How do I determine if the water softener is working right?
I recently had this same question when trying to diagnose and do a DIY repair of my own water softener. The non-scientific way is to put dishsoap in water and observe whether it bubbles up appropriately, or to look for spots on your glassware that indicate hard water.
The more accurate way is with a test kit, which you can buy in a number of places. However, here is a great tip that someone gave me. Go to the Water softener section of your local big box Hardware store and they often have a box of free water hardness test kits, ostensibly so you can go home and determine that you need to buy a softener. If you don’t see them out on display, ask the sales person, they usually have some they can give away.
Alternately, you could call a water softener company who is usually more than happy to come out and give you a complete free diagnosis of your water along with a vigorous sales pitch.
A. The “touch” test will find your skin feeling slick immediately after a shower or bath. The “soap test” is more accurate. Culligan representatives carry these with them and will be happy to leave a soap test kit with you. If you did not receive one with your purchase, let us know and we will set one aside for you.
