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In general that is not a good idea. It will contain too much sodium or potassium.
When you add the salt water mix to the water, the manufacturer expects the water to be free or nearly free of these.
The extra minerals will change the salt water into one that has too much salt or too much potassium.
Having said that, I think there are some people who do use it and do ok.
It probably depends on how they make their salt water and what they put in the tank.
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∙ 12y ago
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What would cause a water softener tank to overfill with water?
This question is answered already under the heading "Why are large amounts of water collecting in the salt tank of my GE water softener"?
Why is there salt in water softener brine tank?
The sodium in the salt reacts with the zeolite in the softener stripping it of the calcium when you regenerate the softener. When the softener is in service the calcium more readily replaces the sodium on the zeolite resin beads softening the water.
Why is there water in water softener brine tank?
Because it's needed to make the salt brine that is exchanged for hardness.
How much water to put in a water softener brine tank?
Modern water softeners automatically put water into the brine tank at the end of each regeneration. This water sits in the brine tank and dissolves some of the salt to create a very salty liquid called brine. This brine is sucked back into the water softener main tank during the next regeneration. The brine is used to "recharge" (sometimes called "regenerate") the water softener main tank. After the recharge, the softener can soften a set amount of water before it needs to be recharged again. Depending upon the size of the water softener, it can take between 2 and 8 gallons of brine per recharge. On most water softeners you can set the salt "dosage". Dosage is usually set in "lbs of salt". Each gallon of water will dissolve around 3 lbs of salt so if you set a dosage of 9 lbs, the softener will automatically add around 3 gallons of water to the brine tank after each regeneration.
Why are large amounts of water collecting in the salt tank of my GE water softener?
It is normal for water softeners to pump water into the salt tank at the end of each regeneration. This water dissolves some of the salt and this dissolved salt (called brine) is rinsed through the resin tank of the softener during the next regeneration. The amount of water needed for the regeneration depends upon how hard the incoming water is and how big the water softener is. Typically a household softener regenerates once every 3 to 7 days. Each gallon of water added to the brine tank will dissolve 3 lbs of salt. A small softener will consume between 4 and 12 lbs of salt per regeneration and a large household softener will consumer 8 to 24 lbs of salt. The easiest way to see if your softener is putting the right amount of water into the brine tank is to see how much salt it is using during each regeneration: start by measuring how high the level of salt (not the water) in the tank is above the bottom of the tank. Next, add one 40 lbs bag of salt and see how many inches higher the level of salt is now. Say it is 4 inches higher after you add the salt. that means that every one inch of height is equal to 10 lbs of salt. Now wait until after the next regeneration happens and recheck the height of the salt. If the salt drops 2" they you know your softener used 20 lbs of salt. If it is a small softener and is using 20lbs or more salt per regeneration then the system is using too much water. It is worth investigating if a component called the "brine valve" can be adjusted to reduce the amount of water added after each regeneration. If this is not possible then it could be that the softener has developed an internal mechanical fault such that it is not fully shutting-off the flow of water to the brine tank after each regeneration cycle has been completed for the softener's ion-exchange resin granules which are held in its "resin tank". A likely cause of the trouble could be that the softener's "brine valve" is now failing to completely shut off the flow of water. It might be caused by a component such as a valve sealing washer on the valve module that you may be able to access and repair as a D-I-Y job. A different cause of the problem could be that the internal "resin tank" - which contains the ion-exchange resin granules - has developed a crack or split which allows water to leak at high pressure into the brine tank. The resin tank is not usually repairable so, if that is the cause, a new resin tank is required. The cost of the work required to have a new tank fitted is unlikely to be worthwhile. It is usually much cheaper to buy a new water softener.
Why does your water taste like salt if you have a water softener?
