GE GNSH45E - Manual (Page 21)

21
Care and cleaning of the water softening system.
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Brine (salt dissolved in water) is needed for each
and every recharge. The water for making brine
is metered into the salt storage area by the
water softening system valve and control.
However, you must keep the tank supplied
with salt.
When to refill with salt: If the blue indicator light
and DAYS TO EMPTY are flashing, there is less
than 15 days supply of salt. Refill with salt. In
humid areas it is best to refill with less salt and
more often, to avoid the forming of a salt bridge
(see page 16). After adding salt, remember to
reset the SALT LEVEL in the control (see page 11).
Never allow the salt level to drop below zero on
the yellow indicator before you refill it. Without
enough salt, you will soon have hard water.
Use clean water softening salts only, at least
99.5% pure. NUGGET, PELLET or coarse SOLAR
salts are recommended. Do not use rock, block,
granulated or ice cream making salts. They
contain dirt and sediments, or mush and cake,
and will create maintenance problems.
CAUTION:
Water softening salt
with iron removing additives: Some salts
may have an additive to help the water
softening system handle iron in the water
supply. Although this additive may help to
keep the water softening system resin clean,
it may also release corrosive fumes that
weaken and shorten the life of some water
softening system parts. GE recommends
using only Diamond Crystal
® Red•Out ®
brand salt.
Checking the Salt Storage Level and Refilling
Your water softening system takes hardness
minerals (calcium and magnesium) out of
the water. Also, it can control some (see the
Specification Guidelines section) “clear water”
iron. With clear water iron, water from a faucet
is clear when first put into a glass. After 15 to 30
minutes, the water begins to cloud or turn rust
colored. A water softening system will not
remove any iron that makes the water cloudy
or rusty as it comes from the faucet (called red
water iron). To take red water iron out of water,
or over the maximum of clear water iron,
an iron filter or other equipment is needed.
GE recommends using only Diamond Crystal ®
Red•Out ® brand salts with Iron Fighter ® additive
to help keep the resin bed clean of clear iron. If
your water supply has clear water iron, periodic
resin bed cleaning is needed. GE recommends
using Super Iron Out
® brand resin bed cleaner
to thoroughly clean your resin bed if your iron
content is high. Clean the bed at least every six
months, or more often if iron appears in the soft
water between cleanings.
IMPORTANT: It is important to mix the resin bed
cleaner with water (following the manufacturer’s
instructions), pour it into the brinewell tube
(see page 5) and recharge the softener
immediately. Do not pour the resin bed cleaner
in with the salt, as it will not be as effective in
cleaning the resin, and can cause damage to
the softener if it is left in the brine tank for an
extended period due to the corrosive gases
that are formed.
Cleaning Iron Out of the Water Softening System