Why is water softener using too much salt?

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 cleaner 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

The water softener regeneration process 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 water 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.