USA Expert Plumbing

Water softener maintenance: salt, cleaning and resin care

By USA Expert Plumbing Editorial Team. Updated . 2 min read.

Short answer

Water softener maintenance is mostly simple: check the salt about once a month and keep it topped up, break up salt bridges, clean out the brine tank when sludge builds up, use a resin cleaner if your water has iron, and test your water now and then to confirm it is still soft. Most problems come from salt issues, not broken parts.

In this guide
  1. Monthly: check the salt
  2. Watch for salt bridges
  3. Every year or so: clean the brine tank
  4. Resin care
  5. Test your water
  6. Check the settings
  7. When to call a pro

A water softener protects every water heater, faucet and appliance in the house from scale. That matters even more with a tankless water heater, where scale is the leading cause of expensive repairs. Keeping the softener working takes a few minutes a month.

Monthly: check the salt

  • Lift the brine tank lid and check the salt level. Keep it above the water line in the tank; many manufacturers suggest keeping the tank at least about a quarter to half full.
  • Use the salt type your manufacturer recommends. Clean pellets or crystals usually leave less residue than rock salt.
  • Do not overfill the tank to the top; very full tanks are more prone to bridging.

Watch for salt bridges

A salt bridge is a hard crust that forms across the tank above the water. Salt looks full, but water underneath cannot reach it, so the softener stops making brine and your water turns hard. Push a broom handle gently down through the salt; if it hits a hard layer with empty space below, break it up carefully.

Every year or so: clean the brine tank

  1. Let the salt run low.
  2. Put the softener in bypass.
  3. Scoop out remaining salt and sludge, and rinse the tank with water and a little mild dish soap.
  4. Refill with clean salt and add a few gallons of water if your model calls for it, then take the system out of bypass.

Resin care

The resin beads inside the mineral tank do the actual softening. Iron and manganese in well water can foul them. A resin cleaner, used as the label directs, helps keep them working. Resin lasts many years in most homes but does eventually need replacing.

Test your water

Use inexpensive hardness test strips at a faucet a few times a year. If the water is hard again with plenty of salt in the tank, check for a salt bridge, a clogged injector or a settings problem.

Check the settings

Most softeners let you enter your water hardness and the number of people in the home. Update them if your household changes, and reset the clock after a power outage so it regenerates at night.

When to call a pro

  • The softener does not regenerate or runs constantly
  • Water is hard despite salt and a clean tank
  • The brine tank overflows or holds too much water

If you are shopping for a new system, see our water softener installation cost guide.

Common questions

How often should I add salt to a water softener?

Check about once a month. How often you add salt depends on your water hardness, household size and the softener's efficiency.

Do water softeners need servicing?

Most maintenance is simple enough to do yourself. A professional check every few years can catch worn valves, seals or tired resin.

Was this article helpful?

More in Maintenance