The water in your home doesn’t feel soft. The water softener sounds like it’s making soft water and the salt tank is full of salt, but the water doesn’t seem or feel right. After weeks the salt in your salt tank hasn’t moved any closer to the bottom. The effects of hard water are present throughout the home. You think to yourself, what could it possibly be?
When this occurs in your home, it is likely a salt bridge. A salt bridge can be described as salt-crusted together to form an empty space between the salt and the water in the salt tank. There is salt in the salt tank, but the salt is only on the top half of the salt tank. The bottom half of the salt tank is dead space or air, thus creating hard water throughout the home.
A salt bridge doesn’t happen often, but will occur when a homeowner continually tops off the salt tank and doesn’t let the salt run down until water can be seen at the bottom of the salt tank. Another cause of a bridge occurs when there is increased humidity in the air. For example, in rooms with a water softener, water heater, furnace, or laundry dryer, increased humidity can cause or start a salt bridge. Also, homes that don’t use a lot of water also don’t regularly go through salt, which can cause a salt bridge.
Use these tips to avoid or remedy a salt bridge:
1. Avoid – Do not add salt to your salt tank until water can be seen at the bottom of the salt tank.
2. Avoid – Only fill your salt tank halfway with salt.
3. Remedy – Pour warm water over the salt in the salt tank to try and loosen the salt. After about 5 minutes, shake the salt tank. If the salt drops, then the salt bridge is fixed.
4. Remedy – Use a broom handle to poke at the salt to loosen the salt bridge. It is not recommended to stick the boom handle far into the salt tank. There is a chance of damaging parts inside the salt tank.
5. Remedy – Contact Huemann Water Conditioning to schedule a service call to fix the salt bridge.
If you feel your salt tank is bridged and need help, contact us or call 815-385-3093.
