GE GXSF39E - Manual (Page 19)

19
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 14). After adding salt,
remember to reset the SALT LEVEL in the
control (see page 10). 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