Today, we are going to let you know how much salt you should put in your water softener brine tank.
We will provide you with information regarding how much salt you need to add to your water softener, when you should add it as well as how your water softener actually works.
1. How Much Salt to Put in a Water Softener Brine Tank
2. Tips for Adding Salt to Your Brine Tank
3. How Much Salt Will Your Water Softener Use?
5. The Water Softening Process
At WaterSmart, we have over 25 years of experience in the water softener industry, and we'd love to share our expertise with you!
Find out how much salt to put in your brine tank
1. How Much Salt to Put in a Water Softener Brine Tank
The brine tank is the part of your water softener that holds the salt.
It is possible to have both too much and too little salt in your brine tank. To keep your water softener working at maximum efficiency you need to maintain the proper amount of salt. A good rule of thumb to follow is to:
1. Keep your brine tank at least one-quarter full of salt at all times
2. Your salt should not exceed 4 to 6 inches below the top of your brine tank.
3. Make sure that your salt level always stays a few inches above the water level in your brine tank.
Make sure your brine tank is at least 1/4 full of salt
2. Tips for Adding Salt to Your Brine Tank
TIP #1: Before you add any additional salt to your brine tank, make sure that you break up or loosen any of the remaining salt. You can do this with a broom handle or any other similar long object.
TIP #2: If there is any encrusted salt on the sides of your brine tank, loosen and break it off so that it falls to the bottom of your tank and break apart any large pieces that have stuck together
TIP #3: If a salt bridge has formed in your brine tank, you can also break it up with a broom handle. If it is difficult to break apart, try pouring some hot water over it first to soften it up.
TIP #4: Only use proper water softener salt, either sodium chloride or potassium chloride that has been made especially for water softeners. Do not use regular salt as it isn't as pure as water softener salt and it will damage your unit and the smaller granules will dissolve too quickly.
You can break up a salt bridge with a broom handle
3. How Much Salt Will Your Water Softener Use?
The amount of salt that you will go through and how often you will need to top it up depends on a number of factors. These include:
How Much Water You Use: Every household is different. Generally, if you have more people in your household you will go through more water. The more water you use the more water softener salt you will use.
The Size of Your Brine Tank: If your brine tank is very large, you probably won't have to fill it up as often as you would a smaller tank. But then again, this will also depend on how much water you use.
The Hardness of Your Water: The amount of minerals in your water that make your water hard will also affect how much salt you go through. The harder the water, the more often the resin beads will need to be regenerated and the more salt you will go through.
For example, an average home with four occupants will need to have a regeneration cycle after about 12,000 gallons of water is used. Regeneration would need to occur more often than this if the water hardness levels are higher than normal.
It is a good idea to check your water softener salt level in your brine tank at least once per month to know when it is time to add more salt.
The number of people in your household will affect the amount of water softener salt you need to use
4. How Water Softeners Works
The most common type of water softener is made up of two components: a tall and narrow water softener tank and a shorter and wider brine tank.
Some models, however, have both the water softener tank and the brine tank combined into one unit, but the process of softening your water is the same regardless of the type you have.
The purpose of every type of water softener is to remove the minerals, mainly calcium and magnesium, that are found in your water that make it hard.
Your water softener tank is filled with resin beads. This portion of your softener is sealed and you can't access it. Your brine tank on the other hand will have a removable lid where you can easily see the level of water softener salt that you have so that you can add more salt when you need to.
Here’s how your water softener works.
5. The Water Softening Process
The following are the basic steps that your water softener will go through to change your hard water into soft water.
Step 1: Hard water from your inlet pipe flows into your water softener tank and down through your resin beads. These resin beads are made of porous plastic and are covered with molecules that are negatively charged.
Step 2: The negatively charged resin beads attract the positively charged minerals in your hard water. This process is very similar to a magnet attracting metal and is known as ion exchange.
Step 3: The minerals stick to the resin beads and stay trapped inside your water softener tank.
Step 4: Your water is now soft because the minerals that made it hard have been removed. The soft water flows out of your water softener into your pipes and is accessible for you to use when you turn on your tap.
Step 5: Over time, your resin beads will have attracted the maximum amount of minerals that they are able to hold onto and they won't be able to attract any more. They will need to be flushed clean.
Step 6: Your brine tank's job is to clean off your resin beads so that they can attract the positively charged minerals again. This process is known as the regeneration cycle.
A computer inside your water softener will keep track of how much water has flown through the resin tank and will begin a regeneration cycle when it is time for the beads to be cleaned.
Step 7: During the regeneration cycle, salty water from the brine tank enters the fill tube and travels into the softener tank. The salty water rinses off the minerals that are stuck to the resin beads.
This salty, mineral-filled water is then flushed out of the softener tank through the discharge hose.
Step 8: After this regeneration cycle is finished, your resin beads will now be ready to remove more minerals and Step 1 in this process can begin again.
To learn more about how a water softener works, you can watch the following video.
The salty water in your brine tank rinses off the minerals that are stuck to the resin beads
For Water Softener Repairs and Installation in the Kitchener-Waterloo Region - Trust WaterSmart
If you need water softener service in the Kitchener-Waterloo region, you can trust WaterSmart. We'd be happy to help you with any repair or service on any type of water softener you have, at a reasonable rate.
Our expert, experienced plumbers will come to your home, take a look at your system, and advise you about the best course of action.
Whenever possible, we will fix your existing unit, and if you need a replacement, we can advise you on what type of water softener would best meet your needs. We even offer help financing options.
