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.
