[TTran]

I have a Kenmore 350 series water softener. Noticed the water feels different so I went out earlier to check the salt level and found the tank 3/4 full of water and the salt pellets are now clear, guessing its been full of water for awhile. Contacted Kenmore and since I am out of warranty, they were really limited on what they can help me with.

They recommended to clean the venturi and do a recharge. After the recharging process it only drained about 1/4 of the tank with still alot of water in it.

I don't think there suppose to be that much water in it. Could some one please give me some advice on what to do? Should I add more salt?

Thank you for any feedback.

 

[hayewe farm]

I would suggest you siphon the water out, clean the brine tank, if there is no salt left add a bag and recycle the softener. My guess is that the venturi was clogged and it kept adding water to the brine tank but never drew it out to clean the softener. A lot of the salts contain dirt and you need to clean the brine tank periodically.

 

[TTran]

I would suggest you siphon the water out, clean the brine tank, if there is no salt left add a bag and recycle the softener. My guess is that the venturi was clogged and it kept adding water to the brine tank but never drew it out to clean the softener. A lot of the salts contain dirt and you need to clean the brine tank periodically.

Thank you for your response. I just checked it again and it seems pretty dirty on the bottom. Would you mind giving me suggestions on how to siphon the water out?

 

[Chemist1961]

TT, I have cleaned and rebuilt my GE 35 series several times almost same as Kenmore several times. There is a great step by step trouble shooting guide at www.kenmorewater.com. If you have a laptop take it to the softener.
Do the brine tank andventuri and post back. Check your float and water level in tank as well. You need to empty the tank as much as possible , rinse with warm water and suck it clean with a shop vac. Then start with only 1 bag of salt to prevent salt bridging. Make sure to check for venturi blockage and wear on your seals.
As HE says, cheaper salt contains a higher level of impurities, but this softener is also prone to several wear and tear issues which I can walk you through if you need to rebuild your control valve... but be sure to follow the Kenmore instructions step by step... no shortcuts
Start with cleaning, then post back and remmeber to recarge. This is not always one day fix as your system and water heater ,etc may need to regenerate over 2-3 days so keep posing updates. Please post age and do you soften hot and cold or just hot as I do?
PS when Kenmore takes you to call for service... THATS US!:thumbsup: not them

 

[TTran]

TT, I have cleaned and rebuilt my GE 35 series several times almost same as Kenmore several times. There is a great step by step trouble shooting guide at www.kenmorewater.com. If you have a laptop take it to the softener.
Do the brine tank andventuri and post back. Check your float and water level in tank as well. You need to empty the tank as much as possible , rinse with warm water and suck it clean with a shop vac. Then start with only 1 bag of salt to prevent salt bridging. Make sure to check for venturi blockage and wear on your seals.
As HE says, cheaper salt contains a higher level of impurities, but this softener is also prone to several wear and tear issues which I can walk you through if you need to rebuild your control valve... but be sure to follow the Kenmore instructions step by step... no shortcuts
Start with cleaning, then post back and remmeber to recarge. This is not always one day fix as your system and water heater ,etc may need to regenerate over 2-3 days so keep posing updates. Please post age and do you soften hot and cold or just hot as I do?
PS when Kenmore takes you to call for service... THATS US!:thumbsup: not them

Thanks a lot for the help! I will use my dry/wet vac after I get off work to clean it out. Im also going to pick up a new gasket for the heck of it. Hopefully this should all help.

 

[Chemist1961]

If you open the venture the Kenmore site will walk you through right and wrong installation scenarios for gaskets and several similar looking black washers with pinholes. Be careful as to location and positioning as there is a right and wrong side up foer all these components