How to Repair a Water Softener

Do you have hard water? Do you rely on a water softener to eliminate minerals that dry out your skin and reduce the lifespan of your plumbing system and appliances?

If so, you know how important it is for your water softener to work at peak efficiency, day after day.

Should you run into any trouble with your water softener, it’s important that you do one of two things:

  • Fix it yourself
  • Hire a water softener repair company to fix it for you

Either way, what matters most is that your water softener gets repaired sooner rather than later.

If you plan on tackling the repair on your own, here are some of the many steps you should take:

  1. Remove the control head and then pull the water softener out of the tank.
  2. Remove the old resin beads from the tank.
  3. Use a garden hose to clean the tank.
  4. Place a new manifold tube into the tank and temporarily seal the top end with electrical tape.
  5. Add two to three inches of gravel into the bottom of the tank.
  6. Add new resin beads on top of the gravel.
  7. Remove the tape that you previously used on the top of the tube.
  8. Install a new control head on the manifold tube.
  9. Install a new valve on the control head.
  10. Make all the necessary plumbing connections, such as the water supply line to the house and the cold water supply to the tank.
  11. Install another tank next to the softener.
  12. Fill the second tank with blocks of sodium (this creates a brine-like solution).
  13. Connect the pipes from one tank to the other.
  14. Connect the discharge hose.
  15. Turn the water back on and then examine the system for leaks.

Although there are a lot of steps in repairing a water softener, you may not need to take all of these.

If all else fails, contact a local water softener repair company to visit your home, inspect your system, and provide you with your options.