Scale and Iron stains are not only unappealing, but also hard on the lifespan of your appliances. Follow the questions in this article to troubleshoot your softener.
1. Is there water above the salt in your tank?
a. YES; visit our Excess Water in Tank article. If your tank harbors excess water, it is not recharging the filtration media properly - giving you hard water.
b. NO; continue to #2.
2. Check if your unit is metering water:
Hold the Program/Select button until '000' appears, then let go. Turn on a hot water faucet (leave it running). Are the '000' counting up?
a. YES; your system has been recharging, continue to #3.
b. NO; check that your unit is not bypassed (handle should be in out position). If the '000' still doesn't count, visit our Failure to Meter Water article for troubleshooting.
3. Has your unit been consuming salt?
a. YES; Run a recharge cycle (hold 'Recharge' for 3 seconds) and test a cold-water softened faucet after the recharge is over. Hardness test strips can be purchased at most hardware stores.
b. NO; visit our Salt Bridge article. If the salt is solidified in your tank, the softener will not be able to dissolve it properly in order to recharge the resin.