A water softener is an invaluable asset to have in your home if you don't want to deal with pipe corrosion issues a few years down the line. Even better, while a water softener can be fairly expensive to purchase and install, it isn't all that hard or complicated to refill and maintain the unit yourself. Just make sure you avoid these three pitfalls when you're putting more brine into your home's water softener tank.
Pouring It In So Fast That The Tank's Valve Assembly Starts Moving
The tank needs to be refilled with brine (otherwise known as salt water) periodically because the ionization process that extracts the minerals from your home's water requires a large amount of salt. You can buy some brine at your local hardware store or you can make it yourself by mixing ordinary table salt in a bucket of water. If you decide to make the brine yourself, make sure you follow the salt proportion recommended in the unit's manual.
When you pour the brine in, don't go so fast that the valve assembly (the part that pumps the brine into the main part of the unit) at the bottom of the tank starts moving up and down. Unnecessary movement here while there's no electrical power could cause damage to the valve.
Not Leaving Some Free Air At The Top Of The Tank
If you want your unit's tank to last a long time, it's important to not overfill it. Overfilling the tank will just put a whole lot of water pressure onto the lid. Over a prolonged period of time, this pressure will damage the lid's seal, making the brine you put in the tank vulnerable to evaporation.
So leave at least an inch or two of free air at the top of the tank when you're pouring the brine in. Use the front part of your thumb to measure out a length if you're not sure whether you've left enough space.
Not Testing The Unit For A Few Minutes With The Tank's Lid Uncovered
Once you've poured all the brine in, turn on the unit and check to make sure the valve is pumping the water consistently at a good clip. Also put your ear into the tank to make sure that no strange noises are coming out of the valve. If you notice anything abnormal, don't hesitate to call a professional to head off any further risk to the water softener's interior.
For more information, contact local professionals like Johnson Water Conditioning.
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