Soften Up: How to Clean Your Water Softener
By Ann Springer
Not every household has a water softening system, but they are common in areas where the tap water is hard. Depending on the layout of your home, your water softener may be located in the garage or near your HVAC system.
In order to keep your system in good working order, you should clean out the tank periodically, or at least every six to 12 months. Additionally, you should add salt pellets to the tank so you can’t see the several inches of water at the bottom of the tank. Depending on your water usage you may need to add more salt as often as once a month. When you begin using it you should check the salt level every week to gauge how quickly the salt is consumed by the system.
For bi-annual cleanings of the tank you should start by switching off the electrical power source to avoid possible risk of electrocution. Depending on how your system is attached you may also want to shut off your water main as well.
Next you should remove and discard any excess salt and water from the tank. You may want to dump it in a drain instead of a flower bed or lawn area because the acidity will likely kill off any living plants.
Scrub it out and then rinse the container and any parts of the system that are attached to remove any chunks of salt that could clog or erode your equipment. Put all of the parts back together and add four to six inches of water to the bottom of the tank before adding fresh salt into the system. If your system has a battery operated mechanism this would be a good time to change out the batteries as well.
To see other post about home maintenance click here.
