Water softener filter systems provide you with better water quality and remove any minerals that hard water contains. This will help you protect your home while saving money at the same time. Since we know you want to enjoy all of the daily benefits of soft water, we're going to talk about a crucial element in your water softener, your brine tank. In particular, how much water should be in the brine tank.
If you have no idea what a brine tank is, you can easily identify it as the tank that is next to your water softener. Your brine tank must function properly at all times as it contains a solution that can replace calcium and magnesium ions with sodium ions. This ionization, as a result, creates soft water for your home. When you know the importance of your brine tank, you need to know how much water should be in the brine tank and how much salt it should contain.
How much water should there be in my softener brine tank?
When asking how much water should there be in my brine tank, the first thing you need to know is how water softeners work. Read more here.
In summary, there are two types of brine tanks, wet or dry. The best way to find out what type of brine tank you have at home is to call the provider or company that you hired to install it. Once you've determined your type of brine tank, you can look inside your tank and see if it has the correct water level. One thing to remember, however, is that it doesn't matter what type of tank you have. It should never be full of water.
Wet brine tank
These are usually old filter systems. This does not mean that your system is not working properly. A wet brine tank is designed to hold water at all times. The exact amount of water depends on the size of your tank. They usually have about 3 to 6 gallons of water. When checking your wet brine tank, the water level should be 6 to 19 inches high.
If you find that your damp brine tank is half full of water, check that your drain isn't clogged or frozen. If you discard this option and it is still half full, there may be a mechanical problem in your tank. It is also normal not to see the water level when there is a lot of salt in your tank. How much water should there be in my brine tank when it is dry? We'll tell you all about it in the next section.
Dry brine tank
The easiest way to identify a dry brine tank is to check that it has digital valves to help regulate it. This type of tank has water only a few hours before the start of the process and during the ionization. When the regeneration is complete, your tank should be completely dry. Remember that dry tanks are part of a modernized system. If you've recently changed or bought a brand new water softener, you probably have a dry brine container.
Salinity in your brine tank
After you have found out how much water there should be in the brine tank, the next step is to learn how much salt to put in the brine tank. The amount of sodium in the tank mainly depends on three factors.
- How much water you consume every day
- The amount of minerals your water needs to eliminate. In other words, how hard is the water you are getting?
- How many people live in your home
The minimum of salt you will need in your brine tank is a quarter full, which equates to six inches, which you can measure from the top of the tank. That is, if you have the right amount of water in your tank, it will rise a few inches above the salt. A common problem you may have with your tank is crusted salts. You have two options to solve your problem. You can either break the formation with your hands or you can take hot water and pour over it. Then you can take out those encrusted salts and add new ones.
Note: There are two types of brine solutions on the market. The majority of people tend to take sodium chloride. However, if you have health problems like blood pressure, then you can choose a potassium.
Recommended amount of salt
To find out exactly how much salt you should use for your brine tank, we recommend that you ask a professional. It could be the seller or the company that helped you install it at home. If you live in a normal household of three to four people, the amount of salt can vary from 40 to 50 pounds per month. You could burn up to 10 pounds in a week. However, it is important that you check your water level every month to avoid problems.
A great way to tell if your salt is lower than it should be is to check the calcium carbonate level in your emollient. If it exceeds 60 mg, it may be due to low salt levels in your brine tank. Having the right amount of water and salt in your brine tank will ensure that it will function properly in the final phase of the ionization cycle when the tank receives hard water and starts the regeneration process. Regular inspection of your brine tank is a must to avoid problems. It is also important to have an efficient brine tank to get good quality soft water.
Learning how all the parts of your water softener work will help you understand how to take care of them. Getting to know this filtration system is easy and will improve your family's health and bring endless benefits to your everyday life.
