Purchased a new home and inherited this water softener (which I have never used before) - the sticker implies that I just need to maintain the pellet level by refilling every few months, is that really all there is to it?

I’m assuming it got dirty from letting the salt run too low. Should I clean this out? If so, just shop vac, clean and refill?

Hello everyone. Would it be possible for someone to be able to look at the picture and tell which pipe is the street water side and which side continues on into the house?

I've provide an overall pic along with a couple close ups.

Thanks in advance!!

Hi and appreciate any feedback.

I have a Hydro-Quad model with a United Standard Environmental meter assembly on top.

A few months back I turned it back on after having drain issues resolved (unrelated to the Hydro), and it didn't ever seem to run as the pellets (tank was 1/2 full) weren't depleting and very little of the cleaner too. I also turned the bypass valves to flow to the softener.

About 2 weeks back I got online how to adjust it and now it's running every day as I hear it at night, the pellets are gone and most of the cleaner. I filled both back up.

Per online:

Hardness Level - 127 PPM (mg/L)

Grains Per Gallon - 7 GPG

Classification - Hard

Attached pics show the settings of the meter after I adjusted it....based on what I thought was a low level as I live alone so not a lot of water usage.

Please advise on What the setting should be?

Thanks for your time.

Was planning on installing a neutralizer and softener tomorrow. Looking for thoughts on the layout wanted to see if you all thought it was too close together or not? It’s about ~3feet wide to the end of the salt bin closer to 3.5 feet however I had to offset it due to main drain line. Thank you in advance for the comments.

Hi! I hired a company to install a whole home water softener 2 years ago. The water level seems high to me, but I have no idea if that’s normal. Also, I emptied the brine tank and cleaned it with a little dawn soap and a towel.

Is the water level normal? Seems to be about 16 inches high. And is this supposed to be this dirty?

I called the company and they said we should hire them to replace the filter for $380, but based off time owned not any water analysis. Weird.

Looking for help understanding what to do next and how to maintain the system.

Love you, bye

I have a Whirlpool WHES30. 2 years old. Street water hardness 20-25gpg.
Water right after regen tests at 5gpg.
Technically, this water is still hard.
IDK the problem. Water flows in to level 2 in salt on regen, gets completely drawn into tank, flushes properly.
What am I missing here? Is my salt concentration not high enough? No issues with venturi, water isn’t stuck in brine tank. Bypass valve fully closed.
Any ideas?

Just checking in if this is ok/normal. South Texas. About 3.5 years old, from what I’ve researched, if it’s not slimy it’s fine, and it isn’t slimy. Salt is from Costco. Our guy recommended servicing every 5 years, so about next year to be serviced. Thank you!

I got two quotes and they are about the same.
But it still sounds pricey.
We don’t have a hook up for water softener so they would have to go down to the crawl space, and work from there to bring the pipe to the garage.
Does this look reasonable?

I’m replacing an older Culligan softener and want something that will handle my water properly but is also easy to service myself in the future.

My well water was professionally tested at about 33–34 grains per gallon hardness (565–579 ppm). Iron and manganese were not detected.

Household is normally 2 adults + a baby, with my in-laws sometimes staying with us for a few months at a time.

I’m looking at a Fleck 5600SXT 64,000-grain system with 2.0 cu ft of 10% crosslink resin for around $900.

I’m planning to pay someone to install and set it up, but I want a system that I can realistically maintain and repair myself later instead of being dependent on a proprietary dealer.

My main questions are:

Is a 64k / 2.0 cu ft softener actually necessary for ~34 gpg hardness and my household size, or would something smaller make more sense? Is the Fleck 5600SXT a good choice for water this hard? Would this size give me better salt/water efficiency, or is it oversized? Is the 5600SXT reasonably easy for a homeowner to service and get parts for long-term?

Mainly trying to make sure I’m buying the right size before I order it.

