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If everything else is connected and working correctly, the brine tank overflow should never
come into play. The control head is designed to put a set amount of water in the tank, and
should that fail for some reason, the float assembly will prevent the tank from overfilling.
How much water should I add to the brine tank?
None. When installing and setting up the system you will run the system through a manual
regeneration to ensure everything is working correctly, and during this process the system
will fill the brine tank to the correct level.
Is there supposed to be water in the brine tank all the time?
Is the water level in the brine tank supposed to be over the salt?
The system puts water into the brine tank at the end of every regeneration so it has a chance
to dissolve the salt for the next cycle, so there will be water in the brine tank all the time. The
level of water in the brine tank will vary depending on system size, brine tank size, system
settings, and amount of salt in the tank, so it is not uncommon for water to be above the salt
level. As long as the water is not up to the overflow there is no problem.
How much salt should I put in the brine tank?
You can fill the brine tank with as much salt as it will hold up to the top of the brine well.
At a minimum there should be enough salt for the next regeneration, the amount needed
will vary depending on system size and settings, but a minimum of 1-2 bags of salt (40-80
pounds) will cover most systems.
How often do I need to add salt to the brine tank?
The rate at which you use salt will vary depending on system size, settings, water quality,
and water use. It is your choice to add salt frequently to keep the brine tank full or only add
salt when it starts to get low. Average homes will use 1-2 bags (40-80 pounds) of salt per
month. Homes with high hardness or high water usage can expect higher salt usage.
Can I used potassium chloride in my softener instead of regular salt pellets?
You can, however it is typically not recommended. Most people who want to use potassium
chloride are concerned about the salt it is putting in the water. For the average home the
amount of sodium in the water will add little to your overall sodium intake (a single slice of
regular bread will have 3-4 times as much sodium as a typical glass of softened water). If you
are on a sodium restrictive diet a reverse osmosis (RO) system will remove the sodium and
generally be less expensive than using potassium chloride. In most places potassium chloride
costs 3-4 times as much a standard salt pellets. In addition, it takes 30% more potassium to
regenerate to the same level as regular salt pellets.
If you have really high hardness that is causing salt buildup you can use potassium to help
mitigate the problem. If using potassium chloride you will need to either increase your brine
fill by 30% or decrease the system capacity by 30%.
