With SAWS water at a typical 15 to 20 grains of hardness, you notice quickly when a softener stops working: the spots, the crust and the soap scum come back. This page sets out the signs of a softener in trouble, the safe checks you can make yourself before asking for a repair, and the questions that decide whether to repair or replace.
Water Filtration San Antonio is an independent referral service, not an installer or plumber. When you send the form, your details go to an independent local water treatment pro who can contact you and quote the work.
Signs your softener needs a repair
A softener that works leaves no trace of SAWS hardness at the tap. When something fails, the hardness returns, and so do the signs the USGS describes: soap that will not lather, soap scum, and deposits on dishes, fixtures and basins.
- Spots and film on glasses again after months of clear ones
- White crust returning around faucets and shower heads
- Soap and shampoo that need more to lather
- Salt in the brine tank that has not gone down in a long while
- Standing water filling the brine tank
- A unit that seems to run its cycle constantly, or never
- A leak at the valve, the tank or the drain line
- An error code, a blank display or a clock that keeps resetting
One sign on its own does not tell you what is wrong. A softener can stop softening because it has run out of salt, because its settings were lost, because a part has failed, or because the resin is worn. A hardness test at the tap, before and after the softener, tells a pro whether it is softening at all.
Safe checks before you ask for a repair
Some softener problems are simple. These checks need no tools and do not involve opening the unit. Read your owner’s manual first, and stop if anything is leaking near an outlet.
- Is it in service? Find the bypass valve on the pipes by the softener. If it was turned to bypass, for a repair or by accident, the water goes around the softener.
- Is there salt? Lift the brine tank lid. If the salt is gone, the unit cannot regenerate. Refill it with the type the maker specifies.
- Is the salt bridged? If the salt looks full but has not gone down in a long while, a hard crust may have formed across it. Check the owner’s manual for how the maker wants that handled, or mention it to the pro.
- Is it powered and set? Check that the control valve is plugged in and the outlet works. After a power cut, some valves need the time of day set again.
- Is the setting right? If the valve shows a hardness setting, compare it with your water. SAWS gives a typical 15 to 20 grains per gallon.
If those checks do not bring soft water back, or if anything leaks, it is time for a pro. Do not take the control valve apart yourself unless the maker’s manual tells you how.
Softener not working? Ask an independent San Antonio pro to look at it.
Request a quoteLeaks and water where it should not be
Water on the floor around a softener needs attention sooner than spots on glasses. If you find a leak, turn the bypass valve to bypass so the house still has water while the softener is out of the loop, keep water away from the outlet the valve plugs into, and note where the water seems to come from: the valve, a fitting, the tank, the brine tank or the drain line. That description helps the pro arrive with the right parts.
Low pressure after the softener
If water pressure dropped around the time the softener started acting up, mention it. Pressure problems can come from the softener, from a filter beside it, or from something else in the plumbing. Turning the softener to bypass for a short test, with the maker’s manual to hand, tells you whether the pressure comes back with the softener out of the loop. Either way, tell the pro what you saw.
What a repair visit can cover
What is wrong decides what a repair involves. Ask the pro to explain what they found and to put the fix in writing before work starts. A repair visit can include:
- Testing hardness before and after the softener
- Checking the control valve, its settings and its timer
- Clearing a blocked line between the brine tank and the valve
- Cleaning the brine tank and removing salt mush
- Replacing worn seals, a motor or other valve parts
- Checking the drain line and fixing leaks
- Testing the resin, and replacing it if it is worn out
Repair or replace?
There is no single age at which a softener should be replaced, and this site gives no figure for how long one lasts. Ask the pro these questions instead, and compare the answers with what a new unit would cost:
- What exactly has failed, and is the part still made for this model?
- Is the resin still working, or does it need replacing too?
- Is the unit the right size for SAWS hardness and your household today?
- Is the unit certified to NSF/ANSI 44, and would a replacement be?
- What would a replacement involve, and which permit would it need?
If you do replace it, the City of San Antonio’s Limited Service Repair (LSR) permit program covers the replacement of an existing water softener with one of the same type and size, according to Information Bulletin 121c. A different size, a new location or new piping needs a regular plumbing permit. The installation page covers the install in detail.
When the house has changed
Sometimes a softener has not failed at all: the household around it has changed. More people living in the house, an added bathroom or a pool filled from the same line all raise the grains the softener must remove each day. At SAWS’s typical 15 to 20 grains per gallon, the extra demand adds up. Ask the pro to recheck the sizing and the settings, not only the parts. The softener page shows how sizing is worked out.
Who may repair a softener in Texas
Repairs are covered by the same Texas rule as installs. TCEQ’s Water Treatment Specialist rule applies to any individual who under contract installs, exchanges, connects, maintains or services water treatment equipment in Texas. That person needs a Water Treatment Specialist license unless exempt; plumbers licensed under Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1301 are exempt. Class II covers installing and servicing softeners. Ask which license the person doing your repair holds.
After the repair
Ask for a hardness test once the unit has regenerated, so you can see it is softening SAWS water again. Ask how the valve is now set, what salt to use and how often to check the brine tank. Because water utilities commonly note that some softening systems can make water more corrosive and damage water heater anodes, it is worth asking whether your water heater’s anode should be looked at too.
Routine upkeep is a separate visit: see softener service. If the softener is beyond repair, choosing a water softener explains sizing for SAWS water.
Questions people ask
Why is my water hard again even though the softener is running?
Possible causes include an empty or bridged salt tank, a bypass valve left open, lost settings after a power cut, a failed part or worn resin. A hardness test before and after the softener shows whether it is softening at all.
How much does water softener repair cost in San Antonio?
This site prints no prices. The cost depends on what has failed and whether parts are still made for your model. Ask for the diagnosis and the price in writing before work starts.
Should a water softener be serviced?
Follow the maker’s maintenance schedule in your owner’s manual. A service visit can catch problems such as a dirty brine tank or wrong settings before the softener stops working.
Can I repair a softener myself?
You can check the salt, the bypass valve, the power and the settings. For anything inside the control valve, follow the maker’s manual or ask a pro. Anyone repairing it under contract in Texas needs a TCEQ license unless they are a licensed plumber.
Is 20 gpg hard water?
Yes. 20 grains per gallon is roughly 340 mg/L, and the USGS calls anything over 180 mg/L very hard, which is why a failed softener is so noticeable on SAWS water.
What should I tell the pro when I ask for a repair?
The make and model, roughly how old it is, what changed and when, whether there is salt in the brine tank, and whether anything is leaking. Photos of the valve display help.
