How to Clean Your Water Softener Salt Tank - Restore it Like New
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- Опубликовано: 2 янв 2021
- If your water softener isn't working TRY THIS BEFORE REPLACING IT. Most water softeners are not working at all and this is why you are using very little salt & getting hard water stains. I show you the EASY way to get your softener working again CHEAP & EASY and restore your water softener & solve the most common problems. Plumber will tell you to replace your softener rather than solve the real issue. Easy, step by step & you can do it too!
To watch my first video on cleaning water softener resin: • Water Softener Cleanin...
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If you need a water softener: amzn.to/2MoZ225
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/ silvercymbal
Disclaimer:
Due to factors beyond the control of Silver Cymbal, I cannot guarantee against improper use or unauthorized modifications of this information. Silver Cymbal assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. Use this information at your own risk. Silver Cymbal recommends safe practices when working on machines and or with tools seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of Silver Cymbal, no information contained in this video shall create any expressed or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage, or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or from the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not Silver Cymbal. 
Хобби
Thank you to dads everywhere for creating how to videos people barely pay attention to
You make the world run smooth
Much appreciated.
I was going to call a repair guy but was able to easily follow your directions and do it myself without any outside help. Thanks, you saved us a lot of $$$$
The teacher speaks; we listen. Thank you!
Thank you, the simple straightforward answer to my questions. Just moved to a new house, need some info on the system as it appears the previous owners didn't use it. Both this and the brine cleaning video are perfect!
Your videos are splendid! Thank you for giving me a new perspective to contemplate!
I discovered your channel (and subscribed!) a couple weeks ago and actually just followed your instructions on how to clean out the water softener with Iron Out. Fortunately, I didn't have any issues with salt buildup in the tank. Thanks very much for the tips, they were extremely helpful!!!
Awesome! Thank you! So glad they have been helpful. The water softner is one of those mystery appliances the pros want you to know nothing about!
I’ve got one of those long wooden sticks in case I run across any vampires, so I’ll use that. Thanks for the info. I would expect you created that salt bridge just for this video, considering your knowledge in the water softener arena.......great
THank you for sharing. I needed this simple video so I can do the job myself.
Silver Symbol your videos are awesome man. Keep up the great work you do a great service to all people looking to learn new things.
I really appreciate it thank you
Spot on as usual. Thanks for sharing!
Great video, thanks. Will do mine today.
Thanks for this video. Really helpful
I thank you so much for this video. I got done weeding for 5 hours in 88 degree weather today and was going to come inside and thought "I bet the water softener needs salt. I haven't filled it for a good month or 2" I go to check it and there was water almost up to the top. In the past I have seen water maybe a third of the way full but not that full. So I emptied it and a) dead mouse at the bottom b) that super hard layer of salt. My softener is in such a small furnace room and there was no way for me to reach the bottom with a spoon. Ended up using the shop vac to suck up the rest of the water and a long pole to break up the salt. There was this layer of muck on the bottom of the salt so i ended up sucking up and rinsing and removing all of the salt and the muck. We'll see what happens. I have an old Kenmore from Sears and when I got my home 8 years ago, I think the Inspector said to budget for end of life cycle but so far it keeps working. Kind of hoping the big cleaning job plus adding in the Iron Out a couple times a year will keep it going longer
If you see that it's dark at the bottom of the tank (like I did on my first cleaning after buying a resale home) you MUST completely empty the tank of all material. I did and found almost 3/4 gallon of fairly pure muck on the bottom. Emptying it also allowed me to use the garden hose to completely clean out the little holes on the bottom plastic screen. Wash it on the driveway and away from tree roots because the salt may kill the grass or your favourite tree.
Can you tip it and pour salt out?.
so i neglected to keep mine topped up with salt due to being in hospital, i have just topped it up will it recover on its own? or do i need to do more?
@@donnaclarke8595 Yes, disconnecting it to allow it to tip is a good way to lighten it, scoop out brine and salt to make it lighter to get outside. Or wait until there is very little salt in it.
@@pjmoseley243 It will recover on its own.
I don’t even have or need a water softener l, yet here I am.
