You hear you’re water softener regenerating and remember that you meant to add salt to the brine tank. Is it too late to add salt, can you add salt to a water softener while it is running?
You can add salt to a water softener while it is running (regenerating) but the salt added may not be able to create the brine needed to regenerate the water softener resin if it does not have enough time to dissolve.
Adding salt to a running (regenerating) water softener is perfectly fine. If there is some salt in the water softener already, there is no need to add salt while the water softener is running and it is ok to wait until the water softener has finished running before adding salt to it.
Here’s What We Will Be Covering!
- Is It OK To Add Salt To A Water Softener While It Is Regenerating?
- Is It Too Late To Add Salt To A Water Softener If It Is Regenerating?
- Can Adding Salt To My Water Softener While It Is Running Damage It?
- Will Salt Work Right Away If I Add It To My Water Softener While It Is Running?
- How Long Does Salt Need To Sit In A Water Softener Brine Tank To Work?
- Should I Wait Until My Water Softener Stops Running Before Adding Salt?
Is It OK To Add Salt To A Water Softener While It Is Regenerating?
Salt added to a water softener while the water softener is already regenerating will not have enough time to dissolve and create a brine which is what a water softener needs to regenerate the water softener resin.
So adding salt to a water softener while it is already running will have little effect on the water softener softening your water but adding salt to a water softener that has no salt in it can stir up dirt that is in the bottom of the brine tank which could get drawn into the water softener.
Dirt or debris that has settled to the bottom of a water softener brine tank can get lodged in openings and seals in your water softener control valve causing wear and tear to the water softener parts and causing the water softener to fail.
Generally, if your water softener is running with no salt in the brine tank, you should wait until the water softener has stopped regenerating before adding salt to the brine tank to prevent damage to the water softener.
After the water softener has finished regenerating you can safely add salt to it, wait a few hours for the salt to create a brine, and then manually regenerate the water softener.
Is It Too Late To Add Salt To A Water Softener If It Is Regenerating?
It depends on when your water softener uses brine in its regeneration process.
Some water softeners that use a “Dry” brine tank regeneration process only add water to the brine tank a few hours before the water softener will need brine to regenerate its water softener resin.
This means that it would be perfectly fine to add salt to your water softener at the very beginning of the regeneration process because the water softener will not be using brine from the brine tank for several hours.
More standard water softeners add water at the end of the regeneration process and then use the brine created very early on in the regeneration process which means that adding salt to the brine tank after the water softener is already running will be ineffective because there will not be enough time for the salt to dissolve and create a brine solution.
See my article about What Happens When A Water Softener Runs Out Of Salt
Can Adding Salt To My Water Softener While It Is Running Damage It?
Adding salt to a water softener while the water softener is running should not cause any damage to the water softener but the dirt that has settled in the brine tank can get stirred up when adding salt to an empty brine tank that only contains water.
This dirt can get drawn into the water softener control valve and damage the internal parts of the valve. Dirt being drawn into the water softener resin tank can also get lodged between the water softener resin beads and cause water flow restriction through the water softener resin.
Will Salt Work Right Away If I Add It To My Water Softener While It Is Running?
When you add salt to a water softener brine tank that has only water in it, it will take several hours before enough of the salt is dissolved to create a strong brine solution.
Any salt that is added to a water softener while it is running may not have enough time to dissolve and create a strong brine solution.
Read more: Should I Regenerate My Water Softener After Adding Salt?
How Long Does Salt Need To Sit In A Water Softener Brine Tank To Work?
The size of the salt crystals or pellets along with the temperature of the water in the brine tank can have a significant effect on how long new salt will take to dissolve and create a brine,
It is commonly recommended for salt to sit in a water softener brine tank for at least 4 hours to create a strong enough brine solution to efficiently regenerate standard water softener resin.
Should I Wait Until My Water Softener Stops Running Before Adding Salt?
I usually recommend that you should wait until your water softener has finished its regeneration process before adding salt to the brine tank.
If you notice that you are getting hard water from your water softener because there was no salt in the brine tank while it was regenerating, add a few bags of water softener salt, wait at least 4 hours, and then manually regenerate your water softener.
Once your water softener has finished regenerating, it should begin to provide you with soft water.
To Sum Up!
If your water softener is low on salt, you can add salt to the water softener while it is running.
If your water softener has completely run out of salt, you should wait until the water softener has finished its regeneration process before adding salt to the brine tank.
If your water softener brine tank is full of water, you can add salt to your brine tank while it is regenerating but your water softener may need to be serviced.
