7000 SXT New member here needing HELP

[Reach4]

Look at the pictures I posted. I was thinking of cleaning the brine tank since its low on salt. Do you still recommend I wait?

That did look a little odd. Do you have a sediment filter on your incoming water? I am wondering if there is something that floats coming in. Maybe a child dropped a piece of cookie in there. Or maybe something is growing. I have very limited experience. Maybe somebody has seen something like that before.

Anyway, your deposited scum seems to have been from something that floats. I think of stuff that sinks when I think of cleaning the brine tank. "What I would do" does not go as far as a recommendation. I might fail to do the right thing at times. But that might be enough to get me to stop adding salt and clean when I am about out. If the salt will not completely cover the water, I like to tilt my salt to have some salt out of the water. I don't know if stratification is a real problem, or not, but tilting would seem to make sure that won't happen as your salt gets used.

 

[mOmar]

Just thinking, did you happen to buy salt with any additives?

Some salts contain cleaners to help clean the resin when iron is in the water. While I haven't previously seen salt additives leave a visible residue, perhaps if a cleaner was included, maybe it dried-out or reacted with something in the brine tank, leaving a dark colored residue.

This is a link to the salt I buy.... http://www.lowes.com/pd_25654-113-100123420___?productId=50107188&pl=1&Ntt=salt

As far as I know it doesn't contain any additives.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[mOmar]

That did look a little odd. Do you have a sediment filter on your incoming water? I am wondering if there is something that floats coming in. Maybe a child dropped a piece of cookie in there. Or maybe something is growing. I have very limited experience. Maybe somebody has seen something like that before.

Anyway, your deposited scum seems to have been from something that floats. I think of stuff that sinks when I think of cleaning the brine tank. "What I would do" does not go as far as a recommendation. I might fail to do the right thing at times. But that might be enough to get me to stop adding salt and clean when I am about out. If the salt will not completely cover the water, I like to tilt my salt to have some salt out of the water. I don't know if stratification is a real problem, or not, but tilting would seem to make sure that won't happen as your salt gets used.

I don't have any type of filters. One thing I am remembering is that a couple of days before I saw this, the water level in the tank was above all the salt pellets.

 

[Bannerman]

The Bright and Soft salt at the link you provided, did not indicate any additives.

Interesting, the B & S product you purchase indicates it is up to 99.8% pure salt whereas the Iron Fighter product with the iron removal additive, indicates it is up to 99.8% pure salt. I would expect a salt with an iron removal additive would be less than 99.8% pure salt since the additive is not salt.

I have no explanation of what the dark residue is. Could there have been something stuck to the outside of one of the salt bags that fell-off into the brine tank when you added salt?
When you installed the softener, did you remove the salt grid to completely clean-out the tank prior to adding salt and water? If not, there may have been filings or other residue remaining from the manufacturing/assembly process although if the residue is plastic, I would not expect it to dissolve when rubbed between your fingers.

 

[Reach4]

http://www.cargill.com/salt/static/DM018893.pdf says

Sodium Chloride 99.97%
Sodium Hexametaphosphate 0.03%
​

 

[Bannerman]

http://www.cargill.com/salt/static/DM018894.pdf
Sodium Chloride 99.62%
Citric Acid 0.35%
Sodium Hexametaphosphate 0.03%

 

[mOmar]

The Bright and Soft salt at the link you provided, did not indicate any additives.

Interesting, the B & S product you purchase indicates it is up to 99.8% pure salt whereas the Iron Fighter product with the iron removal additive, indicates it is up to 99.8% pure salt. I would expect a salt with an iron removal additive would be less than 99.8% pure salt since the additive is not salt.

I have no explanation of what the dark residue is. Could there have been something stuck to the outside of one of the salt bags that fell-off into the brine tank when you added salt?
When you installed the softener, did you remove the salt grid to completely clean-out the tank prior to adding salt and water? If not, there may have been filings or other residue remaining from the manufacturing/assembly process although if the residue is plastic, I would not expect it to dissolve when rubbed between your fingers.

I don't remember rinsing out the brine tank or salt grid. So that may be a possibility.

I just completely removed the salt and started new. There wasn't much salt left. I'm going to wait a couple of hours as has been suggested before I do a manual regen. I added about 6 gallons of water. I hope that is enough.

 

[Bannerman]

Each gallon added to the brine tank will dissolve 3 lbs of salt, so 18 lbs will be dissolved.

Not all 6 gallons will be drawn by the softener on this initial regeneration following an empty brine tank as a small amount of fluid below the brine pickup screen, will continue to remain. As subsequent brine fill quantities will be added to that remaining amount, the full quantity of those subsequent fills will be utilized.

 

[mOmar]

I just tested the water with the Hach 5B test kit. My water hardness is 22gpg. I tested the water from several different faucets throughout the house and it appears the softener is working. I re-programmed the setting on the softner to 22, as I previously had the hardness level at 20. Thanks for all the help guys.

 

[Reach4]

I just completely removed the salt and started new.

Was there any dark residue or other sign that the cleaning was needed?

I just tested the water with the Hach 5B test kit. My water hardness is 22gpg. I tested the water from several different faucets throughout the house and it appears the softener is working.

Very nice.

 

[mOmar]

Was there any dark residue or other sign that the cleaning was needed?



Very nice.

There wasn't much residue. The only residue/dirt appeared to be on the top layer of the salt and on the side of the tank just like in the picture. There wasn't much salt left so I just decided to toss it out, clean the tank, and start new. If that residue/dirt comes back again, I'll let you guys know ASAP.

 

[Reach4]

If that residue/dirt comes back again, I'll let you guys know ASAP.

If you want to monitor whether the salt has been accessed by somebody else, maybe put an inconspicuous mark on the lid. Align the mark to 10 o'clock when you put the lid back on. That way if the kids play around with it, you will know.

 

[ditttohead]

Horror story, I used to have commercial rental softeners systems all throughout Los Angeles. If we did not secure the brine tanks, they simply became toilets...

 

[John Vegas]

If you want to monitor whether the salt has been accessed by somebody else, maybe put an inconspicuous mark on the lid. Align the mark to 10 o'clock when you put the lid back on. That way if the kids play around with it, you will know.

After a few months, I get a similar "dirt" or "scum" on top of the salt in my brine tank. I always figured it was dirty salt or accumulated dirt from the water, or even just dust in the air (even though the tank lid is tight). I usually just let the salt run low and then move it outside with a dolly and hose off the salt, I usually only lose a few pieces that get washed out.

 

[mOmar]

Hello Guys,

It's been a few months since I changed the settings. I am still getting white build up in my master shower and the finish is falling off of the fixtures.
I tested the water with Hach 5B test kit and the test comes back at 0 ppg.
Is there such thing as using too much salt? Could all that build up be salt?

These are my settings:
Fleck 7000SXT Settings:
DF = Gal
VT = dF2b
CT = Fd
C = 35
H = 22.0
RS = cr
DO = 14
RT = 2:00
B1 = 8.0
Bd = 60.0
B2 = 5.0
RR = 10.0
BF = 43
FM = t1.2