The answer is.... "it should NOT taste like salt".... While water softeners use salt to function correctly, they only use salt during a process called "regeneration" which is usually scheduled to occur once every 3-7 days in a household softener. During regeneration, the softener rinses salt water thru the resin tank - but during this time, it supplies the home with untreated water that is bypassing the resin tank so it should not be salty. After the softener rinses the resin with salt water it next removes any excess salt out of the resin beads by rinsing with fresh water. All of the salt water and rinse water during the regeneration process is supposed to go directly out to drain, not into the household water supply. By the end of the regeneration the resin tank should be free of salt and there should be no salt taste. If there is a salt taste, it is because the softener is not working properly. The likely causes are: a) the softener may be defective. It may have an internal leak that is allowing some brine (salt water) to escape into the household plumbing during regeneration. b) the controller may be set up (programmed) incorrectly. In particular, the rinse-out time maybe programmed to be too short. (typically a system rinses for 5-10 minutes.) c) there may be a brine-tank problem which is causing the softener to make too much salt water and then it does not have enough time to rinse all of this excess salt out of the brine tank. For a typical household softener, the system should be consuming between 4 and 20 lbs of salt per regeneration (depends on the size of the system and the hardness of the water). If it is using much more than this, there is probably a problem with the brine tank that will either require a service technician to check and fix, if possible, or, if it is not worth paying the cost of replacement parts and labor to fix, you may need a new water softener.
How often do you add salt to a 10 gallon tank with a baby flounder?
You are talking about salt water (marine) fish. Maybe you should ask on the "salt water" category.
Can tropical fish go in the same tank as marine fish?
No! marine fish are salt water fish and tropicals are fresh water fish, this cannot be changed.
Can you fix your own water softener The timer and cycling functions seem to work but the water does not get soft.?
If your water softener timer and cycling functions seem to be working correctly, there are at least three more items to check: salt in the brine tank, clogged eductor nozzles, old resin For the water softener to work correctly, it needs to regenerate. Typically a household softener is set to regenerate every 3 to 7 days and most units are designed to regenerate at night when no one is using water. During regeneration, the softener will pull brine (very salty water) from the brine tank and rinse this brine through the softener resin tank slowly to "refresh" the resin beads inside the tank. If this process doesn't happen, the softener will deliver hard water. This process will fail if: there is no salt in the brine tank for the softener to pull out or if there is no water in the brine tank to dissolve the salt. At the end of each regeneration, the softener pumps water back into the brine tank so it will dissolve salt for the next regeneration. Things to check: 1) is there salt in your brine tank? 2) is there water in the brine tank before the regeneration starts? (usually 5-10 inches of water, depends upon the model and size of brine tank) You might not see the top surface of the water if you have lots of salt in the brine tank. 3) during the regeneration process, which typically runs 60-120 minutes, watch to make sure that the level of water draws down (slowly) and later fills back up. If the level is not going down and back up during regeneration, it is possible that the "eductor nozzle" is blocked. This is a small plastic component with a tiny hole in it that can easily become clogged. On almost all softeners it is quick and easy to remove the eductor nozzle, flush it with water and replace it. consult your owners guide. If there is salt in the brine tank and the water level is going up and down, and this softener is 5-10 years old or older, it is likely that the "ion exchange resin beads" inside the softener tank are 'dead'. A typical household softener has 0.5 to 2 cubic feet of resin beads inside the tank depending upon the model and the hardness of the water that is being treated. The tiny plastic ion echange beads in the tank get regenerated every few days, but after hundreds of regenerations, and/or exposure to high levels of impurities and/or chlorine they can 'wear out'. Replacing the beads is a messy job and you need to be careful in the process so you don't accidentally end up filling the pipes in your home with loose beads. Unless you're particularly handy, strong and have a way to suck out and replace the beads, it is probably best to hire a water softener dealer to test your resin beads and replace them if needed.
Where is the best place to find a salt water fish tank?
The best place to find a salt water fish tank is in the Marine Depot. Not only can you find salt water fish tanks, you can also find aquarium supplies and LED lights.
Where does the salt go in a water softener?
The softener replaces calcium and magnesium ions in the water with sodium ions. Since sodium does not precipitate out in pipes or react badly with soap, both of the problems of hard water are eliminated. Water Softeners take ions such as Calcium and Magnesium and swap them for a small amounts of ions that are more ideal, such as sodium. Sodium does not respond poorly to soap and are far less harsh.
Can Bettas live in a marine sand plus conditioned tap water tank?
Marine sand usually has salt and additives in it for salt water aquariums so it is not a good idea. There are freshwater sands that would work much better and there would be no question of suitability.
