If your repair list includes the following, one of the first things you may want to tackle is installing a water softener is your home.

• Repairing dishwasher that no longer cleans dishes well
• Hiring a plumber to unclog pipes because of reduced water flow
• Fixing your washing machine due to clothing coming out gray, dingy and stiff

Installing a water softener provides a significant cost savings in several areas of the home. From extending the life of your water-using appliances and cutting cleaning time and effort in half to providing cleaner dishes and laundry and giving you softer skin and more manageable hair, water softeners benefit a household in many ways.

To find the right water softener for your home, check out our water softener buyers guide. Once you’ve found the right water softener, you can either choose to have someone install it for you or do it yourself. If the DIY option is your thing, we have some easy installation advice for you to make the process less daunting and have time to tackle the rest of your repair list.

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Water Softener Seasonal Maintenance Checklist

1. Check softener for any salt bridging
2. Clean the brine (salt) tank with a softener cleanser
3. Clean the venturi valve

How to keep your water softener system healthy

1. Use higher purity salts, which will leave less storage tank residue, lowering the likelihood of salt bridges and salt mushing. It will result in less maintenance.
2. Don’t add salt until almost all the salt in the tank is used up. Then refill the tank no more than two-thirds full.
3. Use an iron-out solution once a year to clean the resin bed and the parts in the control valve.
4. Clean the brine tank once a year.

Learn more about how your water softener works here.

By periodically giving your water softener system a seasonal maintenance checkup, you’ll keep it running smoothly. Take a closer look at what hard water costs you if your home is left untreated.

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Check inside the tank

Determine your salt level by lifting the cover of the brine tank and taking a peek inside. If the salt looks dry and the tank is less than half full, refill until it’s just over half full. Also, if the salt looks wet or the water level is above the salt, it’s time to fill the tank about half full.

Consider your softener’s age
The age of your water softener has a big impact on salt usage. If your softener is more than 10 years old, it may use more salt than a newer, more efficient system. Newer models also operate on a demand-initiated cycle and regenerate only when you need them to versus on a set schedule. The latest systems also have low salt indicators or even a remote monitoring alert to let you know you are running low on salt and help make water softener maintenance easy. Overall, because newer models are more efficient with salt use, they typically only need to have salt added every 6-8 weeks. However, it’s always a good idea to check regularly to make sure everything is working the way it should.

Avoid bridging
To ensure your softener is getting the salt it needs, inspect it every two to three months to make sure a salt bridge hasn’t formed You might suspect a salt bridge when the salt level in your tank does not appear to go down after months of use or when you notice you don’t have soft water. To avoid this issue, have your softener installed in a low humidity area when possible, use a high-quality salt and keep your brine tank no more than half-full with salt.

Wondering which type of salt is best for your softener? Consult your owner’s manual or learn more about the pros and cons of your various salt options.

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When it comes to water softeners, the selection and installation process can be a bit overwhelming. But with a few easy tips, savvy DIYers can solve their hard water problems easily and affordably. Here are a few key tips to keep in mind:

It all starts with research

• Learn your hard water number and assess your household’s water use to help determine the best solution for your home.
• Find out which tools you’ll need to successfully prepare for and install your water softener as well as any additional tubing or fittings.
• Purchase flex connectors to help the installation. They eliminate issues of mating pipes to the height of the softener inlet/outlet, reduce stress on pipes, and take less time than traditional soldering. Flex connectors are found at any home improvement store.
• Choose the appropriate salt pellets for your water softener. High-quality salts, like evaporated salt, which is the purest form of salt, will result in fewer maintenance problems over time. Additionally, for homes that are concerned with clear water iron in their water supply, salt pellets are available that include a rust remover component.

Preparing for the installation

• Select the right location for the water softener. The best spots are level and dry, have at least 10 feet of piping between the softener and the water heater and are near the main water line, a drain and an electrical outlet.
• If installing outside, ensure your softener will be protected from the elements (rain, freezing temperatures, direct sunlight)
• Create and follow a detailed checklist to ensure you don’t miss key steps during installation.

