How Does A Water Softener Work? - Water Softener Basics 

I don't know where to begin. First, if you are on well water, that sediment filter should always be placed BEFORE the water hits your water softener. You want the sand, silt, dirt, etc. removed before it hits the resin beads....not after. Second, the process that a water softener goes through is called ion exchange. As the water is passing through the resin, the calcium, magnesium and iron is being magnetically charged to the resin. The calcium, magnesium and iron attaches to the resin beads and it is replaced with a sodium ion. Your water softener is "holding" all of that calcium, magnesium and iron so it doesn't pass through to your home. In can only hold so much of that before it needs to be cleans out. That is regenerating...that is what the salt is for. In your case, that happens every 800 gallons. The system will count down from 800 gallons to zero. When it hits zero, that night at 2:00 am, water will be pumped into the brine tank...dissolving the salt to make salt water. It is then pumped back into the resin tank. All that salt water is doing is reversing the polarization of the ions. Releasing all of that calcium, magnesium and iron that it has been holding there. It back washes, like a pool into your sewer. Then it starts over again at 800. Your explanation was not horrible, just not that informative of how the system really works. As far as bridging. If you use salt "pellets", you should never have that problem. They are the bigger pieces of salt that weigh more than rock salt and drop to the bottom of the brine tank easier. Also, you really can't hurt the water softener by filling up the brine tank. But, you should really only fill it up a little over half way full. There is a white "valve" on the side of your brink tank about 3/4 the way up on the outside that will make the water empty on your floor if the water in the brine tank gets that high. Just fill it up half way and you should never have a problem. I know you're not a water guy, so I don't blame you for not knowing how everything works. But, you kind of got the gist of it.

Never understood how the system worked until i saw this. Many thanks for people like you.

Thanks so much! This was incredibly helpful! I just bought a new home and had no idea how this worked (and even worse what I'm supposed to do with it).

Very informative! I just bought a house with a well that has a similar system and I knew nothing about it! Thank you!!!

Thank you very helpful. Just replenished the salt on my new system for the first time today. Understand everything a lot better. Appreciate 🙏

Salt bridging! I wonder if this explains why after a year my brine level has remained the same. I'm tempted to get out of bed and go down to the basement right now with a stick! I rent my unit and this was never mentioned to me. Thus, my 1 AM RU-vid search. Best video yet on these things. Thanks!

Thank you very much. I am that guy that had no clue about water softeners. Just installed a new one & didn't understand fully how it worked. Your video made it simple (like me) and helped me greatly. I have not yet installed the pre-filter. But I have bought it and that is next.

Man alive homie...I bought a house n have a water system dats new to me n have been looking to educate myself so I can maintain it n have good water n d house...well I kid u not 50 videos n asking real people n Contractor’s how it works no one I mean no one has explained like u just have n ur video...ur an answered prayer brother..can’t thank u enough for teaching n educating me...I have subscribed to ur channel n recommend u to everyone who wants to learn...keep on teaching cuz we r learning n ur very helpful wit ur drawing board.

Many Thanks Devon this was very helpful and just the way i want to learn it, so simple. Keep up withe the good work!!

Excellent tutorial and explained clearly.

Im an A/C guy, today a customer asked if I would look at her water softer as if I new every thing fortunate for her I do (kidding) of course jetted ( 80's term) home to learn more, This in a nutshell was what I needed , thanks for clarifying how this THING works , your video gave me great insight ...

Getting ready to buy one of these. I’m on well water too. Thanks for the break down.

I learned things today, this was awesome! I have a system with a resin tank. I'm now looking at what I need for an additional whole house filter

Hey good job. Very informational I appreciate it. Need the Barney style and it was helpful. Keep it up!

Thank you! New home owner with my first softener and I had no idea

After 12 years, now I understand how the thing works. I have a contract company that supposedly keeps it up. They have not been doing a good job. They are so busted. THANK YOU

I live out in country and get the red staining. I love the product red out works great .

Very informative video, well done Durbin

Thanks so much, you explained well, now I learn something!

extremely helpful thanks so much!

Great explanation!

Thanks man. You explained what a book and another youtuber couldn't.

Thank you for this explanation. Very informative. I have a problem with my Culligan softner. With the storms this spring and the electricity flickering off and on apparently that made the system shut off and I didn't realize that until a month or so ago. I went to see what was wrong and it's full of mildew-not mold. Can you tell me how to clean it out so I can use it, please? My toilets are getting cruddy and even my cats water bowl and my pans when I boil water have a gritty feel to them. I'm wondering what it's doing to my pipes and drains. I hope this makes sense. Thanks for any info you can give me.

