Water softener makes water taste salty?

DaynaJ · #1 10/18/12, 10:10 PM

Why would this be happening? I unplugged it & restarted it, still not working. Water is not salty anymore, but it's not soft either & I'm not using any salt. Any ideas ya'll?? Thanks--

blooba · #2 10/18/12, 10:27 PM

Sounds like a bad controller, salty water means the regen process didnt finish the rinse cycle. No salt use and no softening means its not regenerating anymore.

What brand/model, how old might be time for a new one

Alice In TX/MO · #3 10/19/12, 06:23 AM

It's broken. They don't last forever. I just replaced the system on this house.

hercsmama · #4 10/19/12, 06:32 AM

Sounds like it could be a few things.
That's one reason I married a plumber! Lol. Makes these kind of repairs easy.
We have had the same softener for 15 years, you can call the manufacturer, believe it or not, they will talk you through diagnosing, and repairing it. If that's not an option for you,
head to a Sears outlet store.
They sell last years models waaaaay cheaper than a new one in stores.
We are selling our house, as ours is so old we are replacing it for selling purposes. A new one would be around 5-700 here. We are getting one of last years from an outlet for just under 400. Can't beat those savings.

blooba · #5 10/19/12, 07:57 AM

I know they are expensive but they are worth it, a Kinetico water softener is the last softener you will ever buy, they have no electronics to break and use alot less salt since they truly are based on usage only. Switched to one and my salt usage was cut by more than half. I went with a reconditioned one that I made sure they put new media in.

suitcase_sally · #6 10/19/12, 10:57 AM

If you open a faucet while the softener is cycling and don't have the by-pass set, you will siphon salt water into your water lines. How did I discover this? Yucky coffee. Ever had coffee made with salt water? It's GREEEAAAT! (not!)

Alice In TX/MO · #7 10/19/12, 11:08 AM

It will only do that if it's not working correctly. It should bypass the house water when it's cycling.

DaynaJ · #8 10/20/12, 09:44 AM

the best one at Sears. Also I don't use it in the winter because the drain hose lyes on top on the ground as there was no drain anywhere close where we put it. It froze the first year as I forgot about it regenerating in the middle of the night. But I did use it after that when it was warm outside again. I'll see if I can get ahold of a technician somewhere & he'll help me. No money for new one or service call--I feel in my bones that it's something simple, I just don't know what & I've never had one before so I know nothing about them!! Gr-r-r-r