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SECTION
3
CARE O F YOUR S OFTENER
I
I
3A.
SALT...REFILLING
STORAGE
TANK/BREAKING
A SALT BRIDGE
WHEN
TO REFILL WITH
SALT: Check the salt
level a few weeks
after you install
the softener
and
every
week
after
that.
Refill
when
the
storage
tank
is about
1/3 full.
Never
let the
softener
use all the salt before
refilling.
Without
salt, you will soon have hard water.
IMPORTANT:
You will have a loss in softening
capacity
and
may get partly
hard water
if less than 10 inches
of salt is in the storage
tank.
PLEASE SEE PAGE 9 FOR SALT FILLING DIRECTIONS.
SALT BRIDGE
Sometimes,
a hard
crust
or salt bridge
forms
in
the salt storage
tank. It is usually
caused
by high
humidity
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 water
to make
brine.
Without
brine,
the
resin bed does not regenerate
and you will have
hard water.
If the storage
tank is 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. 9. Make
a pencil
mark on the handle,
1" or 2" below
the top height
of the rim,
as shown.
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 was the cause
of the
bridge,
take it out. Then fill the tank with nugget
or pellet
salt only.
SALT BRIDGE
Pencil
Mark
Broom Handle
push tool into salt
bridge to break
Salt
Salt Bridge
Water Level
14
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