Bugs, lizard poop, and mold in brine tank...and no discharge line?

[Walt3k]

Hi, I am new to water softeners and have moved into a house with a Clack with the usual setup AFAIK. I am wondering if what I am seeing is normal. The skinny tube which runs from the mineral tank to the brine tank goes through a huge hole in the side of the brine tank. It's so big, bugs, flies, even lizards appear to be going in because I saw lizard poop (I think) stuck to the white plastic column inside (whatever that is called). Also, there is a male tube connection which I thought was supposed to go to an overflow tank (for regeneration) but it's not connected and offers yet another nice way for the outside everything to get inside. I will attach photos.
Is this normal? I notice the water in the house smells like chlorine which is why I checked the tank. I am wondering if the diamond salt tablets have chlorine. I can't sniff the tank because mold was growing on a sticker placed on the top of the white plastic column. Aye caramba - this is the water I'm drinking??

 

[Geofd]

Were your not familiar with this system and it sounds like it needs work you need to find a reputable company that services this system so you can at least get it running properly so you will have some knowledge and a clean starting point

 

[RS]

In the first place, you shouldn't be drinking softened water, it can contain traces of sodium. We have a dedicate hard water faucet that is supplied through a charcoal filter for drinking. The male tube conector is probably the overflow, and should be piped to a drain. If it's a seperate brine tank you should dip it out and clean it thoroughly, and then seal all the openings you described. If the pressure vessel is in the brine tank, like ours is, then it's a harder job, but you need to clean it out. Maybe use a wet-dry shop vac, but it won't do the vac any good!

 

[Walt3k]

In the first place, you shouldn't be drinking softened water, it can contain traces of sodium. We have a dedicate hard water faucet that is supplied through a charcoal filter for drinking. The male tube conector is probably the overflow, and should be piped to a drain. If it's a seperate brine tank you should dip it out and clean it thoroughly, and then seal all the openings you described. If the pressure vessel is in the brine tank, like ours is, then it's a harder job, but you need to clean it out. Maybe use a wet-dry shop vac, but it won't do the vac any good!

Thanks a bunch for your reply!
There is an RO filter at the kitchen sink for drinking water but AFAIK RO filters assume the input water is not contaminated with bacteria, etc. So my comment about this being drinking water is that, no matter what this water was passed into, it does not seem sanitary. We are brushing our teeth with it in the bathroom and some of it is going to get swallowed, for example. The more I look at this system, the more the design and approach seems unsanitary to me though. I mean, you have this big plastic brine tank in the garage and so you open the lid to add salt to the bin. The salt bags are stored at home depot where roach dust has accumulated so some of that goes into the tank when you dump the salt in. Or maybe you clean the bags off before you dump the salt but what about whatever is floating in the air when you open the lid?

It sounds like the holes are not supposed to be like that though which makes sense to me. I have no clue how to clean this all out. :-\

 

[RS]

You didn't say what kind of brine tank you have, if it's a separate tank it's easy to clean out, if the softener is in it, then I would dip out all I could and then use my shop vac. even if it ruined the shop vac it would be cheaper than hiring someone to do it! Then I would wipe it out with a clorox solution, this is an easy problem to fix, do it! I don't think a little contamination in your brine tank is a problem, the brine is used to backwash the resin, and then it is rinsed thoroughly and that all goes down the drain. You don't drink the water that's in the brine tank, but you should seal up the leaks to prevent insect from getting in.

 

[RS]

I see by your pictures that it's a separate brine tank, just disconnect it and take it someplace safe to was it out, in a shower of bathtub would work. don't dump it on your lawn, the salt will kill the grass. When you're all done you should put a hose on the overflow fitting and run it to a drain if possible. In case of a valve malfunction, you don't want brine all over the floor.

 

[Walt3k]

Thank you for all your replies!

 

[Walt3k]

Oh, also - do diamond salt tablets have chlorine in them? The water in the house smells strong of chlorine to me and I'm wondering if it's the water supply or more getting added by the water softener. Thx!!