Care Of Your Water Softener; Salt: Refilling - Kenmore 625.388400 Owner's Manual

I__: SECTION 3 __
CARE OF YOUR WATER SOFTENER
S
E
C
T
N
A. SALT: REFILLING STORAGE TANK, SALT BRIDGE
WHEN TO REFILL WITH SALT:
The Salt Monitor System (see
page 2-1) will turn the low salt
light on to warn you when to refill
with salt. Check for a low salt
light a few weeks after you install
the softener, and every week after
that. Always refill at about the #2
salt monitor level. At this level,
the tank is about 1/3 full (see note on page 1-6).
Never let the softener use all the salt before refilling.
Without salt, you will soon have hard water. After
filling, reset the Salt Monitor System, page 2-1.
Note:
You will have a loss in softening capacity and may
get partly hard water if less than 10 inches (salt mon-
itor level 2) of salt is in the storage tank.
PLEASE SEE PAGE 1-6 FOR SALT FILLING DIRECTIONS.
BE SURE TO RESET THE SALT MONITOR, PAGE 2-1.
SALT BRIDGE
Sometimes, a hard crust or salt bridge forms in the
salt storage tank. It is usually caused by high hu-
midity or the wrong kind of salt. When the salt
bridges, an empty space forms between the water
and salt. Then salt will not dissolve (melt) in the wa-
ter to make brine. Without brine, the resin bed does
not regenerate and you will have hard water.
If the storage tankis full of salt, it is hard to tell if you
have a salt bridge. Salt is loose on top, but the bridge
is under it. The following is the best way to check for
a salt bridge.
Salt should be loose all the way to the bottom of the
tank. Hold a broom handle, or like tool, up to the
softener as shown in FIG. 10. Make a pencil markon
the handle, 1" or 2" below the top height of the rim.
Then, carefully push it straight down into the salt.
If a hard object is felt before the pencil mark gets to
the top of the tank, it's most likely a salt bridge.
Carefully push into the bridge in a few places to
break it. Do not try to break the salt bridge by
pounding on the outside of the salt tank. You may
damage the tank.
If the wrong kind of salt made the bridge, take it out.
Then fill the tank with nugget or pellet salt only.
push tool into salt
bridge to break
pencil
mark
broom handle
Salt Bridge
salt
salt bridge
water level
3-1