Great explanation. Thanks, but a clarification needed. May I know what was the hardness of input water in terms of ppm as well TDS, pH, Iron content. These details might be helpful to assess a requirement.

Great video, thanks for sharing.

Nice job! I appreciate the use of the chalkboard🙂

Excellent review... The only thing I needed to hear more about was backwash... FD wash and FF.. I'm not sure what FD and FF stand for. Backwash.. I think I understand.

Thank u for the info sir

Great explanation, thanks!

Good job, thank you!

This was great thanks!

A water softener isn't designed to remove 'sediment', which is removed by simple mechanical filtration. A water softener's primary function is to remove certain dissolved ions (eg, calcium, magnesium, iron) and replace them with other ions. This is done to prevent build-up of hard water deposits that form when the original ions are present. By replacing those ions with sodium (or potassium) ions, the formation of hard water deposits is prevented. The pinned comment from jasonc9791 is mostly correct, although it is quite mistaken to state that "the calcium, magnesium, and iron is being magnetically charged to the resin." The binding of these ions to the resin has nothing to do with magnetism. Calcium and magnesium aren't even magnetic. The ion exchange process is driven by electrostatic attraction. + and - ions are attracted to one another.

Great explanation.... I'm looking for info on maintenance to a rainsoft EC4. Bought house with a system. It has zero salt and needs to be cleaned. Thanks

Awesome bro well edify

Awesome 👍

Dude.. needed this video. Thank you so much.

Good video

your “how does a water softener work “ was very informative. thank YOU. my dad a softener unit that has a resin tower & an external brine tank. both with displays. the resin tower got unplugged from the electrical outlet somehow. now i need to reset the settings on both units, correct? i’m in the dark here.

Thanks much..: i just moved to the country and have no idea how this works, feel better now :-)

hi thanks for the discussion - appreciate comments as well - so i have a pretty complicated kinetco with sediment tank and softener - has had fair amount of issues over past 8 years but basically seems to be working ok in terms of staining but well water is murky so filter doing a lot of work to clean - water often smells and tastes musty - not sulfa smell and neutrasol doesn't really help - is it possible for resin to be corrupt and tank may need to be replaced? is generating and using salt ok but have this problem for years and ? related to earlier issues such as outflow valve problem etc? thanks!

good video i have a well water too

Question... my system was installed the way that the flush line was screw on the side of my driveway! This is causing my driveway to get green stains (big time) I dont know how to get that off the pavement and also, I was wondering why would they do that? Instead leaving it on the grass....would it kill the grass because of the salt? Im just trying to figured out what the best action to take since my driveway looks ugly now.

Is the entire plumbing system pressurized, from the water pump to the water tank? The pressure is determined by the water tank optimal set point, I believe, but do you have to set the pressure somehow on the resin tank as well? I assume the resin bead cleaning cycle is not pressurized by the rest of the system?

I just moved into a new house, I didn't think the water softener was working, so I started experimenting, I need to but more resin beads, can they be bought at hardware stores? sure wich I would have watched this video before I started exploring. thanks

New tank in a new home here. Upon first use, before you add salt, do you pour water in first or does the brine tank fill up automatically with water? Thanks!

does the tank need to get the resin dumped and replaced ever?

Thanks for the video. A quick question -- just so I understand correctly -- When I open a faucet the following happens: Hard water from the city flows through my pipes -> hard water goes into my water softener through the 'IN' pipe of the softener -> hard water goes through the clean resin beads -> Soft water comes out through the 'OUT' pipe of the softener -> water flows to my faucet and is soft water. If this is the case, whenever I open a faucet or take a shower, should I hear water flowing through my softener?

Time out. A well/aquafer? Is this safe in places in Florida? With the limestone and sinkholes?

3:40 pm 8-21-23 Our softener is supposed to regenerate daily around 3 am. Every once in a while, we get a shot of very salty water. Is this due to someone running water during the regeneration cycle? Due to power outages, I have found the need to reset my timer on the water softener which is now about 7 years old.

Okay for clarification, pressure tank should also be in line prior to hard water system as well as the sediment filter, right?

Please help I got old model and trying to set the Regen day...I got little pins numbered 1-6...do I push or pull those pins and what numbers?....it's only me and hubby in house

Thanks for the video and classroom education :) My question is this... If your softner is on a regeneration cycle in the middle of the night, can you run water and flush toilets? Someone told me I should not as it ruins the cycle? FYI.. I dont believe that as the waste water gets carried out to the septic tank. Help?

