Clogged Water Softener Troubleshooting

Have you noticed that your water pressure or flow is worse now than it used to be in your home, cottage, or cabin? When you run water in a couple of places in the house do you have almost no flow at all? If you’re having these issues, Gary the Water Guy will show you how to troubleshoot them right now.

When water flow slows down in your home, there are several places to look when troubleshooting. Let’s check them out. 

PROBLEM: CLOGGING
Slow or low water flow could be caused by a clogged pipe, problems with a well pump, or one of your water filtration products like a water softener or iron filter could be clogged. Troubleshooting your potentially clogged water softener or iron filter is very straightforward, all you need to do is temporarily bypass it.

If you see that there is a noticeable difference with the water softener bypassed, then the clog or restriction is in the water softener. If there is no difference, you’ll need to check elsewhere. 

PROBLEM: WATER SOFTENER
If the low pressure or flow is caused by the water softener, put some resin cleaner through the softener and manually put it through a couple of regenerations in a row. Pro Res Care is the resin cleaner that we prefer and recommend. 

• Click here for the how-to video on using the media cleaner.
• Click here for the link to the 3-way bypass how-to video. 

If using resin cleaner doesn’t solve your issue, you’ll need to replace the media inside the water softener or replace the whole softener. 

PROBLEM: IRON FILTER
If you have an iron filter that you’ve identified as the source of the low pressure or flow, just run it through a couple of regenerations back to back.

Again, if that doesn’t solve the problem then the media will need to be replaced in the iron filter or the whole unit may need replacement.

Fixed the issue and want to make sure the restriction doesn’t happen again?  If the clog was caused by sand or a mineral product, you can add on a 20″ big blue filter with a sediment filter inside. If you’re on a municipal system and the clog was caused by chlorine breaking down the media in your unit, you can add on a pre-filter with a carbon filter inside to ensure it doesn’t happen again in the future.

Still unsure or need more help? Reach out to the Water Store Midland team with your concerns and our Certified Water Specialists will provide you with recommendations on the best solution for your specific situation. We’re here for you!

Click here for my next video on water softener troubleshooting and I’ll see you there.