Low block salt indicator for water softener

[mcluma]

Low block salt indicator for water softener

I have recently installed a whole house water softener system (with a separate kitchen non softened water tap and it excludes, outside tap & central heating filler)

All I can say I should have done it ages ago, its brilliant, no more scale.


However mine uses block salt and its very annoying that you frequently have to check for usage, and having the machine going empty and switching back to hard water would destroy all efforts undertaken to keep everything scale free

So is there a device that measures the salt block usage and gives some sort of optical alarm when the salt block reaches a certain level?

Rather then I start to build something, I hope that this was something that would have worried other people and a solution would be readily available

 

[neiltheplumber]

Hi, generally water sortners rely on the end user checking them and making sure the brine/salt tank is topped up. The softner will always regenerate but if the brine level is low it will just regenerate with hard water. I have fitted some large commercial softners and small domestic and they all need weekly checks. It's a small effort with great gains, so if I were you set a weekly alarm to remind you to check your softner!

 

[Onetap]

Rather then I start to build something, I hope that this was something that would have worried other people and a solution would be readily available

Dishwashers have such a device, or rather, my Bosch has. ISTR that it's a float type reed switch, salt water being denser than fresh. So pillage one from a dishwasher or scour the catalogues of float switch manufacturers.

In reality, a little hard water won't have much adverse effect, unless you have something sensitive downstream (RO?), and you'll notice the difference when the soap doesn't produce as much lather.

 

[mcluma]

these softeners work with block salts (solid blocks) which slowely go down, therefore it has to be something that will

A tank level switch won't work either on that

I was thinking indeed of a reed switch on the outside of the tank with a metal or wood block on top of the salt block and a attach the magnet on to that