Anyone run their softener without the top basket?

[BDrivenByDemons]

Found a little pipe dope from install that had squeezed its way into the resin. I pulled the basket and ran the BW so all that gunk could get flushed. My resin expands to about 6" below the valve. Any reason to not leave it this way?

 

[Reach4]

I run my H2S+iron filter without a top basket. The top basket was pretty gunked up.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[BDrivenByDemons]

I do the same on my iron filter but not the softener. Since that doesn't get as gunked up. I really see no reason to leave it on if I'm not backwashing resin to drain

 

[Bannerman]

A top basket within a softener, will act as a diffuser to spread the flow of incoming water evenly across the diameter of the resin as opposed to allowing the solid water stream to erode a deep divot into the resin.

Because iron reduction systems oxidize ferrous iron to cause it to be converted to ferric iron, the resulting ferric solids to be backwashed from the heavy filtration media, will often clog an upper basket screen, so an upper basket is usually not utilized. To diffuse the incoming water flow above the filtration media, an umbrella style diffuser is recommended.

 

[BDrivenByDemons]

A top basket within a softener, will act as a diffuser to spread the flow of incoming water evenly across the diameter of the resin as opposed to allowing the solid water stream to erode a deep divot into the resin.

Because iron reduction systems oxidize ferrous iron to cause it to be converted to ferric iron, the resulting ferric solids to be backwashed from the heavy filtration media, will often clog an upper basket screen, so an upper basket is usually not utilized. To diffuse the incoming water flow above the filtration media, an umbrella style diffuser is recommended.

That makes sense. I guess I'll let it BW one more cycle then replace it.