, leading to premature replacement and maintenance.

Incompatibility Issues (With Existing Plumbing System)

Incompatibility issues in your water softener installation lead to many problems, such as leaks and damages, system inefficiency, and other safety concerns.

Getting Rid of Water Softener Installation Problems

Now that you know that installing a water softener by yourself or your local plumber can turn into a frustrating nightmare, it’s crucial to understand the importance of professional water softener specialists.

Not only will a professional install your softening system correctly, but they will also guide you through the process and educate you with the tips and tricks to keep your water softener working efficiently for years to come, leaving you with pure, clean, soft drinking water.

Get In Touch with Expert Water Softener Installers

Hard water can be an unfortunate menace to your physical and mental health. Also, it plagues your home with stubborn soap scum, and mineral buildup that affect your everyday life.

People living in the hard water regions, including Canada, will agree:

The most viable solution to hard water problems is installing a water softener by a professional company.

At Watermart, we provide hassle-free water softener installation tailored to your needs and requirements. Our team of expert and licensed water softener installers test your water for hardness levels and recommend the most suitable solution for your water needs based on your household size, hardness levels, and water consumption.

From detecting hard water to installing a perfect water softener and navigating the plumbing, we’ve got you all covered!

We provide:

✅ 100% Guaranteed leak-free installation of your water softener
✅ Proper configuration of your softener for optimal performance
✅ Complete peace of mind, backed up by a hassle-free warranty

When it comes to health, never settle for less, and contact Watermart for all of your water needs.

Now You Know: Water Softener Installation Problems

Make the right choice by investing in a water softener. Make the best choice by hiring a professional to do the job.

While your local plumbers and DIY projects may save you a few bucks, it adds to more frustration and headaches. Electronic appliances, as sensitive as a water softener, cannot handle a minor mishap during installation and may cause major problems later. For example, leaky connections and a completely dysfunctional softening system that does more harm than good.

Hiring a professional is a smarter choice because:

1. They are experienced and have the knowledge to ensure your water softener is installed correctly.
2. They don’t just install the system but guide you through the complete process and recommend the right softener for you.
3. They configure your softener for your water hardness levels and ensure you get maximum results.

The best of all? Many water-softening solution companies offer a hassle-free warranty that gives you complete peace of mind and comfort.

FAQS

Is it Easy to Install a Water Softener?

It depends on your level of expertise. However, for most people, it is not recommended to install a water softener by yourself.

What Happens if a Water Softener is Installed Backward?

If the water softener is installed backward, it can lead to many problems, such as resin bed damage, contaminated water, and ineffective brine solution.

Why is My Brand-New Water Softener not Working?

There may be many reasons for your brand-new water softener to not work. Possible causes are leaks, valve malfunctions, ineffective regeneration cycle, and other internal damage. It’s recommended to call a professional to diagnose the problem.

What Are the Cons of Installing a Water Softener?

A water softener is not the best substitute for filtration systems as it doesn’t remove lead and heavy metals.

How Many Hours Does it Take to Install a Water Softener?

For a professional to install your water softening system correctly, it may take between two to four hours.

How Long Does it Take to Eee the Effects of a Water Softener?

You may notice effective results of a water softener in three to seven days.

How Hard is it to Install a Water Softener?

Water softener installation is a straightforward process. However, for most people, it can be very challenging to deal with the valves and the pipes. Therefore, it’s recommended to leave the water softener installation process to the professionals only.