water softner

BIGJIMold · 12-26-2005, 09:54 AM

I have a auto softner and a auto acid nentiler.
model 5600 & 5600 ecoonominder.
It has a barrel for salt, all I have is the service manual.
Need to know when and how much salt to put in. From what I
can tell this thing runs by it self.
BIGJIM

Mike Swearingen · 12-26-2005, 10:49 PM

How much salt a softener uses in the brine tank depends on how often it is set to regenerate. Regeneration frequency should be set by the gallons-used-per-month to achieve the desired softness of the water that you're treating.
If it's doing its thing to suit you, just check the salt once in a while until it gets way low in the brine tank. Then, take a clean broom handle or something to stir the salt left in the bottom of the tank to break up any hidden salt "bridge" that may have formed in the bottom, and just re-fill it.
Mine holds a couple of 80-lb bags of rock salt. It comes in smaller bags, if you don't want to lift that much at once. It's a little cheaper by the larger bags, though.
Also, I tried those salt pellets, which are just salt grains compressed into pellets, and they tended to clog up my softener, so I stick with the rock salt. I have real hard water, so I have it set to regenerate frequently, and I usually have to add the 160 lbs of salt about every other month or so.
Good Luck!
Mike

747 · 12-28-2005, 04:18 AM

I pay the culligan man to take care of that for me. I get bill in mail once a month.

fisher501 · 01-06-2006, 09:05 AM

I just keep mine full, that way I never run into any problems. I typically never let the barrel get less than half full.

filtrationworld · 12-26-2006, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Swearingen

How much salt a softener uses in the brine tank depends on how often it is set to regenerate. Regeneration frequency should be set by the gallons-used-per-month to achieve the desired softness of the water that you're treating.
If it's doing its thing to suit you, just check the salt once in a while until it gets way low in the brine tank. Then, take a clean broom handle or something to stir the salt left in the bottom of the tank to break up any hidden salt "bridge" that may have formed in the bottom, and just re-fill it.
Mine holds a couple of 80-lb bags of rock salt. It comes in smaller bags, if you don't want to lift that much at once. It's a little cheaper by the larger bags, though.
Also, I tried those salt pellets, which are just salt grains compressed into pellets, and they tended to clog up my softener, so I stick with the rock salt. I have real hard water, so I have it set to regenerate frequently, and I usually have to add the 160 lbs of salt about every other month or so.
Good Luck!
Mike

I see this is a old post, but I noticed Mike mentioning he goes through almost 160 lbs of salt ever other month?(wow) Which makes me curious to the grains of hardness in your water. Being I've seen Well water as high as 20+ grains of hardness with less salt usage as that. Whats your softener set up? There might be a better solution.

Thanks,

from the curious poster.