You check your water softener salt tank level regularly, and you notice that it seems to be at the same level as it was the last time you checked it. You have been using the same amount of water but your softener tank’s salt hasn’t budged. What’s Wrong?
Salt not going down in a water softener is often due to a salt bridge, the water softener is bypassed, a clogged brine injector, a blocked drain line, the system is not metering your water, or the water softener not regenerating due to a broken part inside of the valve.
Just because the salt in your water softener’s brine tank is not going down doesn’t necessarily mean that an expensive service call is needed. Check these common reasons why your salt may not be going down first, and maybe save yourself some money.
Chances are, there is nothing seriously wrong with your system at all.
A water softener suddenly not using salt is often due to a salt bridge that has been created in the salt tank itself, it may have something clogging the injector, a loose-fitting on either end of the brine line could be allowing air into the line, a blockage in the drain line or perhaps the system is not acknowledging your water usage.
In most cases, you can fix these problems or they can be resolved with a simple service call from your local water softener service professional.
In the worst-case scenario, there may be a broken part, a burned-out motor, or seized piston that needs to be replaced.
But I have found that in 9 out of 10 cases, the reason that the salt in your water softener is not going down is a simple fix that you can most likely do yourself.
Some causes of why your water softener salt is not going down.
| Possible Cause | What to check | How to fix |
|---|---|---|
| Salt Bridge | Check for a hollow void by tapping on the side of the brine tank. | Break up the salt bridge with a wooden broom handle so the salt drops to the bottom of the tank. |
| The Water softener is bypassed | Bypass valves or knobs may be in the “Bypass” position. | Turn bypass valve, knob, dial, or lever to “Service” position. |
| Clogged injector | Dirt or build-up in the injector. | Clean or replace brine injector. |
| Restricted drain line | Kink or other blockage preventing water flow through the drain line. | Straighten drain line or clear blockage so water can drain freely |
| Not metering water | The system may be bypassed or meter turbine seized. | Put water softener into “Service” position. Clear debris from the turbine. |
| No power | No lights/display or sound from your electric water softener. | Make sure the system is plugged in and the electrical outlet is working. |
| Seized piston | Water softener continuously draining, clicking noise. | Replace piston and seals. |
Your water softener will stop using salt if it has been bypassed.
If anyone has been doing any plumbing or you have had any work done recently that may have anything to do with water, be sure that the system has not been put on bypass.
A softener should have a bypass that is where the system meets the plumbing. Some systems use a slider type bypass, this bypass gets pushed to the left or right and there should be writing on it as to which way it should be pushed for the system to be in service.
Other systems may have a lever that turns a quarter turn to bypass it, a dial that turns to bypass, or perhaps a rotating lever that turns from a service position to a bypass position, or many newer systems have two knobs that each turn one quarter turn to bypass the system.
Your water softener may have a salt bridge.
A salt bridge occurs when the salt at the bottom of the brine tank gets used up but the salt above it does not drop down to be used for the next regeneration.
Think of it as being like an igloo made of salt. There is a dome of salt with no salt on the bottom.
A salt bridge is relatively easy to fix.
Take a hammer or other blunt instrument and hit the top of the salt repeatedly until you are able to break it up and it drops to the bottom of the tank. I recommend hitting it many times with softer blows rather than hitting it hard and possibly damaging the brine tank or brine float chamber.
If the salt does not drop after a few attempts to break it up, we might not have a salt bridge.
If you can, scoop salt out of the tank from the center and try to dig down until you have reached down to one quarter up from the bottom of the tank. If you have not found any salt bridge by this point, it is pretty safe to say that a salt bridge is not the issue.
If you do find that there was a salt bridge and you have now broken it up enough for it to have dropped down into the water at the bottom, lightly break off any salt leftover on the sides of the tank and use some warm water to clean the sides of the tank.
Some hints to help prevent getting a salt bridge.
Be sure to use salt that has been rinsed of extra dirt and debris.
Salt bridges happen when the salt crystals bond to each other, usually because of water dissolving a small amount of the salt between the pieces of salt and then becoming solid again.
- High humidity can often encourage this to happen, so if your water softener is in a humid area, some ventilation will help reduce the humidity and a dehumidifier will help even more.
