Brine Tank Question

[Truckman]

A little late and after the fact....hope I didn't mess anything up...

I just finished emptying out my brine tank of all the salt, got all the mush out. I refilled it with fresh salt, and then did a manual recharge.

Should I have added water to the brine tank first? Or will it do it as it recharges...?

[Truckman]

OK. It's gone through the regen now, so everything should be good to go then? Did I risk messing anything up? Should I do another regen, then?

Thank you for the help.

[Gary Slusser]

Yes do another one after adding 3-4 gallons of water poured down into the water, not through the salt. Wait two hours and do the manual regeneration. And if you weren't using pellet salt, you wouldn't have that mush buildup.

Softeners always leave a few inches of water in the salt tank at the end of the brining cycle; it can't be sucked out. Then they either add the volume of water for the salt dose lbs for the next regeneration at the end of a regeneration (most do it that way) or, they wait to do that at the beginning of the next regeneration (that is best, like my Clack WS-1) but...

No one including my good buddy Biermech can tell you how much water your softener will add to that water during the brine fill cycle unless they know the salt dose lbs.. That is controlled by the number of lbs of salt (3lbs/gallon) that the control valve, or the cheap float controlled volume of the Famous water powered KINETICO, is programmed to use per regeneration. So, 15 lbs requires 5 gallons etc.. I think Biermech sells smaller softeners than I normally do, that must use more salt than my smaller softeners and many of my larger softeners. That's because I size for high salt efficiency.

Solar crystal salt is best.

[Truckman]

OK, thank you two for the help. I just poured in 4 gallons of water through the tube in the brine tank. When we get back home later this evening, I'll do another manual regen. Gary, what salt do you recommend, then? I seem to hear pros and cons for every type. Can you provide a link for me?

Thanks again!

[Gary Slusser]

OK, thank you two for the help. I just poured in 4 gallons of water through the tube in the brine tank. When we get back home later this evening, I'll do another manual regen. Gary, what salt do you recommend, then? I seem to hear pros and cons for every type. Can you provide a link for me?

Thanks again!

Earlier I said solar crystal.

Solar crystal is a type not a brand. It is usually sold at the same places pellet type salt is sold. It is usually less expense than pellets and it totally dissolves, unlike pellets. And there is no mush.

[Truckman]

Earlier I said solar crystal.

Solar crystal is a type not a brand. It is usually sold at the same places pellet type salt is sold. It is usually less expense than pellets and it totally dissolves, unlike pellets. And there is no mush.

I know it's a type, not a brand. What I was asking was if you had any brand preference for solar salt. I guess not, though, since it sounds like I can just go into HD or Lowe's and pick up whatever they have that's solar.

Thanks again for the help!

[Gary Slusser]

Yes, it's like a 5 lb bag of granulated sugar, they are all the same sweetness so by the lowest price bag regardless the brand. The same with gasoline unless it is Hugo Chavez's Cit-Go, Velero is it, or Petro Express.