🤣🤣🤣
It’s educational………. expand one’s horizons
😂😂
Im sure u need one but don’t have one lol
My peeps 😂
Thanks, this was helpful. I used this as a guide to clean mine. I didnt have a salt bridge, but I had a lot of dirt/rock buildup from years of dumping in salt. I ended up physically taking the head off and pulling out the inner tank, which was a pain, as it was heavy with water. But that meant I could then take the outer plastic salt container outside for a serious cleaning with hose/brush/soap.
your video will help me a lot, thank you for all your advice, I'm subscribing to your channel to be able to watch the rest. thank you again, from France 😗
thank you for the video's watched almost all of them i'm a city boy and recently moved to a house with a well and water softener with no clue how to take care of one of these and it's a rental so i don't know what previous tenants did or didn't do so i'm just going to start from scratch when the salt level gets low enough
Very good video a lot of good information!! Especially in the humid times of the year, we add 1 bag of salt when needed. 20 years ago, I did have a salt bridge , use the shop vac to vacuum out the old salt. Didn’t have the time to let it dissolve. Hope you have videos on the screen cleaning. So important to make them run well.
Thanks for the post ~
Excellent tutorial! Thank you !!!
Thank you very much I really appreciate it
Thanks for watching please *LIKE & SUBSCRIBE* If cant fix yours this is the best deal on a softener amzn.to/2MoZ225
thanks for this video .
Very good video, thank you!
Glad you liked it! Thank you
Great video
3:32 wet / dry shop vac works great too love the videos. P.S. it looks like your using a power strip not a surge protector on your unit.
Another great video 👍🏼
I really appreciate that thank you
I found your video very informational. I have the same water softener, I am pretty new to the water softer world does the tank where the salt goes need to have constant water in it? I followed the installation instructions I wanted to compare to see if i did install it correctly
Thank you
Enjoy your videos. Last time I cleaned mine it had an inch of mud looking gunk at bottom, but it was probably 1st time being cleaned. Guy from Culligan suggested to clean it every year or two.
I just found a tiny crack in my resin tank the other day when I went to add salt. It was making my brine tank overflow. It was 25 years old. Order a new bigger one. Can’t wait to get it installed.
Thats good that you caught it. the life os these is very good when compared to other appliances so it sounds like you did pretty well with 25 years! Longer than most marriages!
Great video. To make the job easier, use hot water. It will dissolve the salt a lot quicker and you just have to use enough to cover the salt. I suck out the water with a wet vac
Thanks!
I just cleaned my softener as described. Quite easy! Thank you. Before I fill it with salt, is this a good time to add the Iron Out as described in your previous video? Should I recharge before or after I add the salt back in?
Hi! Thank you for making this video. This is exactly what I needed and more. But the “More” part refers to the Iron Remover tank next to your water softener. I have a constant rust film problem in my home. How well does that Rust Remover work? I’m from Canada and I think I need that Rust Remover too. Thanks in advance! 👍
Hi it's my first time having a water softener. Thank you so much on how I can clean my water softener your video help me a lot.... My question is "I don't know where I can just throw away that nasty water at"?
I just went to add salt, how could I have never seen how bad it was in there. I wish I could post a photo of the gross salt I scooped out. I'm 54 years old, and I consider myself quite seasoned for my age, yet I learn so much from watching your videos. Oh, and thanks to you Amazon is sold out of WAGO connectors right now LOL
Im so glad it helped. It can get bad in there. That's funny about the Wagos. They are really awesome if you do electrical stuff. A mini revolution I guess! thanks for the nice note
This is awesome because I have the exact same GE model softener. I actually bought a extra long pry bar from Amazon for this exact reason. I think it was less than 20 bucks. I think I am going to find some type of long handled scoop or shovel to get a lot of the sludge out of the bottom of my softener. Thank you for the video.
Most problems are mechanical, in the valve. Resin failure usually occurs after 15 years. Using solar salt and not pellets pretty much eliminates clumping and compacted brine tanks.
I replaced all the gaskets in my valve last year took it completely apart worked great after that. I switched to crystals six months ago I keep getting a lot of dirt in the tank . I’ve had to clean it out three times which I never had to before. So I am going back to the pellets 🤔
Thanks
Great video! Will this help any odors occurring in the salt tank?
Installed a new softener when I moved into my current house, as the prior one was really old and took up a lot of room since it was separate. I got an integrated system like yours and filled it with salt. And that's how I discovered what a salt bridge is... I actually ended up disconnecting my unit entirely and taking it outside so I can turn it sideways and get everything out. Ever since, I usually just keep it topped off with about one bag's worth. The effort to top it off more often far outweighs the risk of having that bridge happen again.
Great videos! Do you ever you the Salt Saver function? I talked with GE and they say it uses less salt but more water. And either way on or off, it performs the same. I'm not sure if that's true. Is it better to turn it On or Off?
