Inside your softener’s main tank are thousands of tiny resin beads that actually grab the calcium and magnesium. Over time, iron and dirt can gum them up. You ever see “resin cleaner” at the store? Use it. Pour it into the brine well (the tube inside the salt tank) during a regeneration cycle.
Never pour bleach into the brine tank. Bleach can destroy the resin beads, turning your $1,000 softener into a water pass-through device. If you have iron stains on your fixtures, use a specific iron-cleaning product instead. Trust me, you don’t want to explain to your spouse why the soft water suddenly feels like sandpaper.