Installation checklist

• Turn off the water supply at the main.
• Drain the water lines by turning on a faucet at the highest and lowest points in the house.
• Make sure that the incoming water connects to the inlet on the valve and that the outlet on the valve connects to the water supply going into the house. (Note: Many homes have a cold water supply line that branches off the main to supply outdoor hose connections. This water should not be softened.)
• Optionally, install a remote bypass that lets you shut off the water going to the softener.
• Make the proper connections by making hard connections to the water supply lines or by using flexible connectors and connect any drain lines.
• Fill the brine tank half-full with salt.
• Slowly turn the water back on at the main and ensure the bypass valve is shut.

Start-up and maintenance

• Enter your home’s preferred regeneration settings (based on the number of people in your home and the average water use).
• Complete an initial manual regeneration to get the process started.
• Monitor salt levels and conduct routine maintenance.
• Upgraded to a new model? Call your local garbage company for guaranteed pickup of the old softener.

Whether you’re at the beginning of your water softener search or simply in maintenance mode, these are easy tips for every stage of the DIY process. However, if you would like to make sure that you have everything installed properly, contact one of our dealers for a free in-home assessment.

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• Location, location, location. When scouting for your water softener’s location, one of the key requirements is that it be close to the main water line. This will ensure all water for daily household use gets directed to the softener for treatment before it flows through your taps, showerheads and pipes.Keep in mind that softened water is not ideal for outside use (like watering plants) so it’s important that the softener be connected at a place that won’t be plumbed externally.

• Drain nearby. Another necessity is locating your water softener near a drain. This will facilitate easy disposal of the brine solution after regeneration. (Regeneration is the process that washes the resin beads with a highly concentrated brine solution. Since the beads act as a sponge and absorb the hardness minerals from your water, they eventually get “full” and need to be cleaned. After regeneration, the resin is able to soften water again.)
• Important extras. The location should be level and dry and near an outlet so it can be plugged in. Additionally, there should be at least 10 feet of piping between your water heater and water softener. This distance will prevent the possibility of hot water migrating backward into the softener during its regeneration cycle. If hot water gets into your softener, it could damage some of the tubing inside.

Depending on the style of your house and where you live, finding the perfect place for your water softener may be a breeze or it may require a little extra investigation. With these key elements in mind, you’ll be able to select the best spot and get your softener installed in no time.

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Getting to know hard water

A discussion around hard water can get a bit technical. From mathematical conversions to multiple zeroes, there can be a lot going on. Here’s a look at the numbers you’ll most likely see and what they mean:

• One grain per gallon (gpg) is equivalent to 17.14 parts per million (ppm). Water hardness can be measured in gpg or ppm, but gpg is the most commonly used measurement.
• 20,000–80,000: This range signifies the grain capacity of most water softeners available on the market. Depending on your water hardness number, daily water use and the number of people in the home, you may need a smaller—or larger—grain capacity softener. Find out which capacity you need here.

Testing your water

After successfully testing your water to find out your hardness number, your result will fall somewhere on the hardness scale. Once you test your water and get your number, see where your water falls using the guide below:

• 0–3: If your hard water test strip indicates that your water is between 0–3 gpg, your water doesn’t require softening.
• 3–7: Water between 3–7 gpg is moderately hard, causing spotty dishes and dry skin.
• 7–11: Hard water is packed with minerals at 7–11 gpg, and you likely deal with crusty faucets and pipes and possibly reddish rings on your porcelain from excess iron.
• 11–15: Considered very hard, water at 11–15 gpg exhibits all the signs of hard water all the time.
• 15+: Extremely hard water is anything over 15 gpg. Glasses are extra spotty, skin feels super squeaky, and soap scum is at its most stubborn. And if you’re on well water, you may also be seeing other problem water signs such as iron stains.