If you don’t have a submersible pump a wet/dry shop vac is another easy option to get the water out. Just remember you need to remove the filter and empty the dirt before you use it for water.
Sir, seems like every home project I need to tackle you've already mastered. Thanks! One question regarding unclogging a water softener: other than throwing away the salt from the softener, what else can I do with it? I have tons of land but don't want to do anything that will be illegal or kill of lots of vegetation. Any recommendations are appreciated.
What is the iron removal unit u have next to your softener and have u validated thru testing that it is doing its job? I have the identical water softener shown in this video and since my toilets still turn orange, I'm eager to figure out a way to remove the iron.
Thank you so much for your video. Can you tell me where I can buy the wooden stick with narrow edge?
I also watched your other video about iron out. Can I do both of them and just recharge once? Or I better do either one and recharge after each process? Thanks
At Ace Hardware it was suggested to let the salt get to water level then sprinkle iron out on with a bag of salt to follow, more iron out sprinkling and then second bag of salt. That seemed to help over the last month with the recent yellowing of water. My wife thick she is seeing the yellowing return. Any suggestions? Thx
We had a water softener put in in 2017. We haven’t cleaned it at all and we notice calcium build up on our fridge, shower heads, and sinks. Should we try to clean it out or should we just buy a new one and replace it? What would be the first few things you would do to diagnose the issue with the current one?
I found that the crystals don’t cause build like the pellets do. The pellets of some coating on it that binds it up.
A well-scripted and narrated video. Thanks.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Well, it took 5 attempts to finally dissolve the 5" thick saltberg. I don't think the previous owner tried to clean this thing once. I kid you not. I had to take a drill to at least weaken the saltberg so water could penetrate it and weaken the interior.
@Silver Cymbal if I need to do both an Iron Out treatment and a cleaning which should I do first? I just bought a home and the water softener was totally empty i assume it's never been maintained.
Thanks for this great video and it's very helpful. One quick question though, do i need to push bypass valve when i do the cleaning or let the water run through it without plugging the machine ? thanks
You can if you want to, but usually all water goes through the main tank and not the brinewell so the work you are doing here shouldn't have any effect on the house. The brinwell only gets used during the regeneration cycle
When adding salt, do you also add water to same level as salt?
Hi. Is the water softener sound in this video a sign that I need to get a new unit or I can fix it (but how?)
@
Thanks.
Can you use warm water to help soften the salt quicker?
I do not need a water softener or any water treatment but the house came with one so I use it to reduce sediment ❤
How about the flow to the house from the softener is it strong . I'm about to buy one,
I know this video is old hopefully you still reply but I have a 3 stage whole house filter after hitting another smaller sediment filter for the raw water and I guess my resin is covered in iron cause my water now is reddish and smells and hasn’t done that in the past year. I’ve never cleaned them, didn’t know! How many times can I do the iron out cleaning in a row?
Great video. For what it’s worth, my water company told me not use those pellets.
Thank you. thats interesting I have tried a few kinds of salt and used to use Solar Salt but it was so full of debris I finally went to these and they have been good for me. Which one do you use?
I’ve used these exact pellets in the video for my Kinetico system for 26 years problem free
Love your videos. Quick question tho, I have a salt dam in my reservoir. I assume I should get that cleared out before doing the resin cleaning as you show in your other video? Thanks!
Thank you very much. Yes, you might just be able to stop adding any salt for a few weeks and it will break the bridge and drop on its own, then do the resin cleaning. Or do the tank cleaning too once it gets down there.
Just bought a new home and and in the process of removing a 2 foot salt dam. Tank is cleaned out now but puzzeled why there are no slots at the bottom of my tube like I see in every other video.
Do some units allow the water to flow another way.
Is how water ok to do with or cold only?
I have this exact softener. There are so few videos on it... Thanks!
Mine is dripping down the drain constantly. Any info you have on opening it up and cleaning out the valves would be great!
You probably have an issue with a seal on the piston that slides in and out of the control valve, constantly draining means it got stuck in a cycle and can’t get out.
What is the tool you used to remove the salt from the bottom of the water softener? and where do I get one?
So do you pour water back in there afterwards?
How often should you let the salt run low?
How does the iron out effect a septic tank?
Hi all,
I have a new well and the water is slightly salted. Is there a way to fix this? Thanks
Thank you! What brand and model of pump did you use to remove the water?
Any inexpensive submersible pump will do the job. Get a small one that’ll hook up to a standard garden hose for discharge.
