It’s always a good idea to keep an eye on how much salt is in your water softener. When the levels get too low, it can cause all sorts of problems with pipes and valves that could be avoided with just a little bit of extra maintenance.
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So, what can you do when your water softener runs out of salt?
Check or refill your water softener’s salt bin. This is one easy way to keep track of how much salt you have left. Some bins are transparent, others may need to be checked on a regular basis in order to determine usage rates and refill as needed.
Reduce the amount of water going into the softener by turning down the valve that controls water flow. This will give you extra time to refill or check up on your salt levels without causing too many problems at first. Just be sure to turn the water back on before your system is completely drained.
If you have spare container of salt, you can use it to refill the softener without too much hassle. Just be sure that your container is clean before adding more salt. It’s important to take care of this problem right away.
Apart from the above, there are no other options other than to switch off your water softener when the salt is all gone.
Luckily, there are several different ways to avoid running out of salt in the first place which we have discussed below. But what should you do when it happens anyway? Below listed are some ideas for emptying out your system and ensuring that this doesn’t happen again.
Do the following when your water softener is out of salt
Empty the softener tank by running one cycle with no salt – While this will not help your water softener gradually refill itself, it will allow any excess salt to be emptied out of the system so you can set up a temporary solution until you manage to get more salt. You should use only cold water for this process as hot water will only cause the salt to dissolve faster.
Add water treatment chemicals – Adding corrosion inhibitor or scale inhibitors can slow down or prevent future issues that may come up if you let your hard water do its work on your pipes. These chemicals are essentially bi-products of salt production and can be purchased cheaply at any big box hardware store, so there is no reason not to add them.
Replace other parts – Depending on how old your water softener system is, you may have a better chance of fixing the problem without having to buy any new hardware. Replacing valves and other small parts can be quite costly, but sometimes necessary depending on the extent of your problems. However, if it has been a while since you last replaced any parts, your best bet might be to replace them all.
Flush valves and piping – Another important thing to do after running out of salt is flushing out your valves and piping system to get rid of excess minerals that have built up over time. If you’re not sure how this process works or would like to learn more, refer to your user manual or contact the support team of your softener manufacturer.
Contact a professional – If you’ve tried out all of the above and are still struggling with your softener running out of salt, then it might be time to consult a professional. They will be able to diagnose any damage that’s been done to your system and determine whether replacing anything will be necessary or not.
For the most part, you should be able to get a water softener running with just a bit of extra salt for a short period of time. Just remember that these problems can have serious consequences if they aren’t taken care of immediately.
You might want to consider installing an automatic refill system or a product that will tell you when salt levels are low.
Check with your local hardware store to find out what would work best for your water softener setup. In any case, it’s always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to maintaining your water processing system.
Ways you can avoid forgetting to add more salt to your water softener
- Write your to-do list on the whiteboard in the laundry room. This is where you would add topping off salt to your checklist. It’s usually where people write down other tasks such as take out recycling, fill up litter box, etc., so it makes sense that this task should be written down there too.
- Give your water softener the heads up. Get a calendar and put it on top of your laundry room’s whiteboard so you’ll see it every day as long as the board is not obscured by clothing or other objects. Since adding salt should be done once a month, mark your calendar with those days so you don’t forget.
- Add a weekly reminder on your phone or computer. If you don’t have a whiteboard in the laundry room, add it to your calendar app’s reminders instead. Follow through with this by also reminding yourself what to do when water softener runs out of salt whenever you use that same app to set an alert for other tasks.
- Stock up on salt. When you notice that your water softener has stopped working, you’ll realize that it’s probably because the salt reservoir is empty. Prevent this from happening by buying plenty of salt ahead of time and storing it within reach so you can top off as soon as possible. Keep additional bags nearby to avoid wasting more time than necessary when you realize the salt is low.
Buy a water softener with an extremely accurate salt level detector. This way, you can set your alerts to be even more specific like on days that end in Y or every Monday instead of monthly. Just make sure to keep checking it regularly.
Conclusion
It’s easy to forget, but adding salt to your water softener is important for the regulation of hardness in your home or office. But forgetting to add more salt can cause major problems like scale buildup and increased corrosion on your pipes – not to mention replacing parts that could’ve lasted much longer with fresh ones. Follow our tips to keep your water softener running smoothly and avoid the hassle of replacing parts every few months.