Congratulations on your purchase, and welcome to the Rheem Water Softening family! Read on to learn about how your softener works, and what you can do to help extend the life of your new system.
Click on each question below to view answers.
How does my water softener work?
Your water softener is designed to supply you with consistent soft water. It does this by performing automatic regeneration cycles (also known as recharges) based on your household’s water use and incoming water quality. These recharges are like cleaning cycles and use salt water to regenerate the resin and rinse out contaminants and debris from your unit. The frequency of regenerations will change based on the two factors above (water quality and use), but on average the process happens every 4-9 days.
Regeneration cycles last for approx. two hours and use about as much water as a laundry machine. The amount of salt used will depend on the size of regeneration. Manual regenerations use the maximum salt dose (10+ lbs. in some cases). To achieve the highest efficiency, let your softener regenerate automatically.
How much water should I see in the tank?
There should always be about 2-4 inches of water in the bottom of your salt tank. During the regeneration, you should expect to see the water level rise and fall. When the system isn't regenerating, the water should remain under your salt level. Sometimes it can be hard to tell where the water is sitting, so you can check this by looking down your brinewell (tubing inside with numbers 1-8 on it).
What do I need to do to help my softener run smoothly?
- Add salt into the tank as necessary, checking every few weeks to make sure the level doesn't drop below 1/4 full. We recommend a few different types of salt, but pellet and crystal water softening salt are the most common.
- Check for bridging - every few months, you'll want to press a rounded-end tool into the salt in a few places to confirm the salt is still loose and movable. Bridging can happen when the salt sits idle for too long, or if the tank is filled over 1/2 full with salt.
- Use a cleanser - liquid cleansers help keep the resin in your system free of debris, iron, and scale buildup.
- Perform annual cleaning - there are a few spots on your softener that require some extra care every year or so. This cleaning is easy, quick, and does not require any tools. For complete steps, see our Routine Maintenance article.
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