- While most name brand water softener salt has been separated into evenly sized pieces and rinsed well, cheaper, not as well processed salts will have irregular sized pieces in them and more debris in them, making it easier for them to wedge together and start the forming of a salt bridge.
- Lastly, don’t overfill the salt tank, the more salt you put into the tank, the more chance there is of bridging. Never let the salt level get below one-quarter tank, and don’t fill the tank more than three-quarters full. This will greatly reduce the chance of bridging.
Check the salt tank brine line fittings.
The tubing that goes back and forth from the brine tank must have a good seal on each end or it may suck air into the line rather than pull the saltwater out of the brine tank.
Just see if you can easily turn them with your hand, if you can’t, then they should be ok but we might double-check them later.
Check for a dirty screen or injector.
If everything checks out ok so far, we want to check if the system is able to draw the brine from the tank. There is a part called an injector inside of the system’s control valve.
If you feel comfortable bypassing the system and checking the injector and the screen that accompanies it, check your owners manual to see if they have instructions on how to do this.
If you want to try and clean the injector and screen yourself, bypass the system and cycle it through its regeneration to depressurize it. Then we need to look for the injector.
The injector and screen may be found under a cover with two screws (top and bottom) that is on the right side of the valve, just above where the tank meets the head.
On some systems, it will be behind a square cover with four screws (on each corner) that is in the front center of the system. These covers should be taken off very slowly and be sure not to over tighten them as you evenly replace the cover.
Your injector may be located on the top of your water softener valve.
On many newer systems, you will find the injector and screen under a round cap (with no screws) on top of the head, just about in the center. This round cap screws off by hand but can sometimes be a little tough.
Once you have gotten to the injector and screen, you will unscrew the injector if it is on the side or carefully pry it out if it is under the screw-off cap on top.
Clean the injector and screen with an old toothbrush and water until you can see through the pin-sized hole in the center and the screen looks clean.
Wipe the hole where the injector and screen sit with a clean cloth and make sure the rubber O ring is free of any debris, then replace them and carefully replace the cap or cover. Do NOT overtighten!
After you have replaced the screen and injector, put the system back into service and check for leaks.
Now let’s see if the system is using the brine from the salt tank.
Put the system into regeneration, this should be explained in your owner’s manual. You usually just have to push the REGEN or REGENERATE button for a few seconds until you hear a motor start.
If your system has a large knob on it with a little red button on the left side, simply turn the large knob clockwise until you see the word BRINE or BRINE DRAW in the little window.
Some systems may have a dial that you have to push in and then turn clockwise to start the regeneration cycle.
Now that we have started the regeneration process, we want to see if the system is drawing the brine solution. If the brine line is clear, you should be able to shine a light through the tube and see that the brine is flowing into the system.
Hint: If the tube is not clear you can often feel the tube jump a bit when it starts to draw the brine from the tank.
The system will draw the brine for up to 90 minutes, so you don’t have to wait around at this point.
How can I tell if my water softener has used any salt?
Take a yardstick and measure how far down the salt is from the top of the tank and then come back in a little while when the system has finished regenerating and measure again.
If the salt has gone down a few inches, your problem should be solved. If not, you may need to call your water treatment service company to get a more thorough check-up for the system.
Remember, if your water is not using salt, it is not softening your water and you may soon see hard water stains on your fixtures and shower doors. Not to mention spotty glasses and dishes, and a build-up of hardness in your hot water heater.
So check out what you can, then call a pro if your still not using any salt.
Related Questions:
Can you mix different salts in your water softener salt tank? In most cases, mixing different types of salt will not cause any problems in the tank or with your water softener.
Some water softeners use a special type of softening resin called silica crystal that may react with certain salts and cause odors. Using pure water softener salt crystals that contain no additives works best for most systems.
Can you use old salt that has clumps of salt in it? Just because a bag of salt has been sitting around for a while, doesn’t mean that it has gone bad. If you can break up the clumps into small chunks, it should be fine to use them in your water softener.
If the chunks won’t break down enough, or if the salt has gotten dirty, consider using the old salt to melt ice during the winter months or dispose of it.