What part of the system should we place our sediment filter ? Should we filter the water going into the softener or coming out of the softener?

I liked the video but could you explain how the brine is sucked from the tank to the softener? I see no pump for this. T hanks.

Just watched your video and it helped. But now I have some questions. My resin tank looks about half way full with beads. When I take a flash light I can shine it through and see the water. Yesterday my water started having air in it. I checked that resin tank and water was only an inch or two above the beads. This morning the resin tank was full of water. We used the toilets and sinks and now the resin tank is low again on water. Our brine tank is almost out of salt . Should I start with adding salt or do I have a problem with water coming into the resin tank? I've never seen the resin tank not stay full besides yesterday and today. I however have seen the brine tank this low and its never been an issue. My concern is did we run out of water from our well? How is the resin tank not filled with water. Shouldn't that always be full ?

Hi. Well detailed video, I recently moved into a cottage country house, I've never dealt with well water softener. seems I have two resin tanks? and it tells me to "regen" on the display on both on a regular basis do they both do the same thing? Can I not schedule to "regenerate" as you described? We seem to have the same resin tank and display/buttons... Unfortunately the previous owner did not leave me a manual or regular maintenance schedule... Thanks for your time. all the way from Canada ... Brrrr.

There is nothing wrong with using Clorox (Sodium Hypochlorite) in your well. Well drillers sanitize wells with Clorox or stronger concentrations of Sodium Hypochlorite after drilling. But be careful if you have galvanized well casing or galvanized drop pipe since Clorox is corrosive it may accelerate corrosion. The amount you use will be dependent on well depth, casing diameter and the water elevation. For a 4in casing each foot of water is approximately .65 gal., but be careful a 100 ft. deep well with water at the 60 ft. (below) ground level is only 40 ft. of water or approximately 26 gallons. For every 50 gallons of water in the well use one quart of laundry bleach. So in this example you will use 1 pint (16 oz.) of bleach. It helps to use a small diameter hose inserted into the small opening in the well seal rinse the casing and drop pipe.

Lifesaver for me. Thank you

You mention the water smelling like rotten eggs. I am on a community well, and have a green sand filter system that is suppose to remove the smell and I also have a water softner. I believe my water softner is working fine and the green sand filter as well, but I still have a slight sulfur smell. Any ideas/thoughts on addressing this? Does may water softener and green sand filter need to be on different regen schedules? Interested in your thoughts. Thanks. Nice video BTW.

How long does it flush the resin tank for, Few minutes or hours?

hey how long is the regular maintenance for a medium household ? like each month or 3 ,4 times a year ? & do u need to change the resin or they last a lifetime ? 1st time i hear about legit water softeners, i thought they were a scam in my country ( the ones you hook next to the tap water sink & 1500 $ price tag ), mixing sugar with water for it to taste good :P (well in my defense, the technician told us to rub sugar on the filters after cleaning them ..

Did Eric Swalwell film the chalkboard part? :-) If you don't get the reference it's probably for the better.

Should the brien tank be full of salt at all time or is it best to allow salt to go down.

Just the video I was searching for, I am learning this for 7 weeks now and wonder why my salt level never changes. I have what looks like excessive soap scum in the tub after thorough cleaning in only 2 days. I think it's the softener. What do you think.? Thanks for your knowledge.

Do you ever have to replace your resin beads

Do these water softeners wear out? Mine is probably 15 years old. Can that tube that goes into the brine tank get plugged up? I manually cycled on my water softener because the water seems hard. I took the white cap off in the brine tank while it was cycling but didn't see water level rising towards the float inside... any thoughts? The salt had run out for a while (and noticed water got hard) and we recently filled it a couple weeks ago.

Does your extra sediment filter remove any iron from well water? I'm asking because I need one about that size for an iron issue in my water

Where is the drain that regen tower drains yucky stuff into? Is it on the floor of garage or basement wherever softener is?

How often should brien tank be emptied out and cleaned?

Do you use a storage tank? How do you use soft water while it’s in regen?????

Is there a problem if you hear water constantly running thru the softener?

Can you help me program automatic softner controller?

Please make a more detailed diagram. Where does the drain come into the picture? I'm in a condo, on city water, my unit is only 1 tub w/2 containers in it.

How much water stays in the brine tank? I have always thought only a few inches at the bottom but my new unit fills nearly to the overflow valve. I called Pelican Technical Support and they said this is normal.

how much water is washed out into the drain after rinsing, how many gallons?

