Much like you must take care of your car’s engine in order to keep it zipping along the road at its most efficient levels, or you have to partake in routine maintenance of your household appliances, your water softener system requires some tender love and care throughout the year in order to function at a high level.  One of the most important aspects of maintaining your water softener system is taking care of the brine tank. This does not need to be done monthly like some household cleaning, in fact, this task can be done yearly, or even every five years if you have a high-quality and efficient system. 

You will know it is time to clean up the brine tank when your water starts to come out hard and your usual go-to fixes do not resolve the issues. 

Cleaning the Brine Tank

The first thing you want to do when cleaning the brine tank is to empty it. You can do this by siphoning the water out of the tank, then removing the remaining salt (make sure to dispose of this leftover salt properly.) If your system has a salt brick, you can get rid of the remains by dissolving it in hot water. Once your brine tank is emptied, remove the brine grid from the bottom of the tank. Some systems will have a mesh grid, but all should be removable. 

Once it is emptied and the grid is removed, give the tank a thorough clean using warm water and soap. Once you have washed and rinsed the soapy water, you can scrub the tank with a combination of bleach and water. Let this combination sit in the tank for about 20 minutes in order to make sure the tank is properly disinfected.  Once the tank is thoroughly rinsed and the grid is replaced, you can refill it with water and salt. It will take a few hours for the system to begin working again, as the salt needs time to dissolve in the water. 

This post was written by Kristian D’An, owner and water expert at Eco Water Solutions of Florida. Eco Water Solutions is a St Petersburg water softeners company. They offer whole home water solutions such as softeners, whole home water filtration systems, and reverse osmosis systems. Their focus is to provide Floridians with safe and clean water throughout the home.