# Water Softener - Need to Sanitize, Disinfect?



## artinall (Aug 14, 2007)

Our salt tank has a dirty dried residue around the inner tank.

The tank is held separate from the main unit.

Does it need to be cleaned out every so often or not? There is some clumping or bridging of the salt pile near the bottom which should probably be removed. 

Offhand not sure what type of salt we dump in there, only that it is around $18 a bag.

Have heard both ways.


----------



## GoodStuff (Nov 10, 2014)

I own 2 businesses. One is a contracting/remodeling business, the other is a water treatment company. I get asked this question quite often...

Salt is a natural commodity. It has impurities. The residue you are seeing is a natural component of the salt. It will not harm the water softener, and will not affect the effectiveness of the conditioner. That being said, I do recommend cleaning your salt brine every couple years. Run the system nearly out of salt, take a garden hose to the brine tank, and scrub the insides with a potato brush.

You do not need to use the $18/bag salt... Save your money and buy the $6/bag of rock salt for softeners from Lowes. If you have more questions about your system... I will try to help.

Good Luck!


----------



## artinall (Aug 14, 2007)

GoodStuff said:


> ... It will not harm the water softener, and will not affect the effectiveness of the conditioner. That being said, I do recommend cleaning your salt brine every couple years.


 Then why do you recommend cleaning it out?


----------



## GoodStuff (Nov 10, 2014)

The system you have treats the water coming into your home. The actual process is called ion exchange, and in the "cleaning" process, positively charged ions are swapped between the salt crystals and the incoming impurities in the water. The brine solution essentially "takes the charge off" the resin in the main system, allowing the system to backflush the impurities down the drain and clean the system. If you have dirty brine solution, the cleaning process will not be as thorough


----------



## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

Does it harm a softener to run it out of salt?


----------



## GovtContractor (Dec 4, 2014)

Correct me if I'm wrong Goodstuff. 

I've seen the problem with salt solidified in the brine tank and many times its due to the homeowner adding salt to often. You don't need that much salt in the brine tank. Knee high or lower is a good place to be. 

Check to make sure that the backwash cycle is working at the appropriate times. Not sure if you have a digital control or a timer, but there is a calculation to determine backwash cycle times. It escapes me now but maybe Goodstuff has one. 

It does take some figuring, i.e. water hardness, people in household, etc.


----------



## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

GovtContractor said:


> Correct me if I'm wrong Goodstuff.
> 
> I've seen the problem with salt solidified in the brine tank and many times its due to the homeowner adding salt to often. You don't need that much salt in the brine tank. Knee high or lower is a good place to be.
> 
> ...


If you're not suppose to fill the softener all the way then why do they make them the size they are? In other words why wouldn't they make them knee high if that's what they should be filled to?


----------



## GovtContractor (Dec 4, 2014)

That's a great question Californiadecks. But let's make sure we're talking about the same thing. I'm talking about the softener with a separate brine tank. Here's what I found. 

The amount of salt needed to properly recharge a softener.
3/4 cu.ft. resin = 6 - 9 lbs.
1 cu.ft. resin = 8 - 10 lbs.
1.5 cu.ft resin = 12 - 15 lbs.

An average residential system will use 6 - 12 lbs of salt per regeneration once a week.

The sacks at Lowe's and HD are like 40-50 pound bags and most people just dump the whole bag in and sometimes another one to top it off.


----------



## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

GovtContractor said:


> That's a great question Californiadecks. But let's make sure we're talking about the same thing. I'm talking about the softener with a separate brine tank. Here's what I found.
> 
> The amount of salt needed to properly recharge a softener.
> 3/4 cu.ft. resin = 6 - 9 lbs.
> ...


I have a separate brine tank on mine and the manufacturer suggests filling it.


----------



## Big Shoe (Jun 16, 2008)

Californiadecks said:


> If you're not suppose to fill the softener all the way then why do they make them the size they are? In other words why wouldn't they make them knee high if that's what they should be filled to?


Exactly............:clap:

To Artinall...........Can't see any harm in cleaning tank out. I have often thought about that too. But never have.


----------



## GovtContractor (Dec 4, 2014)

Wait until the salt solidifies and bridges. Then when you spend a weekend pounding out a solid mass of salt from your brine tank, a little voice in the back of your head will whisper......"knee high or lower." It has nothing to do with function, just that since you don't need that much and it's a HUGE PITA to remove it. Be glad you have a separate tank. I had a guy with a combo unit. Took all day to remove the salt.


----------



## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

GovtContractor said:


> Wait until the salt solidifies and bridges. Then when you spend a weekend pounding out a solid mass of salt from your brine tank, a little voice in the back of your head will whisper......"knee high or lower." It has nothing to do with function, just that since you don't need that much and it's a HUGE PITA to remove it. Be glad you have a separate tank. I had a guy with a combo unit. Took all day to remove the salt.


I've had a softener for many years and never had this bridging problem you speak of. I keep it topped of as well. Sometimes it gets low that's how I know it hasn't solidified.


----------



## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

My plumber told me solar salt makes for a cleaner tank. But hey he's a plumber not a chemist.


----------



## GoodStuff (Nov 10, 2014)

All the info on this thread so far is correct. A normal salt system uses 8-15 lbs of salt per regeneration and regenerates twice a week. There is no real need to have more salt in the system than 50 lbs. The reason we allow for a bigger salt tank (typically 200 lbs) is so that there is not the hassle of constantly filling the tank. 

The only problem with salt brine tanks is what is known as "bridging"... the sides of the salt act as stilts and the center of the salt is void. WHen this occurs, the water will not absorb enough salt to create an effective brine solution and the system will not clean itself. I normally tell my customers to use granulated salt products instead of pellets because the granulated type does not normally bridge, thereby allowing a person to fill the salt tank all the way and have no real concern for bridging issues. In all of this, I am assuming a system that is working properly and set for the family residing in the home.

Any system that is not working properly and regularly cleaning itself will have issues. On a sedimentary system, given enough time, moisture will melt the salt into a solid mass that, as somebody already pointed out, is a real PIA to get rid of.

On the subject of maintenance, your softener should be serviced at least every 2 years to have O-rings changed and check the internal functions of the equipment. This is just as important as changing the oil on your car. O-rings will harden over time and the piston can hang up in the cylinder, ruining your expensive set-up. Also, water changes over time, as does consumption needs, and a good service tech will set your system for your needs and requirements. If you have a drinking system, the filters in the drinking system need to be changed regularly or you will have bacteria in your drinking water.


----------



## tedanderson (May 19, 2010)

I had the bridging problem with the pellets but when I switched over to the 50 lb. blocks, I've been able to stack 200 lbs. into the container with no problems.


----------



## isopurewater (Dec 31, 2014)

It's definitely recommended to clean it out once in a while. The salt you buy at the store is usually called solar salt. It's basically where they throw water on the beach, let it evaporate, and collect the salt that is left behind. Of course, it's a little cleaner then I may have simplified but you get the idea. Salt will have impurities because of the way they collect the salt (unlike table salt). So yes, clean it out every once in a while. Clumping/Bridging can occur at the bottom and should be removed if you find them. Overtime, you'll notice them at the bottom. Although it does happen, it rarely clogs your brine well completely. 

If you bought salt that's around $18, it's most likely potassium chloride. It's 4x more expensive than your average sodium chloride. Basically, this salt is very good alternative if you are planning to water your plants and/or drink this straight up. If you don't, you can maybe save yourself some money and just buy sodium chlorine.


----------

