Water Softener Maintenance: The Yearly Checklist
Softeners are simple machines that quietly do a lot of work. A few minutes of care each year triples their lifespan. Here's the checklist we run on every service visit.
Published January 10, 2026 · Shield Water Solutions
Every 30 days
Check the salt level in the brine tank. Keep it at least one-third full and never let it dip below the water line. Use clean, high-purity pellet salt — never rock salt, which leaves sediment.
Every 6 months
Break up any salt bridging (a crust that forms across the top of the tank, fooling the softener into thinking it has salt when it doesn't). Wipe the top of the control valve and check for leaks at fittings.
Every 12 months
Test hardness at a treated tap. Clean the brine tank fully (drain, rinse, refill). Sanitize the resin bed with a manufacturer-approved cleaner. Verify regeneration cycle timing and adjust for household size changes.
This is also the right time for a whole-system inspection: pressure, bypass valve, pre-filter cartridges, and — if you're on well water — the iron and sediment stages.
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