Should I Turn Off My Water Softener Before I Go on Vacation?
With the holidays around the corner, families across the country are preparing to travel. Whether you plan to visit family, book a ski vacation, or travel on holiday to a warm beach, it’s time to start thinking about preparing your home.
If you have a water softener in your home, you need to know what to do with it when you leave. The answer isn’t exactly cut and dry, which is why it is important to understand which system you have and how it operates before you make a decision about what to do when you leave.
Water softeners work by swapping the hard mineral ions for sodium ions. Your water enters the system, passing through resin beads that conduct an ion exchange. As a result, the resin beads take on all the calcium and magnesium ions that they remove from your water.
Because your resin beads get full of hard water minerals, your water softener will occasionally go through a process called regeneration. Regeneration happens when the brine (created with the water softener salt you replenish monthly) is released and used to clean the minerals from the resin beads. The brine solution is flushed from the system and your resin beads are ready to get back to work.
When preparing to leave your home for an extended period, there are a few concerns regarding your water softener system.
- First, you want to protect your resin beads and avoid leaving them sitting around covered in hard water minerals for weeks on end.
- Second, you don’t want your system trying to run a regeneration cycle if you have turned off the water to your home.
If you are not sure how to prepare your system for an extended absence, you can always contact your water softener service to ensure you have taken all the necessary precautions. Knowing what to do can make prepping your system quick and easy for more homeowners.
3 Considerations for Deciding Whether to Shut Down Your Water Softener
So, let’s run through some considerations to help you decide on the best course of action. And, as always, if you aren’t sure, reach out to your local water expert for more information.
Consideration #1: Are you Turning Off the Water to Your Home?
It’s common to shut off the water to a home that will be sitting empty. This is a preventative measure that you can take to avoid water catastrophes while you are away. A simple leak can cause extensive damage and create an astronomical water bill if you are away for even 24 hours. Rather than worry about your pipes while you are away, you can simply shut off the water supply to your home.
If you turn off the water supply to your home, your water softener system will not have adequate water to complete a regeneration cycle. And depending on the type of system you have, it may try even when there is no water in the system. This can lead to damage that can be avoided by turning your water softener off before you leave.
Consideration #2: Are you Planning to be Gone Longer Than Two Weeks?
If you will be gone for less than two weeks, your water softener should be fine. If you plan to leave for longer than that, there is more you should do to keep your water softener in good shape. You can run a regeneration cycle and add extra water to the tank to ensure the resin beads stay clean.
If you will be gone longer than a month, you can take steps to pickle your resin so that it won’t become damaged or over-saturated with hard water minerals. You will then place the system in bypass mode and can leave with peace of mind. The process may look different for each type of system, so be sure to consult your owner’s manual or call your water softener company to get thorough instructions.
Consideration #3: Do you have a Metered or Timed System?
There are a few different types of water softener systems. A metered system will run a regeneration cycle based on how much water it uses. Once you reach the specified volume threshold, a regeneration cycle is triggered. A timed system will run a regeneration cycle after a predetermined period of time, regardless of how much water is used.
If you are away from home, your metered system won’t run a regeneration cycle because water isn’t flowing through your system. This isn’t a problem unless you will be away for more than a few weeks.
If you are leaving town and you have a timed system, it may try to run a regeneration cycle while you are away. If your water is on, this isn’t a problem. If you turn off the water to your home and there is no water in the resin tank, it can lead to potential damage. So, if you have a timed system and turn off your water, it is best to turn your system off before you leave home.
How to Turn off Your System
You have a few ways to turn off most water softener systems. As always, check the manual on your own system to ensure you are following the correct procedure.
Bypass Mode
This will cause all the water in your home to bypass the water softener instead of passing through it, essentially shutting the system down. For almost all circumstances, placing your water softener in bypass mode while you are away is perfectly adequate.
Power Off
If you want to completely power off the system for any reason, you can unplug it from the power source.
Schedule a Water Service
If you are leaving for an extended period, you can call a professional to service your system and ensure it is ready for your extended absence.
And just like that, your water softener is ready for your trip, leaving you with the task of enjoying your holiday travels.
