Water Softener Problem?

[IanB]

Hi,
Apologies if my terminology is wrong, new to this! We live way out on an acreage, our water comes from a well, from there it goes to 3 tanks - a pressure tank, a filter, and a softener. The softener (which is basicially just a large plastic tank), was until about 6 months ago kept filled with a propietary potassium based product (Natures Own) but suddenly it became unavailable and we still can't find it anywhere. We contacted the company that installed it and they said to just use a salt based product which we did. Ever since then our water has been really hard, our kettles etc get coated really fast and cups of tea, coffe etc have lots of calcium floating in them.
Is it likely that switching to salt is causing this?
If so, what can I do? I have considered just buying a new softener but I don't know if it has to be specific to the filter or even if there is a different type for salt based?
Many thanks for any advice.
Ian

 

[speedbump]

I"m good with the Well and Pressure Tank, but what is the filter you mentioned? You said a Potassium based product. Iron filters use Potassium Permangenate and softeners can use Potassium Chloride instead of salt. I have never used this, but do understand that it takes more PC to do the same job as the salt would do. It could be possible that your unit is set for the PC and adding salt was too much for it and during backwash the extra salt isn't being rinsed to drain.

Can you describe the head on the unit or post a picture? That sure would make it easier.

 

[IanB]

Thanks for your reply.
I have attached a photo of 2 of the tanks.
The one on the right I thought was a filter (sorry, all these were installed before we bought the property). It is a cylinder about 4 feet high and 9 inches in diameter, seems to be painted steel. The other is a plastic cylinder with a removeable lid where the 'salts' (originally we used Potassium Chloride Crystals) go and I thought was a softener.
I am concerned also that the salts we are currently using are not going away. There have been in there at least 2 months now and seem to be at the same level whereas our previous potassium based disappeared in half that time.

 

[speedbump]

That is a softener. If the salt isn't bridged in the tank which means the water that could reach salt has used all it can get to, because of the salt bridge, then the little nozzle venturi combo that pulls the salt from the brine tank is plugged up. I'm not familiar with that unit, so I can't help you find the nozzle/venturi.