If your local water supply has high calcium or iron levels, a softener can preserve your clothes, prevent appliance malfunctions, and make your food taste better. High-quality water softeners will work for years with very little maintenance, but occasional inspections and cleaning will increase their effectiveness and extend their lifespan. Below are a few tasks to complete every month if you have a water softener in your home.

3 Water Softener Maintenance Tips

1. Check the Salt Levels

Most water softeners consist of one tank filled with resin beads and another containing special salts. These concentrated salts restore the positive charge of the resin beads, so you need to check the supply every month and refill the tank if the level falls below the line specified by the manufacturer.

2. Professionally Clean the Brine Tank

Cleaning out and replacing the salt once a year will keep your water softener working at peak efficiency. Start by calling a professional, to schedule maintenance.  A professional will turn the softener off, scoop out as much of the salt as possible, and remove the rest with a shop vac. Finally, they will refill the tank with the amount of salt specified by the manufacturer and turn the unit back on.

3. Break Up Salt Bridges

Sometimes, salt crystals can form a solid layer near the top that inhibits the mixture of water and salt. Fortunately, these salt bridges can usually be broken up with a broom or long rod without draining the tank. If the bridge is too hard to break, try pouring hot water over the top before attempting to dislodge it again.

If hard water is ruining your clothes or giving your morning coffee a strange taste, Kandi Water Conditioning, Inc. can fix that. Since 1995, they’ve provided homeowners throughout Minnesota’s Kandiyohi County with expert service and the best water softeners on the market. Learn more about how they can make maintaining your softener easier online, get additional tips and updates by visiting their Facebook page, or call (320) 796-6020 to schedule a salt delivery today.