How Do You Know When a Water Softener Runs Low on Salt?

The salt system in your water softener’s brine tank is one of the most essential parts of softening water. It is the part of the device that is directly responsible for removing minerals from hard water. After the removal of the hard minerals in your softener, you get access to higher quality water that’s perfect for bathing, laundry and cleaning.

If you forget to add salt to your brine tank, your water softener may not operate at peak efficiency. You might even start to notice some of the signs of hard water popping up in your home again. It can be difficult, but it is recommended to make adding salt to your machine a weekly chore. Without enough salt to form a proper brine, you won’t get an effective recharge. Your system will produce hard water instead and obviously this isn’t the goal.

Homeowners will also have to fill up their water softener at different rates. Some people find that they need to refill the tank every few weeks, others will only need to refill every couple months. This comes down to the amount of water that you’re using and the quality of your water. An easy way to determine if you have enough salt in the system is to check how full your tank is.

In general you only need to fill your tank halfway, checking on the water salt level about once a week is usually all you’ll need to do to monitor your water softener.  You could also consider getting a salt monitor to get a perfect reading on your water softener and determine exactly when to refill it..

If you need assistance with refilling your water softener or you would like to learn more about water softener maintenance, contact us today!

This post was written by Kristian D’An, owner and water expert at Eco Water Solutions of Florida. They offer whole home water solutions such as softeners, whole home water filtration systems, and reverse osmosis systems. Their focus is to provide Floridians with safe and clean water throughout the home.