Care and cleaning of the water softening system.
Checking the Salt Storage Level and Refilling
Brine (salt dissolved in water) is needed for each and every regeneration. The water for making brine is metered into the salt storage area by the water softening system valve and control. However, you must keep the tank supplied with salt.
When to refill with salt: Check the salt level a few weeks after you install the water softening system and every week after that. Refill when the brine tank is from 1/3 to 1/2 full. In humid areas it is best to fill with less salt more often. Never allow the water softening system to use all the salt before you refill it. Without salt, you will soon have hard water.
Use clean water softening salts only, at least 99.5% pure. NUGGET, PELLET or coarse SOLAR salts are recommended. Do not use rock, block, granulated or ice cream making salts. They contain dirt and sediments, or mush and cake, and will create maintenance problems.
CAUTION: Water softening salt with iron removing additives: Some salts may have an additive to help the water softening system handle iron in the water supply. Although this additive may help to keep the water softening system resin clean, it may also release corrosive fumes that weaken and shorten the life of some water softening system parts. GE recommends using only Diamond Crystal® Red•Out® brand salt.
Cleaning Iron Out of the Water Softening System
Your water softening system takes hardness minerals (calcium and magnesium) out of the water. Also, it can control some (see Specification Guidelines section) “clear water” iron. With clear water iron, water from a faucet is clear when first put into a glass. After 15 to 30 minutes, the water begins to cloud or turn rust colored. A water softening system will not remove any iron that makes the water cloudy or rusty as it comes from the faucet (called red water iron). To take red water iron out of water, or over the maximum of clear water iron, an iron filter or other equipment is needed.
GE recommends using only Diamond Crystal® Red•Out® brand salts with Iron Fighter® additive to help keep the resin bed clean of clear iron. If your water supply has clear water iron, periodic resin bed cleaning is needed. GE recommends using Super Iron Out® brand resin bed cleaner to thoroughly clean your resin bed if your iron content is high. Clean the bed at least every six months, or more often if iron appears in the soft water between cleanings.
IMPORTANT: It is important to mix the resin bed cleaner with water (following the manufacturer’s instructions), pour it into the brine well (see page 6) and regenerate the softener immediately. Do not pour the resin bed cleaner in with the salt, as it will not be as effective in cleaning the resin, and can cause damage to the softener if it is left in the brine tank for an extended period due to the corrosive gases that are formed.
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