Sears 625.34842 - Manual (Page 46)

SECTION 3
CARE OF YOUR SOFTENER
3A.
SALT. . .REFILLING STORAGE TANK/BREAKING A SALT BRIDGE
WHEN TO REFILL WITH SALT: Check the salt level
a few weeks after you install the softener and every
week after that. Refill when the storage tank is
about 1/3 full. Never let the softener use all the salt
before refilling. Without salt, you will soon have hard
water. IMPORTANT:
You will have a loss in softening capacity and
may get partly hard water if less than 10
inches of salt is in the storage tank.
PLEASE SEE PAGE 9 FOR SALT FILLING DIRECTIONS.
SALT BRIDGE
Sometimes, a hard crust or salt bridge forms in the
salt storage tank. It is usually caused by high
humidity or the wrong kind of salt. When the salt
bridges, an empty space forms between the water
and salt. Then salt will not dissolve (melt) in the
water to make brine. Without brine, the resin bed
does not regenerate and you will have hard water.
If the storage tank is full of salt, it is hard to tell if you
have a salt bridge. Salt is loose on top, but the bridge
is under it. The following is the best way to check for
a salt bridge.
Salt should be loose all the way to the bottom of the
tank. Hold a broom handle, or like tool, up to the
softener as shown in FIG. 9. Make a pencil mark on
the handle, 1" or 2" below the top height of the rim,
as shown. Then, carefully push it straight down into
the salt. If a hard object is felt before the pencil mark
gets to the top of the tank, it’s most likely a salt
bridge. Carefully push into the bridge in a few places
to break it. Do not try to break the salt bridge by
pounding on the outside of the salt tank. You
may damage the tank.
If the wrong kind of salt was the cause of the bridge,
take it out. Then fill the tank with nugget or pellet salt
onlv.
FIG. 9 SALT BRIDGE
salt
salt bridge
water level
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