24
Salt
Water
CAUTION
Liquid brine will irritate eyes, skin, and open wounds.
Gently wash the exposed area with fresh water. Keep
children away from your water softener.
ADDING SALT TO THE BRINE TANK
Use only clean salt labeled for water softener use, such as crystal, pellet, nugget, or button. The use of natural rock salt is discouraged because it
contains insoluble silt and sand which buildup in the brine tank and cause problems with the system’s operation.
Put 40 kg [80 to 100 lbs] of water softener salt into the brine tank.
Add the salt directly to the tank, filling it no higher than the top of the brine well. Do NOT overfill the salt tank as the additional weight of salt
adds to the potential for salt bridging due to compaction.
Check the salt level regularly. Remove the lid from the cabinet or brine tank. Ensure that the salt level is above the brine water level.
NOTICE
Incorrect start-up, water above the salt level – not enough salt in tank
– will affect the unit’s capacity and result in hardness slippage. Should
either of these situations happen, or the unit fails to regenerate for any
other reason, correct the problem first, then regenerate the unit manually.
Regenerate two times in a row to restore the reserve capacity and bring the
media bed back up to specification.
NOTE
The salt level should always be
above the water level.
SALT BRIDGING
Humidity or poor-quality salt may create a cavity between the water and the salt. This action, known as
‘bridging’, prevents the brine solution from being made, and prevents your water from being conditioned.
If you suspect salt bridging because of a lack of soft water or salt is NOT being consumed, use a rubber
mallet to pound on the outside of the plastic brine tank or pour some warm water around the inside edges
of the salt tank to break up the bridging. Allow four (4) hours to produce a brine solution, then manually
regenerate the softener. This should always be followed by allowing the unit to use up any remaining salt
and then thoroughly cleaning out the brine tank.
CLEANING OF YOUR BRINE OR SALT TANK
Salt tanks will build up sludge (undissolved salt) in the bottom that increases over
time. Every 2 – 3 years the salt tank(s) should be cleaned out and restarted using
the original start-up instructions.
SYSTEM MAINTENANCE
(CONTINUED)
