Water softener ???

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C@TCH

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I went to check my salt level other day and noticed water in water softener. Level of water is above salt, never seen this before. Is there something wrong, or nothing to worry about.
 
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Reach4

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Salt gets consumed. The salt level goes down each regeneration. That is normal.

If there is something surprising, such as the water level higher than the salt level used to be?
 

Bannerman

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A softener under normal operation, will refill the brine tank with the same amount of water during each regeneration cycle.

If for example, your softener is programmed to regenerate with 9 lbs of salt, 3 (US) gallons of water will flow into the brine tank each cycle as each gallon will dissolve 3 lbs of salt. Those 3 gallons will continue to be replaced each cycle, regardless if there is no salt remaining in the tank or if there is 150 lbs.

If you usually keep your brine tank topped-up, you may never actually see water as it will remain below the salt level whereas if you allow the salt level to drop over time, the salt will eventually be consumed to the point where all remaining salt will be entirely below the water level.

If the softener is not operating properly, there are circumstances where brine will not be drawn out but water will continue to be replaced each cycle, resulting in the brine tank (over) filling with water. The cause could be as simple as a very small leak (ie: loose hose connection) which allows air to be sucked in during brine draw, but not large enough to show a water leak during refill.

As most brine tanks have a 'safety float' installed to prevent overflowing, check that float to see if the water currently in your brine tank is high enough to raise the float, thereby closing a valve in the brine tank. If so, this is usually a good indicator that your water level is too high. The float will likely be inside a plastic pipe, often with a removable cap, located within the brine tank.

If you're mechanically inclined, you could likely make repairs yourself even if parts are required.

Indicate the softener brand and model or post some photos if you prefer.
 
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Mialynette2003

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There are softeners that fill first and ones that fill last. EcoWater, Sears, GE, NorthStar and Lowes are common fill first softener. If you have a softener that is a fill first and it is full of water, you have a problem with the unit. Fill first system leaves about 2" of water in the bottom of the brine tank. The most common cause is the venturi being stopped up.
 

ditttohead

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Some softeners are float filled, not time filled. What softener do you have? Float filled softeners are not highly accurate and if the salt level drops below water level, this can cause excessive salt usage.
 

Reach4

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Float filled softeners are not highly accurate and if the salt level drops below water level, this can cause excessive salt usage.
Cool. I had to think about that one. It initially seemed counter-intuitive.
 

ditttohead

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LOL, I used to sell the Erie 541 valve in the 80's as well as the Sta-rite and a lot of Aquamatic, Bruners, Shurz etc. These were all float filled. Some modern softeners today are still float filled. Time filling is far more accurate but Float filling is simpler from the aspect of the way the valve works.
 

C@TCH

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What does this motor do, I watched the regenerating get process and it neve comes on.

I went to check my salt level other day and noticed water in water softener. Level of water is above salt, never seen this before. Is there something wrong, or nothing to worry about.
 

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Mialynette2003

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That's an old EcoWater 3000 model. The rotors have a habit of cracking. The venturi needs to be looked at as possible cause for brine tank filling. This is a fill first unit. Only about 2" of water should be in the tank.
 

C@TCH

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That's an old EcoWater 3000 model. The rotors have a habit of cracking. The venturi needs to be looked at as possible cause for brine tank filling. This is a fill first unit. Only about 2" of water should be in the tank.
What are the rotors,what should I be looking at.
What should I look at on Venturi.
When you say it should only have 2" of water, is that above salt?
Or should I not be seeing any water.
 

Mialynette2003

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The rotors are inside the housing. You would have to take the end caps off to get to them. Look at the venturi itself and the venturi gasket. I have an exploded view of the parts. Send me an email and I'll send it to you.
 

Vegas_sparky

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I had a big box store softener do that to me. I didn't get the salt out in time, it turned to a solid block, and ruined it. More water, and a corded DeWalt roto hammer couldn't save it.
 

Noyzee1

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I agree with everything that's been said so far. That softener should never have water above the salt unless the salt is extremely low. It's timed on the start of the regeneration cycle, as already stated.
The valve body itself, which is a white PVC-like material, may not be cracked, but most certainly needs a rebuilt implemented. I suggest you research the unit and go to http://www.softenerparts.com for more info. I'm not an endorser or even bought anything from them (yet!), but they do have an informative site, with all the parts you should need.
You could also look for a used unit locally and scavenge parts, as I have, to very good effect.
Cheers,
JIM

PS- Are you handy, mechanically inclined, curious?;)
 

C@TCH

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Ok so what I did was remove all the salt out of softner, there was about 6" of sludge on bottom and some dark looking stuff like mud under that. I washed everything out and refilled with new better quality salt. Windsor Select Plus.
Added about 2 cups of Pro Res Care as recomended by someone and manually started a recharge. Hopefully this will work.
Just curious, is there a way to check the operation of the brine well valve and float, and the Venturi.
 
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