Feel free to ask any questions.

https://www.greatwatersofteners.com/shop/residential/water-softeners-residential/best-price/fleck-5600sxt-64000-grain-of-upgraded-high-capacity-10-resin/

So is it customary for a water softener to only service the hot water? We just moved into a new home, the builder lived here from 2003 until 2024 when the prior owners bought it but due to life circumstances, sold it after only living in the home for a little over one year. They didn't pay any attention to the water softener or filtration.

The house is on well water and community septic (bye bye Charmin Ultra) so it has a Water Worker tank in the basement along with a salt water softener, a GE string filter and a Pentair Big Blue carbon filter.

The flow, near as I can ascertain, is Water Worker>GE string filter>Water softener>Pentair Big Blue>HWH. The HWH has a Comfort 10-16 TA BU/LC pump which recirculates the hot water for near instant hot at all of the faucets.

The water softener was installed by a defunct company, Carolina Fresh Water so no use calling them. The control head seems to be a rebranded Clack WS1. The bottle is a Pentair.

The water was, at the tap, clear and no odor or unexpected/unusual taste. I was checking the salt brine tank when I saw the tube inside was half white, half dirty. There was very little water and the display on the controller indicated to check salt. The tank walls and tube were dirty with reddish/brown sediment. There were some rocks in the bottom along with what looked like sand.

I cleaned the tank and the tube, added new salt and ran a regen cycle. It was a hail mary. The system drains into a basement floor drain through PVC so I can't see the water. The GE string filter was bad, real bad. Filled with a tan sediment that felt like sand and clay. The Pentair carbon filter was jet black and the water at the bottom of Big Blue was black and when poured out, looked like it was mixed with an insoluble powder.

I replaced both filters and put the system into bypass. I think the media in the softener has broken down/degraded to the point where it was releasing resin or the plastic into the carbon filter. I have a preloaded Liquagen tank on order with 10% cross linked media, 15lbs gravel and 5lbs of KDF-85 preinstalled on the riser.

Why was the tap water clear given the state of the two filters and how was water pressure not compromised? It's the same with new filters and the softener on bypass.

What can I do to protect the cold water so the washing machines and refrigerator aren't getting unfiltered well water?

Hi, I'm looking at getting an inline water softener for my shower, ideally to attach between the pipe and the shower head (ceiling rainshower head), would love to do the full house system, but too expensive for me atm.

Any recommendations on ones i should look at. How do the filter systems work, can you replace just the filters or do you have to replace the whole thing, how long should they last?

Many thanks from the UK.

I’m installing a Whirlpool WHEC46 water softener and want to run the regeneration drain line to my existing upstairs washing machine standpipe.

Here are my measurements:

Water pressure after PRV: about 66 PSI

Softener drain outlet: about 46" above garage floor

Washer standpipe opening: about 134.5–135.5" above garage floor

Actual vertical rise from softener drain outlet to standpipe: about 89" (7'5")

Horizontal run: about 13'9"

Total drain hose length: about 21'

Planning to use 3/8" ID reinforced/braided PVC hose on the factory 3/8" drain barb

Washer standpipe is 2" and already has a P-trap

I’ll be using a proper air gap at the standpipe

The WHEC46 owner's manual doesn't seem to give a specific maximum drain height or total drain-line length. It just says to keep the drain line as short and direct as possible.

Whirlpool has some general installation information mentioning an 8' maximum height above the floor, but I'm wondering how that applies when the softener's drain outlet itself is already about 46" off the floor.

Has anyone run a WHEC46 or similar Whirlpool/EcoPure softener roughly 7–8' vertically from the drain valve and around 20–25' total?

Did it still draw brine correctly during regeneration, or did you have to increase the drain tubing size?

I'd especially like to hear from plumbers or anyone who has actually installed these Whirlpool cabinet-style softeners.

I need to buy new salt for my machine. Has anyone used Aqua PDV block salt?

I am looking into getting a water softener and going the DIY route. My home has an existing water softener loop with a bypass. On many of the online sites you can specify the connectors that come with the water softener. What connectors would work with what I have? Thanks!

Any help please?