Is there water higher than the salt level in the tank? It's normal to have about 0-4 inches of water at the very bottom of the tank but anything above that means something isn't working right. If you see water harboring higher than the salt level, it may be an obstructed venturi or drain line. Our instructions below walk you through some quick general maintenance to get the softener back on track. Don't worry, we're here to help! Together, let's go through these steps one by one.
Before You Start!
- Troubleshooting this issue takes time. Make sure to follow each step carefully! Skipping or incorrectly completing a step can make it harder to identify the problem and may extend the process.
- It's recommended not to use any water using appliances throughout the home while troubleshooting. These would be things like: the shower, flushing toilet, sinks, dishwasher, etc. These appliances will activate the water softener and affect troubleshooting.
- Click on each step to expand for detailed directions. Within each step below includes a how-to video you can follow along with.
- If the display screen shows an Error Code or the board is unresponsive, please check out those articles first before troubleshooting the excess water problem.
- Printing Tip: Expand all directions first before printing.
Step 1 - Check for External Leaks
External leaks are usually a symptom of a separate issue. It’s important to ensure there are no external leaks that are causing water to enter the softener first, as this requires separate troubleshooting.
a. First you'll need to remove the top cover.
b. Examine the area under the cover for any standing water, as well as the inlet/outlet ports for any evidence of dripping water that could be filling the tank.
Do you notice any water in these places?
- YES - You'll need to identify where the leak is coming from. Visit the External Leak article.
- NO - Continue to step 2.
Step 2 - Check the Drain Line Requirements
A common reason for excess water in the salt tank is due to the drain lines. Let’s ensure the drain lines meet the installation requirements:
a. There should be 2 separate drain lines coming from the softener to the drain. One from the valve (Drain Hose), and one routed from the elbow on the back of the softener (Overflow Hose). These should not be looped together.
b. Verify that the drain hose meets the following 3 requirements:
- The drain hose cannot be tee’d together with another hose. It needs to have its own separate path to the drain.
- The drain hose must not exceed 8 feet vertically (from the floor) and 30 feet horizontally in its route to the drain.
- The drain hose must have an air gap of 1 – 1 ½ inches between the end of the hose and the drain itself:
Step 3 - Clean the Drain Hose
Excess water can gather in the salt tank because it's not escaping through the drain hose. Let’s make sure the drain hose is clear of any sort of obstruction.
a. Remove the drain hose adapter:
- Push bypass IN.
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- Locate the rectangular clip that holds the drain hose adaptor elbow to the softener head (location pictured). The clip pulls straight up and out.
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- Pull the entire white plastic drain hose elbow out from the softener head. Keep the drain hose attached to the adaptor.
NOTE: If the hose is plugged or is installed above the softener, water may run out from the hose.
b. Use a towel inside the drain elbow port to clean any sediment or blockage.
c. Bring the elbow adaptor to your mouth and blow air through it to confirm there's no obstructions in the drain hose. Heads up - the adapter may taste salty.
d. If air doesn't blow easily through the hose, inspect for clogs or kinks in the hose. If either is found, remove the blockage or unkink the hose so that you can blow easily through the hose.
e. Reconnect the elbow adaptor to the valve head and reattach the black rectangular clip.
Step 4 - Check for Internal Leaks
The tank may not be training properly due to an internal leak. Let's check that now.
a. Go ahead and disconnect the black Brine hose from the Venturi.
b. Pull bypass back OUT.
c. Time to test. You'll need to turn on a softened water faucet in the home, and leave it running for 5-10 minutes. Then, return to the unit.
Did water leak out of the venturi port into the bowl?
- YES - Bypass the unit again by pushing the handle back IN. There is most likely a broken seal inside the valve head. Replace the Rotor/Seal Kit.
- NO - Continue on to step 5.
Step 5 - Check for Suction
Next, we need to determine if the venturi is creating suction. Suction from the venturi tells us that the softener is drawing brine out of the salt tank properly.
a. Ensure bypass is pulled OUT.
b. Start a Recharge and put the softener into the brine cycle.
c. Push the softener's bypass valve IN.
d. While the black brine hose is disconnected, it's recommended to blow through it to ensure that there's no blockage in the line. You'll need to pull the brine valve up and out of the water first and then try to blow through it. If you blow through the hose and the brine valve is in the water, it'll be hard to blow through because the float in/on it is meant to close the valve. When it IS in the water, you can also try to draw water up the brine line. This will tell us if the brine valve is allowing water to be removed (it'll be salty.)
e. Grab a bowl and set it underneath the venturi to catch leaking water from this next step.
f. Slowly pull the bypass handle back OUT.
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- Note: If you experience heavy amounts of water coming out of the venturi, push the bypass valve into the bypass position and visit our General Maintenance article for instructions on how to clean the venturi. Once complete, return here and then continue with step g.
g. When checking for suction, one of the following will happen:
There should be consistent suction once the unit is in service. This may take up to a minute to hear.
1. Water flows out the Venturi port consistently (at least 15 seconds). If this happens, you'll want to make sure that everything inside the venturi is facing correctly.
