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I need your advice. My water softener is leaking!
That’s almost as bad as a hot water heater leak. If both the hot water heater and water
softener are leaking, the root cause may be too much water pressure.
I know that would require a plumber. But today, it’s just my water softener leaking.
Before you assume it is a leak, determine if the unit is cooler than the surrounding
air. What you think is a leak may be condensation or “sweat” on the media tank.
How could I confirm it is a leak?
You could verify that it is actually leaking by putting a pan under the pressure relief
valve. If water lands in the pan, you can be more certain it is a leak.
It might be a leak, sweat or something else.
Like ectoplasm? You could double-check that there is a leak by putting the water softener
on bypass and verifying that the leak stops; after all, if the water softener is under
your sink, you don’t want to replace that when the water comes from another source.
Let’s assume there is a leak. Where could it be?
If the tank is leaking, you might be able to repair the tank with two part epoxy.
Tanks tend to crack, not have little holes.
If the water tank is cracked, you might be able to get a new one under warranty. Most
water softener tanks warranties are for five to ten years.
I’m not sure how old the unit is. Then again, if it is old, I need to throw it out.
Before you throw out the water softener, lift the lid or take off the cover. Find out where
it is leaking, because you might be able to repair it by replacing the valve.
At least it’s a water softener leak and not a hot water heater.
Yeah, because you can get by with bottled water instead of coping with cold showers.
Actually, we’ll use it as an excuse to live off soda.