How to Drain Your Water Softener

One awesome thing about water softeners is their relatively simple upkeep. For the most part, maintaining a water softening system involves adding salt pellets every now and then. To really maximize your water softener’s performance and extend its lifespan, though, there are a few routine maintenance tasks you should complete. This may include draining your water softener’s brine tank once every year or so. Not every type of water softener requires manual draining, but some do. Thankfully, draining a water softener’s brine tank isn’t complicated. You should always refer to the system’s owner’s manual for specific instructions, but generally speaking, there are multiple ways you can remove water from the tank:

• Scoop it out! Using a bucket that is small enough to fit in the brine tank, scoop out the water by hand.
• Remove the brine tank. If you’re able, detach the brine tank (following directions in the owner’s manual) and carefully tip it over to dump the water into a drain.
• Use a wet-dry vacuum. If you have access to a wet-dry vacuum (such as a shop-vac), you can use it to suck out water from the brine tank. Make sure the vacuum is designed for use in water, though!

If your water softener features manual regeneration, you can also activate this cycle to replace the water in the softener’s brine tank. No matter how you drain your water softener, though, it’s important to dump the water down a drain, not on your grass or plants. Nothing kills a lush, green lawn faster than multiple gallons of salty water! Once water has been drained from the brine tank, the next step is to clean it. Cleaning this tank about once a year will help your water softener function at peak performance. Here’s how to clean the tank:

• Remove any salt and/or sludge by carefully loosening it with a small shovel or similar tool
• Clean the tank with a mix of water and gentle dishwashing detergent, then rinse thoroughly
• Add new salt and/or water according to the owner’s manual
• Schedule a regeneration cycle for the next night

Florida’s Water Softener Experts

If your home’s water softener is starting to fail—or if hard water is wreaking havoc on your home, skin, hair, or laundry—the contractor to call is Florida Energy Water & Air. An authorized RainSoft dealer, our family-owned and -operated company serves homeowners throughout the Tallahassee, Orlando, Tampa, Melbourne, and West Palm Beach areas. Our team has provided the very best home water solutions and tailored service to customers since 1989, and we’d be happy to add you to our long list of satisfied homeowners.

Schedule a Free, In-Home Consultation

Let’s get started! Contact Florida Energy Water & Air today to schedule a free, in-home consultation, during which our professionals can recommend a RainSoft water softening system that will accommodate your budget and home’s water usage needs. When you call, don’t forget to ask about our easy-term financing options.