Can Your Water Softener Tank Explode?
The simple answer to the question, ‘Can a water softener explode?’ is ‘yes’.
If there is more pressure in the water softener’s tank than it can handle, it might lead to a leak. And in severe cases, it might cause an explosion. However, that is highly unlikely.
What Happens If Your Water Softener Explodes?
Depending on the brand of the product and the budget grade, the tank can be ruptured which causes resin and water in the tank to leak out onto your floors.
Indicators Your Water Softener Is About To Explode
The best way to avoid this situation is to detect the problem beforehand in the resin bed. Here’s how you can do that.
First, you need to check if the water softener is using salt at a normal rate. Here, normal will be defined based on the model of the water softener. If the answer is yes, the water softener is dealing with hard water.
In this case, the resin bed may have a lot of iron deposits. This can cause damage to the resin bed if and when it gets saturated. Dealing with hard water can also cause chlorine damage in the water softener, which means the brine tank will not be regenerated as often as it should.
But if the water softener is not using as much salt, that means the problem could be in the valve head. That also means that the brine water is not recharging the resin bed.
A damaged resin bed can cause the water softener from functioning properly, meaning it will not put out soft water the way it should.
All these issues should come up when performing proper regular maintenance on your water softener.
How To Prevent Your Water Softener To Explode?
You can replace the resin bed by following the instructions that come with your user manual. You can also get the help of a professional if your unit is under warranty.
If you get outside help, you might have to spend about $80-120 getting resin and pay the professional about $200-300.
You could also choose to do this yourself. If you are still only contemplating the question, ‘Can a water softener explode?’, perhaps your unit hasn’t reached that point yet.
In that case, you must start the process of cleaning the resin bed. But if the water softener has already exploded, you will have to replace it. It takes roughly four hours to do that and here’s how you can do it.
Make sure you dispose and recycle the old resin from your water softener in the proper way.
How To Clean Or Replace Your Water Softener Resin
Step 1. - Measure the tank and figure out how much resin you will need.
Step 2. - Check in with a water treatment company or the manufacturer and get high-quality resin that suits your unit.
Step 3. - Get a new resin funnel, gravel and riser tube if applicable to your particular unit.
Step 4. - Shut down the water valve and shift the water softener’s valve into the bypass position.
Step 5. - Locate the dial on the valve head and turn it to start the regeneration process manually. This will take some of the internal pressure caused by the water.
Step 6. - Detach the water softener from the electrical and plumbing connections.
Step 7. - Remove the valve head while holding the resin tank.
Step 8. - Remove the gravel and the resin from the tank.
Step 9. - Install the new resin and when applicable, you must cut the riser tube to match the height of the old riser tube and place it in the resin tank. Refill the water softener.
Step 10. - Put the valve head back in and attach your water softener to the bypass valve. Put it back in the in-service mode and look for any leaks.
How Do I Know If My Water Softener Is Broken?
Check to see if the soap creates lather. If not, the water is still hard because the softener is broken.
What Can Go Wrong With A Water Softener?
There are several things that can go wrong. But the top five possibilities are clogs, motor failures, resin beads that don’t work anymore, the formation of salt bridges, and a dirty filter.
How Often Should Water Softener Regenerate?
Once every two or three days, which keeps the resin bed functional. But if you have a very efficient one, this might happen more than once a day.
Should You Be Afraid Of An Exploding Water Softener
Although it is rare, if you want to know the exact possibilities of can a water softener explode, the answer is yes. However, besides a broken water softener and some possible water damage, the overall repercussions should be small.