Use a 3ft crowbar and push slowly not pound the salt, it will break up. Be careful not to hit sidewalls, or bottom plastic piece. Works every time.
How is the salt softners doing for your skin? Any reactions?
I have the same type of water softener (GE) but in your video after you fill it says 330 days remaining. Every time I fill to line 7 it says 106 days. How come yours is using less salt? How come I have very few days even after filling up the tank.
What about a potassium style soft water system? A potassium style system require the same maintenance as a salt style soft water system as shown on this video? Thank you.
How is it supposed to sound if it’s working correctly? Thanks!
do I need to add water after putting the salt at the end ? or the softener does that when it recharges
How often should we do that?
I have the same water softener. Any idea why it is not draining after a recharge? These is a lot of water inside the tank. I changed the rotor gasket and the venturi. Same problem.
I have what looks like to be this same machine. It’s completely filled to the top with water. What do I do? Where do I start?
Does GE specifically recommend those Salt pellets for that unit? I can tell from your videos you are very meticulous about doing things right with all of your appliances, power equip, etc. So I don't want to suggest something against the manufacture's instruction if that's the case.
The reason I ask is because I have been told under no circumstance to use those pellets in the yellow bag. They contain a binder to keep them in that pellet form. The binder (basically a glue) is what is causing that solidification.
I have a 75k grain twin tank system in my primary residence and a smaller 35k grain system in my seasonal vacation home. Both are Pentair/Fleck systems and I only use crystals (the blue bags), and they never bridge (solidify).
Think about the environment of my systems. The home one is a monster of a tank. It takes around 12 - 15 forty pound bags at a time! 600 lbs of salt and it doesn't bridge. The vacation home is a smaller tank, but sits for months at a time and that doesn't bridge either.
Now I know the crystals are "dirtier" than the pellets. That is because they are "pure and natural". The salt is extracted directly from the mines. Whereas the pellets go through a manufacturing process where the salt is rinsed, binder is added, and pressed into the pellet form.
Personally I would prefer the pure natural stuff that dissolves better, rather than a "processed" salt with additives clogging my system. After a few years, if the dirty looking water in the brine tank bothers you, you can clean the brine tank, which is a much less arduous task than breaking up salt bridges. (Keep in mind, breaking up salt bridges is required, cleaning out dusty water is not, as the latter will not affect the performance of your softener). Just a thought worth checking out, IMO.
Side note (sorry this is so long): The video you did on the Iron Out treatment a few months ago, was what turned me onto that product. That is such a great suggestion. After watching your video and doing further research, I think that is a must maintenance item for anyone with a water softener.
My plumber told me the opposite. Don't use anything but pellets and to use the brand the manufacturer recommends.
After switching brands my softener started getting bridges and havibg water above the salt. He came in and broke it up and highly recommended changing brands.
More expensive, but hopefully it helps. I still had 200lbs. Of the other stuff to go through, so we shall see if it does indeed make the difference.
I have that exact unit those pellets do not work at all in it. You have to use the regular salt.
I somehow came across his iron out video & now here I am. I got my WS about 7 years ago & was only told to fill it up when it gets low. Never knew about iron or resin or pellets vs crystals. I had been using pellets & have had bridges that I just always broke up (didn’t know it was a thing) Got my manual out just now & mine recommends solar salt and only mentions bleach for sanitizing.
Sigh. Nothing is easy.
After cleaning, do you add water to the tank with the salt? If so, how much?
Or does water enter the tank when you initiate a recharge cycle?
Thanks for your input and vids.
Need to know the same? What is the answer
Hot water and a wet vac works great.
What about cleaning inside that cylinder thing?
He should do tech unboxing video
Is it safe to dump the water from the water softener with some grounded salt in your kitchen sink?
Is the brine well supposed to fill up at all during the recharge process? I noticed mine isn't at all. I put the Iron Out in the brine well, then immediately did a recharge, but the brine well still smells like the Iron Out. I'm now wondering if my issue is more related to this, than needing to use the Iron Out to clean up the resin beads. That's going to kinda stink if this is the issue, because I literally _just_ refilled my salt tank, lol.
If your brine well doesn't fill then likely the little slots at the bottom are plugged, just like in this video. The brine well has a float to detect water level and the slots let only salty water in so the float can move and the salty water can be used for regen.
Should we add water with the new salt?
