I discovered today that salt has entered and become encrusted in the main
body of my water softener - picture he https://ibb.co/xfw4Q5v .

Recently I noticed that the salt in the proper compartment had completely
run out. I replaced it as soon as I realised but I don't know how long it
had been gone: not long, I think, since the water showed no signs of
hardening, but could that have been the cause? Is the salt in the main
compartment doing any harm? Should I remove it?

Many thanks.

On Tue, 26 May 2020 12:46:05 +0100
"Bert Coules" wrote:

I discovered today that salt has entered and become encrusted in the
main body of my water softener - picture he
https://ibb.co/xfw4Q5v .

Recently I noticed that the salt in the proper compartment had
completely run out. I replaced it as soon as I realised but I don't
know how long it had been gone: not long, I think, since the water
showed no signs of hardening, but could that have been the cause? Is
the salt in the main compartment doing any harm? Should I remove it?

Many thanks.


My gut feeling would be to remove all the salt that's in the main
compartment, and then have a good look for a crack or leak somewhere in
the working body of the softener. It could be a pipe joint. That does
not look right at all, and resembles the solid block of salt that had
killed the softener in place when I moved here.

--
Davey.

Davey wrote:

My gut feeling would be to remove all the salt that's in the main
compartment, and then have a good look for a crack or leak somewhere in
the working body of the softener.

Thanks for that. Removing the incursive salt is inevitably going to mean
that some of it will drop into the low-level water in the main compartment:
I can't see a way of avoiding that, but perhaps it will do no harm.

Bert Coules wrote:

Removing the incursive salt is inevitably going to mean that some of it
will drop into the low-level water in the main compartment: I can't see
a way of avoiding that, but perhaps it will do no harm.

Fill the kettle before you start ...

Andy Burns wrote:

Fill the kettle before you start ...

I have to admit that my understanding of water softeners is somewhat hazy,
but I didn't think that the water at the bottom of the main compartment was
the same water as is routed to taps, washing machine, and the like. Am I
mistaken?

Indeed, its got through to a place it should not have done, from your
description. Could well be knackered unfortunately.
I don't have a softener here, not sure how I feel about them nowadays. They
were all the rage for a while but apart from lime scale what is the point?
Brian

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On Tue, 26 May 2020 12:46:05 +0100
"Bert Coules" wrote:

I discovered today that salt has entered and become encrusted in the
main body of my water softener - picture he
https://ibb.co/xfw4Q5v .

Recently I noticed that the salt in the proper compartment had
completely run out. I replaced it as soon as I realised but I don't
know how long it had been gone: not long, I think, since the water
showed no signs of hardening, but could that have been the cause? Is
the salt in the main compartment doing any harm? Should I remove it?

Many thanks.


My gut feeling would be to remove all the salt that's in the main
compartment, and then have a good look for a crack or leak somewhere in
the working body of the softener. It could be a pipe joint. That does
not look right at all, and resembles the solid block of salt that had
killed the softener in place when I moved here.

--
Davey.

Brian Gaff wrote:

...apart from lime scale what is the point?

Lime scale may well be the only point, but where I live, lime scale is a
very major point indeed. The water here is ruinously hard.

On Wed, 27 May 2020 07:36:18 +0100
"Bert Coules" wrote:

Brian Gaff wrote:

...apart from lime scale what is the point?

Lime scale may well be the only point, but where I live, lime scale
is a very major point indeed. The water here is ruinously hard.



Here in East Anglia, it is officially Very Hard, over 300 mg/l calcium.
There is a big difference when showering with non-softened water, and it
seriously affects the limescale buildup on taps etc.

--
Davey.

On 26/05/2020 21:05, Bert Coules wrote:
Andy Burns wrote:

Fill the kettle before you start ...

I have to admit that my understanding of water softeners is somewhat
hazy, but I didn't think that the water at the bottom of the main
compartment was the same water as is routed to taps, washing machine,
and the like.Â* Am I mistaken?

The water in the salt compartment (saline) is merely for regenerating
the resin beads and gets flushed to waste. Isolated from Domestic water
by valve trickery.

The encrusted salt in the container is fine doesn't cause any problems
either in-situ or falling off into the water at the bottom.

"www.GymRatZ.co.uk" wrote:

The water in the salt compartment (saline) is merely for regenerating
the resin beads and gets flushed to waste. Isolated from Domestic water
by valve trickery.

The encrusted salt in the container is fine doesn't cause any problems
either in-situ or falling off into the water at the bottom.

Ah, splendid, thanks. I might gently break off the bits clinging to the
walls and see if it returns, though I suspect its appearance might somehow
be connected to the fact that I recently inadvertently let the salt run
completely out: I'd certainly never noticed it happening previously.

On Wednesday, 27 May 2020 12:24:37 UTC+1, Davey wrote:
On Wed, 27 May 2020 07:36:18 +0100
"Bert Coules" wrote:

Brian Gaff wrote:

...apart from lime scale what is the point?

Lime scale may well be the only point, but where I live, lime scale
is a very major point indeed. The water here is ruinously hard.



Here in East Anglia, it is officially Very Hard, over 300 mg/l calcium.
There is a big difference when showering with non-softened water, and it
seriously affects the limescale buildup on taps etc.

Having moved from a pretty darned hard water area to one which has pretty soft water, I really appreciate the difference. We did not have a water softener but would often have appreciated one.

Bert - just heard start of Cadfael on R4 Extra. :-)

"polygonum_on_google" wrote:

Having moved from a pretty darned hard water area
to one which has pretty soft water, I really appreciate
the difference. We did not have a water softener but
would often have appreciated one.

I've had various different models ever since moving to south-east Kent and
wouldn't like to be without one now. As you say, the difference is
startling.

Bert - just heard start of Cadfael on R4 Extra. :-)

Ah yes, The Virgin in the Ice. They're playing the five -part serial over
the course of the week. It will be available on BBC Sounds for a while:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007jlcr