Brine barrel is 1/2 full of water. Never had it that full of water before and it has been full like that for a week. Why? I took most of the water out just now and did a regen. Should I fill it back to the top with salt or is there another problem. Also noticed when the pail I was using scraped against the inside sides of the barrel, there was black stuff on the brim of the pail.

So the regen tank puts water into brine tank and then takes it back to rinse resin beads?

My water softener keeps saying check salt. The salt is full, I poked a stick down in the salt to see if there was a bridge. Nothing changed. I removed the brine tube and blew into it to see if there was a clog. No clog. I forced a reign, it ran through the cycle. Once again no more automatic reigns only the notice “Check Salt.” Very frustrating.

*Devon, I just installed a New Water Softener (GE) After All was finished with assembly, it came time to add Salt. My son-in-law was reading the directions...***It said to Pour 3 Gallons of Water in the Tank and THEN pour in the Salt into the Water. Devon, we accidentally poured the Salt in 1st and then poured the 3 Gallons of Water onto the Salt Pellets...Is this a Serious Error? Will Problems result? I decided to do an Initial "Re-Generation" and the Tank began filling with water and I noticed when the water stopped entering the Tank the Salt Level (@ 2) was lower than the Water Level by about 3 to 4 inches or so...Is this normal? This is a Brand New Machine and I just want to be sure I didn't damage anything...Thanks for any assistance you can Give Me Devon, Thankyou....J/.

I moved to a house in the country and we have a water softener. I'm not knowledgeable about any of this and all it does is confuse me. We go through approximately 3 bags of salt pellets every 4 months for a family of 2. Our softener is set at 30% so my partner says. We are on well water. Is this water not safe to drink or is it only safe to wash clothes, dishes and bath? I have pets and am rather concerned if they drink it. Also should it be set less than 30% or more?

What kind of whole house water filter do you use??

I refill the salt every two weeks.It used to be 6 weeks at least. Can you tell me why does it dissolve so fast?

what about if my PCboard doesn't work anymore?

Hi.So if I see water above my salt does that mean I don't have a bridge?

I never understood my water softener until I watched this video! Thank you! I have one that has the brine, the resin, and another tank for crystal #5 for conditioning the water! I also have a charcoal filter! It used to be that when my water was stinking like sulfur I needed to change the filter! Well I keep changing the filters and it still stinks like sulfur! I checked my brine tank after watching this and it doesn’t seem do be bridging! Another weird thing is that both the hot and cold stink but hot is the worst! Also if I let it run a little bit it stops stinking as bad! I just don’t get why that would be happening! Another thing is that I don’t notice my bathroom water stinking like the kitchen water! I seem to only notice it in the kitchen! I can’t figure out what is going on! Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated!

How do you know if your water softner is automatically set to kick on

We almost have the same name, sounds the same though🤙

Did this video have Pat Benetar playing in the background at super low volume? Great technical information but spare us old broken down types the worry that we are hearing voices, lol. At the beginning I kept going around to see if one of my kids left a TV or computer on.

3:33. Is that a Clack valve ?

How much sodium will the water have with the softener?

Barney style - When I'm brushing my teeth and having so much fun I never let the water-softener run out of salt

Hello my son has not put salt in the container for 3 month, it's an old white tank and I'm not sure but it seems to me not sure but ice nasty and not sure about cooking 🤷 NOT 3 Months It’s Been 2 an a half years

Our POWER Went 3Times LAST Week During The middle of the night. Maintenance For Our City Must Have BEEN Doing work And It Probably Was The Best Time BC IT WAS LATE 😱. Well, I’ve noticed THIS week In Our Bathroom In Basement THAT the Liquid soap Just SEEMS GRIMEY when I’M Done walking my hands And It’s NOT REALLY Lathering!! I WENT and looked to see if the light was blinking for sale BUT it’s FULL And my husband Said It regenerates. BUT I SAY Something IS WRONG 👎🏼Any Advice WOULD Help 😊G-d♥️Bless

Did you... just make an Expeditionary Force reference?

When you have a new system how long until the sulfur egg smell goes away

This guy is fucking great!😂

I’m pretty sure my system doesn’t have a resin tank. Just the salt tank

I have problem our softener alarm Call day

Why do you not believe in using bleach in the well?

Dude looks like a cop although I have no prob with them. It’s just a thing we have in Jamaica for spotting cops. Btw I don’t have a water softener system so why am I watching?