I have the exact saMe water softener. I cant figure out why the water level on the tank keeps rising up. It does not empty everytime i do a regen. I changed the venturi thinking it might be old and the gasket is done. Did a regen and nothing happened. Water level keeps rising up. I changed the drain line thinking it might have a block. Nothing happened. I emptied the water because it was almost all the way to the top. Unplugged the softener. And when i plugged it back. I saw on the monitor jJ3.4 F30. In which i did some research and found out it was an error code? Could it tHat be that makes my water softener not work ?
Pellets should be the go to. They prevent salt mushing/bridging better
I have dead spiders in the tank and maybe other dirt too. So I shut down the water softener. Does that not mix with the water that I would be consuming? Just curious.
No. Only the sodium ions that are adsorbed into the resin beads end up in the domestic water. The regeneration cycle sends domestic water in a bypass around the resin tank. Water from the salt tank is then flushed thru the resin tank to recharge the resin beads with sodium. When that is done, water from the water supply is flushed thru the resin tank to rinse out all the excess salt. All that salt water and rinse water goes down the drain. Once the beads a rinsed the bypass is closed and the domestic water is routed thru the resin tank again to be softened.
When my water softener was installed, the tech used potassium instead of salt. I have been using potassium since then. Do you know the differences between the two? Could I switch to salt because it is much cheaper than potassium. Thanks!
Potassium is good stuff and is used for people who might have an issue with an extra sodium in their diet if they drink the water too. Also used for a better impact if you are discharging the waste water outside. But it does cost 2-4x as much. You can usually switch at any time from one to the other but if you have any of the issues above should stay with it.
I used to used to use potassium in my softener before I went rainwater, the water tastes better with potassium in the softener, but like you said cost 5 times as more. Now that I'm 100% rain water, I don't need a softener and its literally the best tasting water iv ever drank.
Can you drink water after using the cleaner?
I couldn't reist. I've never seen a wooden spoon with a handle that long. lol I don't have a water softerner system yet, I'm learning. I desperately need something for my really awlful well water. It is so rusty.
It's a bit like sweeping a dirt floor. All softeners will have a rinse cycle after brine draw so anything from the brine tank is throughly flushed out with fresh water before it begins supplying soft water again. The main issues would be salt bridging (use rubber mallet on sides of tank at hard layer), sanitizing (drop a cup of bleach down the brine well, the white tube, once a year, no more than every 6 mo) and iron fouling (either get a salt with an iron out or buy some resin reconditioner, powered or liquid, and add some to the salt once per tank fill). As far as the condition of the inside of the salt tank, it is nearly completely irrelevant. It doesn't go into your home at any point. It will just come back with time. I have 13 years experience as a water softener tech with one of the most recognizable names in water softening. You can clean your tank out but it's largely pointless.
Crystal or pellet?? My booklet says solar salt is recommended, but not finding it locally. I’ve been using pellets & have come across bridging but just broke them down. My booklet says 5-1\4% bleach for sanitizing, doesn’t mention Iron Out. My salt is currently low & looks dirty, I’m condo so can’t do hose & have no pump. Do you suggest adding hot water to dissolve & leave it, or should I wet vac it out & refill with new salt, or do nothing & just add new salt? Please and thank you!
@chuckfarley
I love this video. I can't promise that's the exact same unit that I have but I got 1 a few months ago (it looks similar).
Anyway the installer and the guy that came out to re-tack the carpet due to the fact it leaked mentioned the fact that using the smaller grain of salt is the best salt because it keeps all that crap out of the unit. Who knows ⁉️⁉️⁉️
He also did mention what you're saying, don't overfill the damn machine. Let the machine tell you it needs it before you even touch it. Furthermore, looking at that video there it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to wait until it tells you it needs it and put some water in the damn thing, use the stick, and let the machine suck it up as it naturally does. Then when it says it needs salt again put more SALT in it.
I’ve never had that problem of a crust forming before and I keep about 200# of salt in my tank at most times. Why wouldn’t you just keep that salty brine in the tank for it to regen with? Better than dumping all that salt into the water treatment plant.
Thank you, sir. I'm having exact same GE softener as yours, however, mine is having standing water with almost no salt for weeks. I checked all the youtube vids to clean the possible clogs (not really find anything) but the water is still in there. Tried to regenerate but the machine is not responding
Your piston inside the control head needs replaced.
Same here. Looks like mine might be the same as the video and there is a whole bunch of water in it and cannot see the salt like I usually can. Don’t know what to try and it’s effecting my skin cuz I have pretty severe eczema . I hate even going down to the basement where it’s located cuz dust!
Btw, can you tell me the nane of the crystal cleaning vid? So I can search it.
Yes right here: ruclips.net/video/irajObxV_1I/видео.html