Why Is My Water Softener Draining NON-STOP? HELP!

UPDATED: July 23, 2022

You have heard your water softener operating many times before, but it always regenerated at night. Now it is the middle of the day and you have heard water draining from your water softener since early this morning. Why is my water softener always draining?

Water continuously draining from a water softener is due to the main piston not advancing from the regeneration process, the main piston seals leaking water to the drain, or a valve in the control head not opening or closing properly.

A water softener does not know if the water is running through it continuously. So when a part fails to operate correctly or a water seal is no longer stopping the water flow, water can continuously drain through the water softener until you identify the problem and get it fixed.

Common causes of why your water softener is draining constantly.

There can be many reasons why water continues to drain from your water softener after it should have shut off.

Because a water softener uses water to regenerate its water softener resin and discharge the hardness down the drain, if it gets stuck in the backwash position or a seal does not hold, the water will not stop flowing.

Many times the reason that the water continues to flow through a water softener is basically the same on most water softeners so let’s check these common situations first.

Is your water softener just operating at the wrong time?

A water softener is usually programmed to regenerate when water usage is at its lowest. In most cases, this will be in the middle of the night.

For the most part, most people rarely hear their water softener regenerate at all!

So if your water softener is regenerating during the day, you may hear the water draining just because the system is operating at a time when you are able to hear it, and there may be nothing wrong with the system at all other than the clock needs to be re-set.

Resetting the clock on most water softeners is as easy as resetting the digital clock on your night table, but each brand of a water softener is slightly different so check your owner’s manual to find out how to properly set your water softeners clock.

Did you have a loss of power to the system (the water softener is stuck in the regeneration cycle)?

Most water softeners operate using a computer to tell the water softener which cycle to go to, and when to stop a cycle.

If the power to your home is interrupted in the middle of the regeneration process, your water softener will have no way to know that it should no longer be using water.

When this happens, your water softener may continue to drain water until power is restored to the computer, or the system is put into bypass mode so that no water will go through the unit at all.

Check that there is electrical power to the water softeners’ electrical outlet.

If your water softener is always draining and you find that the computer display is blank, there may not be any power getting to the system.

You can easily check to see if there is electrical power to a water softener’s electrical outlet by plugging in an electrical appliance that you already know is working correctly.

Try a lamp, fan, or a radio that you have already plugged into another outlet so that you are sure that it works, then try it in the outlet that your water softener gets plugged into.

If the lamp, fan, or radio works when you plug it into the water softener’s outlet, then we know that the power interruption is not from the electrical system of your home and must be in the water softener’s power cord or in the computer that operates the water softener.

Make sure that the electrical outlet is not controlled by a switch.

This doesn’t happen very often, but sometimes the electrical outlet that the water softener is plugged into can be shut off by an ordinary light switch.

If you are new to your home or have someone in your home that may not know to leave the switch to the water softener outlet on, it could have been switched off while the water softener was regenerating.

If this happens, the water softener will continue to drain water until the switch is turned back on and the computer tells the system to continue to the next regeneration cycle.

To test if the outlet is controlled by a nearby switch, plug in a lamp or other electrical device into the outlet and then shut off all of the nearby switches.

If the lamp stays on, then the electrical outlet is not controlled by any of the switches that you checked.

The electrical ballast may have gone bad.

If you have already checked that the electrical outlet is working properly, the next thing that you should check would be the electrical ballast or power cord to the water softener.

Using a standard electrical meter, you can check to see if there is electricity getting to your water softener through the power supply but if you are not comfortable with electricity, leave this to your water treatment professional.

It might be a computer malfunction.

A computer like any other electronic device does not last forever and can occasionally malfunction.

Loss of power to the computer of your water softener will mean that the water softener will not change from whatever it is doing at the time of the power loss. So if the water softener is regenerating when the computer losses power, it will continue to regenerate.

