Water softener query

perc

Hi I have just moved into a house which has a water softener fitted. Not being to sure about these things I thought I would ask here if this is normal.

Currently the softener has very little if any salt in it. Once or twice a day for about 10 minutes it flushes water out. Is this normal operation or is this due to there being no salt in it?

My friend said that he doesnt think that his does this? Any ideas guys?

Moss5

http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/plumbing/other/otherplumbing.html#softeners

perc

Thanks do you know if they need cleaning internally as the one we have "inherited" is a little dusty/grimey inside, or does the water never come into contact internally?

Moss5

My softener is 19-years old.
Ten years ago, I took it into the garden and gave it a clean.
That disturbance caused a couple of leaks, so it has not moved since.
My water-quality was recently tested by Southern Water as part of their routine survey. No adverse report came back.
When you look inside your softener, you are only seeing the brine tank. Salt has its own impurities that may cause discolouration, but so long as mould is not developing, I would just add salt.
Specialist companies offer servicing and purification, if you prefer to pay for peace-of-mind.

Lord_Gardener

perc wrote:

Hi I have just moved into a house which has a water softener fitted. Not being to sure about these things I thought I would ask here if this is normal.

Currently the softener has very little if any salt in it. Once or twice a day for about 10 minutes it flushes water out. Is this normal operation or is this due to there being no salt in it?

My friend said that he doesnt think that his does this? Any ideas guys?

Yes, this is normal - we have ours set to regenerate at night but will regenerate earlier if we use more softened water than 'calculated' for each regeneration. The amount of softened water available before generation is dependant on model and hardness of incoming water - factory defaults are usually about 250ppm but ours is set at 400ppm (manually set) drought conditions have meant lot's of 'well water' being used! Have you got the manual for your softener? It will give you the advice you need! Ours has been in for 10 years now and find that mould will grow on the outside (cool damp conditions - condensation for cold incomming mains water) which is just wiped off. Internally has remained very clean just top up with salt on a regular basis and check filter (mains incomming ) on a yearly basis. NB the salt is very corrosive - spray hinges on cupboard doors with furniture polish to protect or they may sieze up (did on MILs and had to replace!)