Help! I have a water softener problem.

[IndyMedic]

I'm reaching out here because there is always someone here that can help. You guys are awesome! Long story short my softener is using very little to no salt. I put salt in it last October and It doesn't look like it has used any. It is a Culligan with a resin tank and a separate brine tank. I regenerated it yesterday so I know it works. The timers are all set so I assume it automatically regenerates although it does it in the middle of the night so I don't know for sure. I checked for a salt bridge and did break up some salt, but I don't know where to go from there. I also should mention that neither my wife or I have noticed that our water is harder than it was.

I called Culligan yesterday hoping they could give me some help over the phone but they weren't helpful. They just wanted me to set up a service call.

So any advice? Any other troubleshooting tips? Have I done what I can myself? Thanks guys.

 

[copo]

Make sure its not being bypassed! Also check settings to see if there not set properly. Maybe look for a water hardness tester at hardware store to make sure its even working?

 

[IndyMedic]

I have made sure it is not bypassed, and checked the settings. I have not done a test kit yet I I guess that should be my next step.

Thanks

 

[SEIndSAM]

Are you sure your going all of the way to the bottom of the tank, there may be a lower salt dome. I would always stick a long broomstick in there and pound the heck out of it in multiple place.

 

[IndyMedic]

I went down 34 inches which is what is recommended in the manual. I feel like there are still solid spots but I can get to the bottom in many other places.

Would it be a waste of time removing all the salt?

 

[singlestacksig]

Check the setting for the current water hardness, it may not need to run very often... We only add salt to ours 3 or 4 times a year..

 

[Notalentbum]

There is usually a "pill" that controls the rate of water flow into and out of the brine tank. It will get a piece of foreign matter stuck in it and barely any water passes. This pill is usually located right by where the brine line goes into the head of the softener. There is usually some kind of cover plate that screws on and the pill and a small strainer screen is behind the cover. Most pills I have seen are about .357 caliber in diameter and maybe 1/8" thick, usually made of rubber. Pay attention to which way is comes out as one side is usually flat and the other is a concave radius.
Less than a 5 minute job once you know what you are looking at.
If you can, watch it while it is going through a regeneration to make sure it is pumping water into the brine tank and then drawing it out.

I'm not in the business but have worked on all my appliances over the years and the obstructed pill is something I have experienced several times in the last 30 years.

Matt