Signs Your Water Softener Isn’t Working Properly

For most of us in central Indiana where hard water is prevalent, a water softener is pretty much a necessity. It’s one of those items that we depend on to work all the time and don’t fully appreciate until it stops working properly.

Mostly likely, your water softener doesn’t just break and stop working all at once, but over time it slowly stops completely softening your water.  Here are a few signs that your water softener may need to be serviced.

Cloudy Dishes

After washing your dishes, if you notice that they have a cloudy appearance or that you have to use more soap to get suds to form, your water softener may not be working properly. Hard water deposits have a lot of minerals that soap may have trouble dissolving and will leave your dishes not looking as clean as usual.

Hard Water Spots

Hard water spots on your shower door or porcelain tub are another telltale sign of a failed water softener. They can either be white, cloudy or rusty discolored spots. A properly working water softener won’t leave mineral deposit stains.

Dry or Itchy Skin

Hard water can often make your skin feel dry or itchy after showering or washing your hands. If you notice this, first check to see if there are salt pellets in your brine tank. If there are, this probably means that your water softener has stopped working and needs to be serviced.

Particles in Water

Sand-like particles floating in your water could be resin beads from your water softener. This occurs when your water softener backwashes the resin beads into your water. If this happens, immediately put your water softener into “bypass” mode and call a professional to look at the issue. Your resin beads will probably need to be cleaned or completely replaced.

Low Water Pressure

Mineral deposits or broken resin beads that clog your pipes can lead to a sudden change in water pressure. There are two indications that your water softener has stopped working. Calling a professional to check out your plumbing is probably your best option to determine what is causing the problem.

If You See the Signs

Your water softener plays an important role in providing you with water that cleans and tastes better, and extends the life of your faucets, shower heads, and other plumbing in your home.  So, when you start to see signs that your water softener is not working as it should, please give a local plumber a call.