No water in water softener.

[Jane In AZ]

We have a fairly new GE water softener ( model# GSFX30V )which has worked well for about a year. It now has no water in it. We pushed through the salt bridge on top with a broom handle and it is dry all the way to the bottom. Any DIY troubleshooting or fix ideas? Thank you.

 

[Jeff Handy]

Consult the manual, or find it online.

You can take the valve head off of most softeners and clean it up with vinegar or CLR.

There is also usually a tiny orifice or venturi, with a mesh filter, both can clog up.

The manual will have a troubleshooting and cleaning section.

Make sure the softener valves are not set to bypass mode.

 

[Jane In AZ]

Consult the manual, or find it online.

You can take the valve head off of most softeners and clean it up with vinegar or CLR.

There is also usually a tiny orifice or venturi, with a mesh filter, both can clog up.

The manual will have a troubleshooting and cleaning section.

Make sure the softener valves are not set to bypass mode.

Thank you. Couldn’t find help in either the manual or online.

 

[Jeff Handy]

Google your brand, model number, and keywords like “problems” or “brine tank not filling”, or “salt tank dry”.

 

[Jane In AZ]

Jeff- The manual says that the Venturi takes the water from the salt tank to the resin tank. It seems that our problem is water not entering the salt tank, before it goes through the Venturi. Any other ides? The water softener is at our vacation house and we are not there now, so I can’t try the cleaning yet.
Thanks again!
@Jeff Handy

 

[Jeff Handy]

The various hoses can fill up with salt and become totally blocked.

There also should be a big cylinder that runs down inside the whole length of the salt tank.
It probably has a float in it, and that can also jam up with hardened salt.
Or the float can be too high or low, or can break loose from its intended anchor point inside the tube.

Sounds like you should call GE customer service.

 

[Jane In AZ]

@Jeff Handy Thanks again , Jeff! Will reevaluate when we are back in the house.

 

[Mitchell-DIY-Guy]

...The water softener is at our vacation house and we are not there now, so I can’t try the cleaning yet.

Hello Jane, my two cents here: Until I moved this year, I had a second home/vacation home, in central MI. The water there was significantly laden with iron to the point of being basically unusable (though many of my neighbors used it at their homes; why I don't know...low standards?).

20+ years ago we installed a MacClean chemical free iron filter. It did an "OK" at best job. However I can tell you that any kind of filtration system--be it a basic sediment filter, a water softener, an iron filter, or any other kinds of filters or combinations, do NOT like to sit for extended periods of time. They will eventually give problems and or reduced performance. These things are designed for FLOW, not stagnation.

With the occasional use of our weekend home, we had to perform a number of things to that system annually to keep it working "OK".

Then, in August 2019, we moved to the house temporarily until March 2020, so we were in the house all the time, and using water all the time. That iron filter was now working daily, and can tell you that with constant use the water quality improved significantly.

Even with relatively iron free water, it still wasn't good enough to drink (taste wise), so we installed a small five stage RO (reverse osmosis) system under the kitchen sink to supply drinking water and water for the ice maker.

If you are not at your vacation house all the time you may want to rethink the usage strategy. Just a thought...

 

[Jane In AZ]

@Mitchell-DIY-Guy Thanks so much for your response! We do have an iron filter. I understand what you mean that this type of equipment lives for flow. Short of hiring someone to come in periodically and flush the toilets, etc, there’s no way around it. We have well water, which I drink. My husband prefers to bring water in bottles from our home tap.

Guess we’ll have to call the plumber on this one

Thanks again for your insights.

 

[Mitchell-DIY-Guy]

Depending on what the actual issue turns out to be on this, you may choose to contact the manufacturer of the unit and ask them if there are any strategies for an occasional use unit to prevent this from happening again...

 

[Jane In AZ]

Depending on what the actual issue turns out to be on this, you may choose to contact the manufacturer of the unit and ask them if there are any strategies for an occasional use unit to prevent this from happening again...

Good idea!

 

[Jane In AZ]

Funny thing happened. I called GE service help. They said there’s not supposed to be water in the bottom of the salt tank! This is unlike our previous water softeners, so I guess problem solved.
Thanks, Jeff and Mitchell for your responses.

 

[Jeff Handy]

Run a regeneration cycle, and monitor the water level in the salt tank during the cycle.
Look down the big tube to see all the way to the bottom.

I think after a cycle there is still normally a few inches of water at least still in there.

You implied in your original post that the softener was not working well, is that actually the case?
Is the water not soft anymore?

 

[Jane In AZ]

@Jeff Handy I have no idea how to tell if it’s working. The water feels the same to me. There is water in the tube inside the big tank, but I didn’t see any in the big tank itself. That’s what concerned me. The unit in our primary residence has a lot of water where the salt is held. Does that make any sense? The GE service agent said there is not supposed to be water in the unit we have, other than in the interior tube. Maybe much ado about nothing?

 

[Jane In AZ]

BTW, thanks so much for taking the time to respond!

 

[Jeff Handy]

You can’t see water in the lower salt granules unless you have x ray vision.

But the water level in the tube should be the same as the salt tank, I believe.

 

[Jane In AZ]

You can’t see water in the lower salt granules unless you have x ray vision.

But the water level in the tube should be the same as the salt tank, I believe.

I pushed a broom handle into the salt and didn’t find any water. We ran the regeneration cycle and heard water rushing through, so I’m going to assume it’s ok. My husband says to forget about it.
How are things in Chicago? We had a mountain lion walk by our front door at our mountain house.

 

[Jeff Handy]

Seems like a few bobcats have been seen wandering around here in the past few years.
Plenty of coyotes.
I am about twenty miles west of Chicago.
Trees are changing to great fall colors now.

 

[Jane In AZ]

Seems like a few bobcats have been seen wandering around here in the past few years.
Plenty of coyotes.
I am about twenty miles west of Chicago.
Trees are changing to great fall colors now.

No Fall colors here. Saguaros are green all year.

 

[mark3885]

We install this softener system about 3 months ago, it’s called a dry salt system. When it regenerates, 4 hrs before, the valve opens to fill the salt tank with water . Over that 4 hrs the salt dissolves then the regen cycle starts , when the cycle Is finished, the salt tank is empty except for about 3 in of water .