Yikes!! Saltier than the Dead Sea!!

13 years ago

Had an unusual occurrence yesterday evening. Got a glass of water from the 'fridge tap and immediately had to spit it out... it was saltier than the Dead Sea! It was worse than swallowing a mouthful of water from the ocean. I do not exaggerate!

Other taps in the house seemed ok. I threw the (icemaker's) ice out, and emptied glass after glass from the 'fridge tap. The water eventually came out fine.

I have a water softener that is set to regenerate in the middle of the night. The only thing I can think of is the icemaker was busy at the time of regeneration.

I'll be keeping a watchful eye on the situation... hoping that nothing is wrong with the softener. Has anyone else experienced this? Any ideas of what might have happened?

Thanks!

Comments (3)

User
13 years ago
If you have a single resin tank softener and water is used during softener regeneration you will get untreated water, not salty water. If you have a twin resin tank softener then you will get softened water if water is used during regeneration. Sounds like you have a single resin tank softener.

The only way you would get salty water would be if the softener is not operating properly.

What is the brand and model of the softener?

How long has the softener been in service?

Has routine maintenance been done on the softener?

On well water or a water system?

Do you have the results of a water test?
sem67
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you for your quick reply! The water was not "untreated" at all... it was simply very salty. We have a spigot available outside for untreated water, and the water from there is nothing like we encountered last night.

I'm at work and do not recall the make. Yes, it is a single tank and it has been in service for about 3 years. We are on a well. The water had been tested when we got the softener, but I do not recall the results.

And probably contributing to the problem... no maintenance has ever been done. I was looking through the documentation that was provided with the unit and it wasn't much help to me. The documentation is geared toward the installer.

Anything recommended? If this is beyond a typical homeowner's skills, I'll call in a pro.

Thanks!
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User
13 years ago
On a single resin tank softener the untreated water is bypassed to the service line while the softener is in regeneration.

The only time that the brine (salt) solution from the brine tank is in the resin is during the brining stage. After that the rinse should take all the brine solution out of the brtine to the drain so if you tasted salt something is wrong at the softener.

On a well you should be getting annual water tests to make sure there's no bacteria or nitrates. Well water can changes its conditions rapidly and often.

You should be cleaning out the brine tank annually.

If there's iron in your water you should be routinely using a resin cleaner like Iron Out or the like.

Check that the drain line from the softener control valve to the drain is clear and not pinched or obstructed.

If you bought the softener from a local water treatment pro then consider ringing them up and inquiring about a service call. If you do, make sure you're home when it happens... you can learn a lot especially if the service person is a friendly sort and likes to answer questions.