How to Clean a Water Softener Brine Tank & Res Care System | The Green Acre

[@drewmunoz3917]

I NEVER comment on KZbin videos. This was the BEST explanation step by step process not rushed right to the point water softener maintenance/cleaning video I enjoyed watching and I have watched about 30 Vids trying to find information. Thank you for your help!

[@TheGreenAcreWI]

Thank you SO much for leaving this comment and I'm very happy I could help!

[@wtrfrdlisa]

Thank you so much for the help! My husband never taught me about the water softener and now he doesn’t remember how to do any of this. It has become my job to do this. So thank you very much for your excellent tutorial. I now know what to do.

[@aldenpines]

This video was FAR BETTER and more explanatory than ANY of the Res Care videos or, for that matter, their web site. As far as cleaning the brine tank, I just pull the hoses out, carry it out to the driveway and scrub it out. Thanks for the great video!

[@TheGreenAcreWI]

Wow! That is a mighty fine comment Dave, thank you!

[@Since-1883]

Thanks for the video. My system is 2 yrs old and the company that did the initial install also did my annual maintenance. I was very disappointed with their last visit. My water flow dramatically dropped and it didn’t feel clean. After tons of research I was able to get everything clean and running better than ever. I appreciate the shared knowledge.

[@TheGreenAcreWI]

@@Since-1883 Happy I could help!

[@JathanLane]

THANK YOU. This is the best video explaining WHY and HOW.

[@TheGreenAcreWI]

Glad you found it helpful!

[@beyondfubar]

Thought I was nuts when I got my Res-up instructions and it said to drill holes. Now that I see yours I think I get it!

[@TheGreenAcreWI]

@@beyondfubar Glad I could clear it up 😆

[@kathymawer9295]

I learned a lot from your video and I can follow you so much better than commercial ad people. I am on well water and needed to know how to clean my tank and how often. Thank you.

[@TheGreenAcreWI]

Glad I could help!

[@Canoecamper]

Wondering how you make sure the Res Care wicking tube inserted into the top of the brine float tube doesn't actually interfere with the float function.

[@kylek6834]

Pellets form bridges too it depends on climate where your pod is and amount of time between regens, the pellets can turn into a concrete like substance for people who dont use a lot of water.

[@mngrrl]

I've always heard it with pellets too. I use crystals because I don't go through water as fast as a multi-person household, I read it's better for lower use. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@kylek6834]

@@mngrrl you don't need to keep much salt in there depending on how hard your water is you shouldn't go through a lot if you're not using a lot of water

[@boulderheadikmc8763]

What resin cleaning kit is that? I'm thinking about adding 1 to my system.

[@TheGreenAcreWI]

That's for reaching out! See the video discription for the links to the products 👍😊

[@lamonaharvey387]

Great tutorial! Really appreciated

[@frankgiovannetti3077]

Hi. I just moved to a country property. It has a 2 tank water softening system. Should I be using res-care in my system also? I really found your video educational. I have lots to learn since I come from the city. I’m on septic and have a well.

[@TheGreenAcreWI]

Congratulations on your move to the country! Two tank systems are the same as single tank systems with one advantage, soft water at all times. Since the system has two resin tanks, when one reaches capacity it immediately switches over to the second tank, no delayed regeneration. So yes, your system would still benefit from the re-care product line! I have links in the description to the products 👍

[@HxC_Fragman]

Thanks alot. You're a champion. Just what j needed to level up. What's funny is I just purchased the same pellets and never knew the difference between the solar course sodium chloride and pellets. You happen to use the same ones. Haha. Later man

[@TheGreenAcreWI]

@@HxC_Fragman Glad I could help!

[@perceptionisreality8177]

Thank you for sharing. Question. I notice you did not add any water to Brine tank when you finished adding the salt. I was told to add water a quarter of the way. Is this correct?

[@TheGreenAcreWI]

A properly operating water softener will add the correct amount of water that it will need to perform its regeneration process on its own. 😊

[@perceptionisreality8177]

@@TheGreenAcreWI Thank you greatly appreciate 👍😊

[@nunosapunso6239]

Depends if you have it set to prefill which will add water 2 hours before regen starts or post fill which adds water after regen. If you have it set to post fill, it’s best to add 5 gallons of water after cleaning and adding salt because your system thinks it already has water from the previous regen.

[@ronnykumala]

I will definitely order those !

[@TheGreenAcreWI]

Very wise! Link is in the discription 😊

[@hildagladden254]

Great video, I will try to do it myself. Thank you from Houston, Texas! 💪🏻👍🏻

[@TheGreenAcreWI]

Absolutely! It's pretty simple and will keep your system running at peak efficiency for many years to come!

[@JP01145800]

After vacuuming the old dirty water/salt out and adding new pellets do you add additional water or does recycling do that?

[@TheGreenAcreWI]

Recycling takes care of that 👍

[@miguelromero1]

Great video man. Thanks.

[@hcn3000]

Installed res up feeder but now the water smells like chemicals. Is this normal?

[@TheGreenAcreWI]

No, there shouldn't be a difference in the water smell. Make sure you followed the product directions but if everything is installed correctly and the smell persists, I'd contact the company. Does the water smell exactly like the pro-res solution?

