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Help with water softener salt.

8 years ago

I just bought a house about 2 months ago and it has a whole house water softener(11 yrs old). I have done some research but have some questions. I had the company that installed it come out to check it. It is a Fleck 5600 Econominder(mechanical) with a 33,000 grain unit. It is set to regenerate every 900 gallons(tank max is 1,100 gal). Just last week it stopped softening water. It must have been a salt bridge because it started working again after I used a pole to break the salt up.

The tech said to only use Solar salt crystals not pellets. He said that the solar salt crystal will completely dissolve and cause less bridging whereas the pellets will not completely dissolve. This contradicts what I have read that Solar salt crystals have more insoluble matter than pellets and cause more bridging. So which is correct? Which is better to use? Thanks.

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Comments (7)

User
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
The pellets have fewer impurities, but either will work. If you've had a bridge, you ought to empty your salt tank out and clean it to remove the built up insolubles.
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rlb4
Original Author
8 years ago
So which will dissolve completely and be less susceptible to forming a bridge? Is there any advantage to one over the other?
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Actually I do understand how the float works. You said it yourself that the float comes into play to prevent overflowing of the brine tank if the control valve fails. So if the valve did fail, then the float should stop the water flow but it does not and the water drips out the area around the threads holding the float assembly to the brine tank and the hole for the clear tubing. . So the float safety failed since it allowed the water level to rise much higher than the float. Second, is that I have been down this road twice before and if I empty the tank, clean the inlet tube and air check valve etc then its fine. It happens if the tank runs basically out of salt leaving just the white soft undissolved salt on the bottom. But if during the brine sucking phase the air check is clogged or the intake is clogged thus preventing any brine from being sucked out then the water level will not drop but when it goes back to fill the tank the volume of water gets compounded and eventually reaches the level of the float . I do agree that many of the site do not give all the info. although I really did not find any that did not give you a formula of how to size the softener. What I see that can be misleading is that many aren't showing grain capacity needed based on a seven day requirement but more are only 5 days. I did find one that I had gone to before for some info that did calcuate for 7 days. http://www.qualitywatertreatment.com/water_softener_sizing.htm It also uses 75gal per person vs. the more realistic 60 you gave. In their sizing they say you need a 64,000 grain capacity. I get this. In your original post you said I needed 42000 grains to be treated each week. What I then can't understand is why is your recommendation for almost double the capacity for 2.5 cu ft thus a 80,000 grain water softener? This what I am trying to understand.
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User
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
As both contain some impurities, technically neither will dissolve completely. Crystals are up to 99.6% pure salt. Pellets are up to 99.9% pure salt. Fewer impurities will result in less frequent need to clean the brine tank. Bridging is another matter entirely. It has more to do with the conditions in the area of your softener than they type of salt you use. Humidity is the primary culprit. Other things that contribute to bridging are mixing different types of salt (pellet and crystal), filling the tank will too much salt, allowing buildup of insolubles in the brine tank, or sitting the tank on a cold concrete floor.
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rlb4
Original Author
8 years ago
I'm going to clean the tank this weekend. Do I have to empty it completely? How much water should I add when I refill it? My water level seems to fluctuate. Will it self adjust? I know either type of salt will work equally well and they are both about the same $ but which would you use? It seems most people on the forums use the Morton System Saver 2 salt pellets.
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User
8 years ago
Yes, empty it completely to clean it. Add three gallons of water, then enough salt to just cover it. It will self adjust after that.

I prefer the pellets because they are a bit cleaner.
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rlb4
Original Author
8 years ago
So neither Solar salt crystals or Morton System saver 2 pellets will form a bridge or mush more than the other? I think the Morton pellets are 99.9% pure vs the solar salt crystals 99.8% pure. The tech told me that the crystals would dissolve and the pellets would not, therefore causing more likely bridging.
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User
8 years ago
He was incorrect. You will find that most residential water treatment "pros" have little, if any, technical training. Sodium chloride dissolves to an equilibrium of ~3 lb/gal of water, regardless of whether it is crystal or pellet. Crystalline sodium chloride will dissolve a little slower, but it won't matter because there will be more than adequate time for proper dissolution. The only difference of any matter is the amount of insoluble impurities which will build up in the tank over time. Reality is that the difference between pellet and crystal softener salt is so small that it just doesn't matter as long as you don't mix them.
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