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WATER SOFTENER MAINTENANCE Your Softeners Resin Bed Your Water Softener removes hardness minerals from the incoming water by causing them to stick to charge points on the resin bead. These ionic particles are then removed when they are knocked off and replaced by the sodium or potassium ions during the recharge cycle. However some ionic particles that attach to the charge points are more easily knocked off than others and some, such as iron and manganese are extremely difficult for the ionic bombardment to remove. These more highly charged ions build up on the resin bed and can decrease the efficiency “capacity” of your resin bed by as much as 10% in a single year. This is why we recommend a Resin Bed Cleaning once a year with a special cleaning compound that removes these stubborn ionic particles and restores your softener to its full capacity. This helps you use less salt and keep the water coming into your home or business completely soft like it should be. Otherwise the water just keeps getting worse a little at a time. So little at a time that you might not even notice until you start to see the destructive results on your fixtures and appliances, or even worse, your hair and skin. Your Softeners Brine Tank You help your softener do all this by putting salt or potassium in the brine tank on a regular basis or as it is used up. A natural result of this is that the brine tank is going to get dirty, even nasty, over time. None of these products is 100% pure so as they are used up a residual is left that is not dissolved and used by the softener. This residue builds up and mixes with the dust, dirt, insects, etc, that get into the tank and create a sludge. This sludge then becomes part of the regenerant for your water softener. In other words the softener puts water into this and draws it back into the resin bed to clean your softener. If the sludge gets deep enough it can actually draw the sludge itself into the valve and cause serious damage to the interior valve components. This is why we recommend a Brine Tank Cleaning each year to clean and sanitize the tank that is being used by your softener to clean itself. Your Softeners Valve The valve is the part of your softener that performs the task of regenerating it when necessary. It does this all by itself whenever needed and you don’t have to do anything and may never know it is happening. Too many people reward this devoted service by letting it sit there and work untill it literally chews itself up inside. All valves, (YES I said ALL VALVES no matter what your sales person told you) have something that moves and something that the moving part rides on. This part that the moving part rides on is called a seal. When this seal wears down the part that moves will grind against the inside of the valve and destroy itself or the valve body or both. This is why we recommend that the Seals be Changed in your valve on a regular schedule. Each valve design has its own distinct seal to valve configuration so the time span between seal changes varies with different valves. Our specialists have been maintaining these valves for a long time and can tell you what we recommend for your specific valve design. This does not help the sales person sell you a new softener every “X” number of years and it does not help the manufacturer move another unit but it does help you keep the softener you already own working like new for many, many years. That’s good for you, and that makes it the right thing to do. After all it is you we went into business to serve, and it is you who puts the food on our table.

If your water has a rotten egg smell you probably have one of three problems. 1. You may have Hydrogen Sulfide Gas in your water. 2. You may have a Bacteria in your water that excretes Hydrogen Sulfide Gas. 3. You may have a zinc annode rod in your water heater and be operating it on softened water. Hydrogen Sulfide Gas is a result of decaying organic material trapped in the earths crust. It can get into your water underground and then be released from the water as it comes out of the faucet. Bacteria gets into your water (this type most likely from the underground source) and inhabits your plumbing and fixtures. They feed on substances in the water and then excrete the gas. This puts the gas in the water and it is released when the water exits the faucet. A zinc annode rod in a water heater can react with the ions in softened water and cause a rotten egg smell. Since Hot water intensifies the release of molecules from the water, all smells are worse from the water heater and make this a confusing situation for you. For help with this problem call us at 512-756-7710 or email us at [email protected]

If your water smells like sewage it may  contain Methane Gas, Organic Matter, or you may have Septic Contamination. Methane Gas is produced by decaying organic matter and can form in pockets in the earths crust and find its way into your water. When the water exits the faucet the gas is released. Organic matter in many forms can find their way into your water and can produce undesired odors. Septic Contamination can occur when the water supply comes in contact with sewage. Perhaps the well is too close to a septic tank. Maybe a sewer plant overflows sending sewage downstream to be picked up by the water intake. In any case this would be a serious problem.  For help with this problem call us at 512-756-7710 or email us at [email protected]

A blue/green color in your water indicates the presence of Copper. The action level for Copper in drinking water is 1.3 mg/L Potential health effect from drinking water with excess amounts of Copper is Gastrointestinal irritation. Copper in your water can come from Natural/industrial deposits, Wood preservatives, and plumbing pipes and fittings. Blue / Green stains indicate the presence of Copper in the water. Water picks up Copper from natural deposits, industrial processes, wood preservatives, and plumbing. A potential health effect from ingesting water with excess Copper is gastrointestinal irritation. Alan’s insights : Most of the blue/green stains we see are caused by the water leeching the copper from the pipes in the home. If it is so serious that you can see the color in the water you have a serious problem. This can happen because the pH of the water is too low (or too acidic), the water contains a chemical such as ammonia or chloramines that simply dissolve the copper, the water is under the influence of an electrical charge which causes electrolysis which decomposes the copper or other metal, excess dissolved oxygen in the water which reacts with carbon dioxide to release copper ions into the water, or excessive water movement such as may be found with a hot water re-circulation pump which literally wears the copper pipe out by the forces of friction. Contrary to what we often hear, this is not the result of having a water softener. Some people believe a water softener makes the water aggressive. However, anyone who understands how a water softener works knows this cannot be the case. A water softener works using ion exchange which means it swaps one type of ion for another type of ion. This action leaves the water the same balance it was before. The reason this old tale lives on is most likely that the softened water does not create scale in the pipe any longer. This may even allow the scale that had previously formed to wear away, thereby exposing the pipe to the corrosive nature of the water that existed all along but only being noticed by the homeowner after the installation of the water softener. There are very effective solutions available for this type of situation. You should consult with a licensed water treatment professional to find the best solution for your particular problem. That way you can be sure to make it better and not worse. Especially with something like this you need someone with knowledge of the chemistry and not just someone with something to sell. For help with this problem call us at 512-756-7710 or email us at [email protected] Alan’s insights are observations made by Alan over decades of experience but are in no way intended to diagnose a specific problem. Every water system challenge is unique in it’s own way and a licensed professional should always be consulted before applying any treatment option.

Dark brown or black colored water is most commonly caused by the presence of Manganese. The Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level for Manganese is 0.05 mg/L. Manganese comes from natural deposits in the earth. For help with this problem call us at 512-756-7710 or email us at [email protected]