- Bypass the system again and remove the Venturi cap. Check that all pieces with numbers and letters on them are facing up inside the Venturi.
- Replace cap and open bypass again, listening for suction.
- If everything is in correctly, and water still comes out after checking for suction again, the seals inside the valve head need to be replaced.
2. Suction, then water means the drain line is blocking water from exiting correctly.
- Bypass the unit again and disconnect the drain hose elbow by removing the black clip.
- Look inside the elbow port and check for any debris.
- Blow through the drain hose elbow (like a straw) to free any obstructions.
- Reattach drain hose elbow and open bypass again, listening for suction.
- Double check that the drain line requirements are correct from Step 2 above.
3. Consistent Suction is the desired outcome.
- If there's strong suction - go ahead and move on to step 6.
- If there's weak suction - you'll need to clean the venturi. Check out our General Maintenance article for instructions on how to clean the venturi. It's important that you put everything back in correctly then recheck the suction. If suction is still weak after cleaning it, then you need to replace the venturi. If you've replaced the venturi and the issue has not resolved, we recommend replacing the rotor and seal kit.
Step 6 - Drain the Water
Now that you’ve verified that the drain lines are installed properly and that there's suction at the venturi, it’s time to test that the drainage issue have been resolved.
a. Reconnect the black brine hose to the venturi.
b. Pull the bypass back OUT. Now it's time to wait and let it go through the recharge cycle.
c. The water should very slowly drain over the next 90 minutes and then high flow out of the drain line for about 15 minutes.
Has this resolved the issue?
- Yes - Great!
- No - IF the tank does NOT drain down to 2-4 inches of water by the end of this, continue to next step.
Step 7 - Clean the Brine Valve Assembly
The brine valve is the assembly found inside the 4-inch black plastic tube with the the salt levels 1-8 on it. During a recharge cycle, the water circulates in and out of the salt tank through the Brine Valve Assembly, making it important to keep clear.
a. Push the bypass valve IN.
b. If it's not already off, remove the top cover of the water softener.
c. Notice the brinewell tubing below, remove the cover (if applicable) and pull the black brine hose up to remove the entire float assembly.
d. Remove the black brine hose from the venturi. Lift the float assembly found inside the brine well out of the water. You'll then want to blow air through the brine hose to make sure it's not clogged.
Were you able to blow easily through the hose?
- Yes - Click here to skip forward to step k.
- No - Please continue with the next steps.
f. There are two brine valve assembly's shown below. The system will have one or the other. We need to determine which one it is to determine the next steps for cleaning it.
Which assembly does the system have?
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- If it's the one on the left, with the plastic float piece, click here to skip ahead to step n.
- If it's the one on the right, with the Styrofoam float piece, continue with the next steps.
Cleaning the Styrofoam Float Brine Valve Assembly
g. Disassemble the bottom V-shaped white plastic piece by disconnecting the 2 black clips that hold it together. It's helpful to remember the order when taking it apart. Clean the internal parts including the screen, with warm, soapy water and reassemble.
h. Reinsert the assembly into the brinewell. It should rest on the bottom of the well. Secure the hose in the notch on the neck of the well. If you removed the brinewell lid, replace it now.
i. Find the black brine hose again from before where it attaches to the unit.
j. Blow air through it again to confirm it's clear. You should be able to hear bubbles coming up through the water easily.
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- If you have trouble getting air/water through the hose, you may need to replace the Brine Valve Assembly.
k. Reattach the black brine hose to the venturi and replace the top cover to the softener.
l. Pull the bypass valve back OUT.
m. Run a manual recharge to verify that the excess water issue has been resolved.
If the recharge is successful in emptying the brine tank down to about 2-4 inches of water but then the tank fills slowly up over night or over multiple hours, this is a sign of a leak. Please refer to the related valve head leak below.
IF the tank does NOT drain down to 2-4 inches of water by the end of this two-hour recharge, contact Technical Support for additional troubleshooting help.
Cleaning the Plastic Float Brine Valve Assembly
n. At the base of the assembly, find the small screen area (as pictured below.) Make sure it's clear and nothing is blocking it.
o. Now, you can put the assembly back into the brinewell. It should should rest on the bottom. Make sure to secure the hose in the notch of the well if you have a unit like that. If you needed to remove the brinewell lid, replace it now.
p. Find the black brine hose again from before where it attaches to the unit.
q. Blow air through it again to confirm it's clear. You should be able to hear bubbles coming up through the water easily.
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- If you have trouble getting air/water through the hose, you may need to replace the Brine Valve Assembly.
r. Reattach the black brine hose to the unit and then replace the top cover of the unit.
s. Pull the bypass back OUT.
t. Run a manual recharge to verify that the excess water issue has been resolved.
If the recharge is successful in emptying the brine tank down to about 2-4 inches of water but then the tank fills slowly up over night or over multiple hours, this is a sign of a leak. Refer to the related valve head leak below.
IF the tank does NOT drain down to 2-4 inches of water by the end of this two-hour recharge, contact Technical Support for additional troubleshooting help.