[@piezoman79]

You mentioned at the end that your system is setup to regen each night, and say in a comment that you confirmed this. Is there a reason why you have it set to do this so frequently? Resin tanks are sized based on their grain capacity, a product/quotient of desired hardness reduction and gallons of water. Unless you’re using thousands of gallons of the hardest water in the country I doubt you’re even close to reaching a tenth of your tank’s capacity on a daily basis. Softer systems monitor water flow and trigger an automatic regen (almost always set to occur that night). Each regen cycle uses additional water and salt (and cleaner), only adding to your operating cost. Just curious what your situation is that has you running it this way? Also, I’ve seen reviews of claims that the feeder will empty itself between cycles, meaning that the wick flow is greater than the required dose/regen. How often are you having to refill your reservoir?

[@TheGreenAcreWI]

Good questions, this is how my system was setup when it was installed. I haven't made any adjustments to its schedule but perhaps I should revisit that 👍 I refill the solution maybe three times a year.

[@piezoman79]

@@TheGreenAcreWI thanks for the response. I’ve always just used the single-use dosage bottles but inflation seems to have hit these as well since I last stocked up a couple years ago, so I’m looking at options for bulk savings. I like the idea of the feeder but my regen only averages every 2-3 weeks, and I’m running a filtration system in front of the softener to eliminate much of the contaminants that otherwise aren’t fully removed by the salt cycle. So I’ve got my system set to remind me to do a clean cycle every 4 months. I think I saw another comment asking about how you know your water hardness. You can test your water hardness with a test kit, such as a pool water kit, but they sell more expensive versions with (questionably) more precise measurements marketed for your home’s water supply. The difference in units of measurement is the main factor, where the pool tests will read in ppm while your home’s water is discussed in grains per gallon (gpg) so there’s some math involved in converting units if you opt for the pool test kit. This is how you determine your desired hardness reduction that gets entered into your system, and how the system then determines when a regen is required.

[@corker5735]

how often do you recommend using res care?

[@TheGreenAcreWI]

With the way the product works you leave it on for the life of the softener. It's a constant drip. I have to refill mine probably four times a year-ish 🤔

[@Richard47able]

What water do I add back into that or just leave the salt in there by itself

[@TheGreenAcreWI]

No need to add water back. When the system regenerates next it will fill the tank.

[@bahnamful]

You did not show the filling of the brine tank with water and the sequence of the Rinse process

[@dyunior22]

what about making a video on how to change the media resin in the tank.i have the same system as yours. thank you. btw, where did u get that res care cleaner and how much? is the wick came with it?

[@TheGreenAcreWI]

My system is new enough that I won't need to change the resin media for quite awhile. The resin should last a good 5 to 10 years without needing replacement and with the rescare system I have installed it should definitely make it that long or longer. Here's a good reference video for you though: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kGWae3p-ZtFmb9E I also updated the video discription to show the products I used. Thank you for the comment!

[@CRZYBORICUA]

Thank you very informative video.

[@TheGreenAcreWI]

Absolutely! Glad I could help 😃

[@mydavegabicycle]

Love your philosophy! Our water softener started acting up awhile... We'd refill it and it'd go through a ton of salt and not seem to do much at all. We finally called the plumber we work with (we have a maintenance plan) and he tested our water before and after a Regen and said it's almost like we don't have a softener anymore. He said they used to do resin cleaning (what he suspects) but said it took too long so now they just sell their own water softener. A nice $3500... and we literally just had a baby. In researching things, heard about ResCare and wondered if it could help. How would you go about doing this and testing if it's working? This is our first home and I'm not handy at all! I've heard some people run two regens after trying this for the first time. The softener is only a few years old and we've done almost no maintenance. Hoping this could save us some money. What steps would you take if you had to explain this to a child :P. Thanks so much for your content!!

[@TheGreenAcreWI]

I've not tested our water hardness before or after ResCare so I can't comment on that but it's nice piece of mind. It's a simple system to install and requires no maintenance besides refilling the bottle when it runs out. Links to the products are in the discription. Here's an install video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mInEh6iPhbxngqM

[@mydavegabicycle]

@@TheGreenAcreWI thanks for the reply. I just bought the refill (I don't have the feeder system yet) because I wanted to try it out first. If it didn't work, well then I would have paid extra for the feeder :). I guess I just have to bite the bullet and try it out! The main question I'm trying to get to I think is if I could use this as sort of a deep clean way, at least for right now, and then get into maintenance mode (feeder system) later, and if so, what would that look like? Using more product? A few Regen cycles? Etc. Thanks again!

[@TheGreenAcreWI]

Yes, this product can be used as a deep clean or a steady drip for continuous maintenance. Our system is set up to regenerate nightly while we're asleep. So every night, That day's mineral buildup inside of the resin tank gets flushed out keeping our system clean and functioning at its peak performance.

[@Rotaris1]

Thank you for video

[@TheGreenAcreWI]

Absolutely!

[@GabeStorms]

Nice video!

[@TheGreenAcreWI]

Thank you!

[@brettwalker6016]

Every morning at 2am seems like you’re using a ton of salt

[@j01150126]

The ecowater dude was adamant abut not using pellets, do you know why this is?

[@TheGreenAcreWI]

@@j01150126 Couldn't tell you, I was taught pellets because they prevent "bridging".

[@escalade8759]

Float valve?🙉 That's the brine well. And I'm not a professional either.

[@TheGreenAcreWI]

There is a float assembly inside the brine well. Look up a diagram.

[@escalade8759]

@@TheGreenAcreWI Okay, thanks! Keep it simple for us non-professionals.

[@TheAmtrack69]

You need to wash out that laundry sink.