wrote in message
ups.com...
Hello,

My sister bought a new home recently. Her well was tested before it
was closed. It was found to have a Ph of 6.6, Hardness of 110ppm, Iron
level of 0.88ppm. I do not remember the rest of the numbers. But the
water comes out with a brownish color and cloudy. It stains the tub
and toilet. Even replaced the hose to the rinser on the sink because
it was clogged.

The problem is that they have a water softening system. It's either
not working or it's not effective. The salt level never goes down,
according to them they haven't added salt yet since they moved in
because the level never dropped. I'm not sure how the system pulls
salt from the salt tank. But it's never wet inside. The main tank for
it is clearly running, it gets condensation on it from water running
through it. They don't know if it was maintained well or not. But
we're trying to figure out if it's even working right. If it needs to
be replaced, or was never the right thing that the past owners
installed in the first place. What could be wrong, what could they do
to get rid of the rust color? Any help would be appreciated. I can
try and supply any additional info if necessary.

Thanks,
Bill V.

Assuming the mechanics are working properly, sounds like a salt dome has
formed. In humid areas (basement), if too much salt is added to the
machine, the salt at the top of the pile will stick together and form a salt
dome. The salt under that will dissolve but once that is gone the softener
gets only water to cycle with and of course doesn't work. Try pouring very
warm water on the top of the salt and use a broom stick to bust up the salt
until it falls down into the tank. That being said, 110 ppm of hardness is
pretty hard. I used to sell units for Sears and we had a city well in
Chandler, AZ that gave out with 108 ppm. We weren't allowed to sell units
in that area. It is possible to use a softener but you might have to put
more than one softener in line to do the job. As for iron...a softener will
handle some iron but usually not the type of iron that causes the rust
stains in the tubs, sinks and around the fixtures. You may have to add an
iron filter which is kind of like a softener in appearance but uses a
different type of process to remove the iron. Check out the water shop at
Sears.com for more info. (no longer affiliated with Sears in any way, shape
or form) Did the previous owner provide a whole house warranty as a sales
incentive to your Sister. If so might be, calling in a serviceman would be
the way to go.

Tom G.