Water softener–specific numbers

Here are some important numbers to know now that you’ve installed a water softener in your home:

• 5–10 Days: On average, you can expect your water softener to regenerate every 5–10 days. This depends on whether you have a time- or demand-initiated water softener, your home’s water use and the grain capacity of the softener.
• 6–8 Bags: Demand-initiated water softeners, which only regenerate when needed, are extremely efficient, so you’ll probably only need to add one 40-pound bag of salt to your softener every 6–8 weeks.
• $4 per Year: The approximate cost to power a high-efficiency water softener over the course of one year.

From the big-picture numbers to the figures associated with a softener once it’s in the home, it seems like there’s a lot learn. With this easy reference, you’ll be a hard water numbers pro in no time.

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Avoid salt bridges and salt mushing
A salt bridge occurs when a hard crust forms in the brine tank and creates an empty space between the water and the salt, preventing the salt from dissolving into the water to make brine. Without the brine, the resin beads that soften your water can’t do their job. Common causes of bridging include high humidity, temperature changes around the water softener or using the wrong kind of salt. You may have a salt bridge if your salt tank appears full but you know your water isn’t soft. The quickest way to test for a salt bridge is to take a broom handle and carefully push on the top of the salt, using a little bit of pressure to break it up if it has solidified.

Salt mushing is the more serious of the two problems and happens when dissolved salt recrystallizes and forms a sludge on the bottom of the brine tank. This thick layer of salt keeps the water softener from properly cycling through the regeneration process, leaving your water hard and creating a serious blockage in the tank. If you test for a salt bridge but it doesn’t break up when pushing on it, salt mushing is probably the cause. Draining the softener of its water, digging out all the old salt and replacing it with fresh salt is the only way to fix this problem.

To avoid these salt snafus, opt for high-quality salt pellets, which greatly reduce the potential for any problems—especially salt mushing. Additionally, don’t overfill your brine tank with salt. Keeping it half-full prevents older salt from sticking to the walls of the tank. Finally, it’s important to manage the humidity level around your water softener. If it’s too humid, condensation can occur in the brine tank, causing the salt to bond together and bridge.

Be selective with your salt choice
There are three basic types of water softener salt: rock, solar and evaporated. Rock salt, the least expensive, contains higher levels of insoluble minerals or impurities. Over time, this can result in a muddy tank, decreasing the softening efficiency while leaving impurities in your water. Solar salt, which is much more soluble than rock salt, is obtained by the evaporation of seawater and is found in both pellet and crystal form. The best option is evaporated salt, which is obtained through a combination of mining and evaporation. This is the purest form of salt at 99.99% sodium chloride.

In general, look for higher purity salts, which will leave less storage tank residue, lowering the likelihood of salt bridges and salt mushing, and will result in less maintenance. High-quality salts—and salts in pellet form—help eliminate bridging problems. Additionally, many leading brands also offer salt products that address specific issues, such as high iron concentration, rust stains and sodium alternatives.

Resin bed cleaner
Even though your resin beads are routinely recharged by salt, it doesn’t hurt to flush the resin bed every few months with a water softener cleaner to keep it in top form. Over time, a water softener can become polluted with iron, silt, heavy metals and other organic compounds that cause your softener to lose its efficiency. To reduce the incidence of ineffective resin, simply pour the manufacturer’s recommended amount of water softener cleaner down the brine well and regenerate the system manually. The cleaner is then discharged during the normal flushing process of the water softening cycle. This action keeps the resin “clean” and able to absorb as much calcium and magnesium as possible throughout its lifespan.

Clean the venturi valve
The venturi and nozzle create the suction to move brine from the brine tank into the resin tank during the regeneration cycle. Because of this, the venturi valve sometimes gets plugged with sand, sediment and dirt, so a clean valve is imperative for the water softener to work properly. Simply unscrew the valve cover (don’t worry, there are no special tools required) and remove the internal parts, giving them all a good cleaning in soapy water. This process should be done twice a year to keep the water softening process smooth and efficient.

By periodically giving your water softener a checkup, you’ll keep it running smoothly. Take a closer look at what hard water costs you if your home is left untreated.

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