rlp2955 wrote:

All,
I just recently had a new GE water softener installed in my home
and I am trying to confirm whether the darn thing actually works.
Here is what I do know...I originally put a 40lb bag in and 3 gallons
of water. The water is slightly above the salt in the salt tank. I
ran the manual diagnostics to see the meter reading when I turn on the
soft water faucets. The meter runs which seems to me proof that its
working properly. However, I was told that when you run a manual
regeneration you should see water moving into the smaller brine well
tank. I don't really notice anything happening at all when I do a
regeneration other than hearing water noise and water running out the
drain behind the filter. Is there a way for me visibly to see that
this thing is working? It is set to regenerate at 2am...does that
mean it regenerates every night at 2am...or only when it needs to? If
I did multiple regenerations manually, shouldn't I notice a drop in
the salt level?

I am a newbie here...but I don't notice a difference in the "feeling"
of our water. We have had it for a week. Just want to confirm that I
do or do not need to have someone come look at it. Please help.
Thanks in advance.

"...had a new GE water softener installed..."
If someone else installed it, you might want to consult with that
person for expectations.

Remember that your hot water heater was filled with previously
unsoftened water, so it might take a little bit of time to flush
all that through.

The water in the brine well should be the same height (approximately)
as the water in the salt reservoir, as there are holes near the bottom.

I installed a new GE softener just a few years ago, and unlike older
softeners, the water level was very low, except during certain
stages of regeneration.

Check your manual, but if it is like mine (and I suspect most newer
softeners), it only runs at 2am "when it needs to". Of course, its
definition of "when it needs to" is probably based simply upon the
number of gallons of water that have passed though since the last
regeneration, not any measure of water hardness.

As other posters have mentioned, the true measure of whether it is
working is whether there is a difference in hardness from before to
after the softener. You can take samples and have them measured,
you can use pool chemistry measurements kits, or you can try
washing your hand in the before and after water with bar soap (not
liquid soap, which is not actually soap).