A power surge or spike can cause the computer to fail or lose the proper programming that controls how long it is supposed to regenerate. This could make your water softener regenerate more often than it needs to so you may think that it constantly regenerating.

Your Timer/Drive motor could no longer be functioning.

On most water softeners, a small electric motor is used to advance the internal piston of the control valve that moves from position to position to control the flow of water through the valve to perform the different cycles that are required for the regeneration process.

This electric drive motor will normally work just fine for many years but an electrical surge can cause the motor to short out.

Also, if the piston does not move smoothly due to iron or hard water build-up, the motor might have to work extra hard to change the piston position and therefore, the motor could burn out from being overworked.

When the Timer/Drive motor stops functioning, your water softener will remain in whatever function it is in when the motor stops working and if your water softener is regenerating and running water down the drain when this happens, it will not stop draining water until it is bypassed or the Timer/Drive motor is replaced.

The seals on your water softeners’ main piston may be failing.

Most standard water softeners use a cylindrical piston to channel water flow through the control valve through different openings to perform the cycles needed for the regeneration process.

This is a heavy-duty piston with heavy-duty watertight seals circling around it to control the water flowing past it. But eventually, these seals will no longer be watertight and allow water to flow through to channels that it should not get to.

If these seals allow water to flow to the drain channel of the water softener control valve when it should not be, the water will continue to run down the drain.

Your control valve main piston may have seized.

The channel that the main piston moves back and forth in has to fit around the piston very snuggly in order for it to create a watertight fit. Because it is such a tight fit, build-up of iron or other minerals in the channel or on the piston seals can cause the piston to jam or in other words, get stuck.

This tends to happen most often when the water softener is in regeneration because this is when the piston is in a position where there will be a build-up and not in the in-service position where the piston is in a spot that does not have water running over it.

Valve seals do not seal in a water softener that does not use a piston.

Not all water softeners use a single piston to control water flow through their valve.

Non-electric and some electric water softeners use valves that open and close to control the water flow for the regeneration cycles.

These valves can get worn or disfigured over time which will cause them not to create a sufficient seal to block water from passing through the valve.

On the flip-side, sometimes these valves can stick causing them not to open which can mean another valve will not be able to close.

Either way, a sticking valve in a water softener control valve can make the system stay in regeneration which means that it will continue to drain water until the unit is bypassed or the water is shut off.

The water pressure in your home could be too high.

Generally, water pressure from a well will not be a problem for a water softener valve, but in some cases, the water pressure from a municipal water source can be so high that it causes the water to seep past water seals.

If a water seal can no longer hold back the high water pressure from a municipal water source, the water will get past the valve and continue running down the drain.

Why is my Hague/Waterboss/Aqumaster water softener continuously running to drain?

Many of these brands of water softeners use the same type of control valve so the reasons why they are always draining will normally be the same.

Is your computer mounted properly on your water softener?

The small square computer that is used for these water softeners has to be mounted properly in order for it to advance the cycles of the water softener.

If the computer is not in the correct position and snapped properly in place, the computer may not know when to advance the regeneration piston to end the regeneration process.

The computer should slide onto the mounting tabs and then you should hear a “CLICK” when the computer has been mounted correctly. Make sure that the computer is in both tabs before pressing it all the way in.

You may have a defective sensor disc magnet.

The computer of these types of water softeners detects a small magnet that is on the regeneration wheel just below the computer to know where the system is in the regeneration process.

If this magnet loses its magnetic charge or gets corroded to the point where the computer does not register it, the computer will leave the water softener in regeneration and water will continue to flow out of the system and down the drain.

The regeneration wheel is easily replaced if this were to happen and you can scrape off any corrosion build-up that might be causing the computer to not register the magnet.

Why is my Kinetico water softener continuously draining water?

A Kinetico water softener works very differently than a standard water softener.

The Kinetico control valve uses a series of pistons, turbines, and gears to meter your water usage and trigger the water softener to regenerate.

A Kinetico water softener also uses these gears and pistons to control the regeneration cycles of the system.

This means, if some of these gears don’t spin freely due to a tiny spec of dirt, they won’t make the water softener move to the next regeneration cycle or stop the regeneration cycle when it is done.

The same general problem can occur if the valves of the control vale do not seat properly or if they stick. The water softener will not be able to advance the cycle or end the regeneration process so the water softener will continue to use and discharge water.

The Kinetico water valve is a very delicate and intricate mechanism, and I do not recommend trying to work on it yourself unless you have a basic understanding of how they work.

Why is my Water Right/Water Care water softener continuously draining?

Water Right/Water Care water softeners use a very reliable Clack valve that works like a standard water softener valve but in my opinion, the Clack valve and its internal parts are more rugged and durable than most water softeners valves.

But the seals that surround the main piston can still wear and leak water through. Other than the loss of electricity, this is the most common reason that a Water Right/Water Care water softener will continuously run water to the drain.

Although you can replace the piston and seal pack on a Clack valve yourself, it can be a little tricky so you may want to contact your water treatment professional to make sure that it is done correctly.

Why is my Fleck water softener continuously draining?

A Fleck water softener valve works very much like any standard water softener valve and will generally only drain water non-stop when it has lost power to the system or if the main piston seals have worn to the point where they no longer create a watertight seal.

Unlike a Clack valve, a Fleck main piston and seals are not very difficult to replace for the average homeowner.

You just need to remove a few screws, then pull out the old piston and seals, apply lubricant to the new Fleck piston and seals, and then slowly insert the new seals and then the new piston.

Whirlpool/GE/Kenmore water softener continuously draining.

A Whirlpool/GE/Kenmore water softener will rarely get stuck draining water unless there has been a power outage or if the main piston has seized.

You can get a new power cord or computer if they end up going bad due to a power surge, but because the internal parts of a Whirlpool/GE/Kenmore water softener are not easily accessible, if they are causing your water softener to be always draining, there is not much that can be done except for getting a new water softener.

Are you sure that it is the water softener that is draining?

Many people hear water running and immediately think that it must be the water softener. There are many things in a home that uses water and therefore will create a water-draining noise.

Dishwashers, washing machines, dehumidifiers, and other devices in the home may be draining water down the same drainpipe as your water softener.

Check that all of the other appliances that use water in your home are not draining water first before calling a service person to check on your water softener.

How long should my water softener be regenerating?

The length of a water softener regeneration will vary from brand to brand and model to model.

How long your water softener will operate also depend on the characteristics of your water and how long your water softener will need to regenerate in order to properly treat your water.

A very efficient water softener treating water with minimal hardness may regenerate for as little as 20 minutes. But a less efficient water softener treating very hard water with iron in the water may need to regenerate for up to 120 minutes.

What to do when your water softener won’t stop draining.

First of all, don’t panic. Yes, there is water flowing through your water softener, and it won’t stop.

Nearly all water softeners have a valve to bypass the water away from going through the water softener while still letting the water go into your home.

Most water softeners can be bypassed by turning a lever or knob, pushing a piston button from one side to another, turning two knobs a quarter turn, or turning three levers one-quarter turn.

See your water softener owner’s manual to determine which kind of bypass your water softener uses and follow the instructions to bypass your water softener if you find that it is always running.

Should I unplug my water softener if it won’t stop running?

Unplugging a water softener will not stop its regeneration process! Unplugging a water softener will simply let it continue doing whatever it is doing when you unplug it.

If your water softener is in the middle of the regeneration process and you unplug it, it will continue to regenerate until it completes its regeneration process, it is bypassed, or the water going to it stops.

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A water softener regeneration process may take up to 120 minutes for a standard water softener, but if you find that your water softener has been draining water for several hours, bypass the system until you can determine why, or you have a professional service technician diagnosing the problem.