The amount of sodium added is dependent upon the hardness of the water being softened.

Example: If the water hardness is 20 grains per gallon, the softener will add 150 milligrams of sodium to each quart of water. 150 milligrams of sodium is equal to eating one slice of white bread.

Studies conducted at the University of Wisconsin- Madison, and the National Sanitation Foundation confirm that softener regeneration does not harm the bacteria in the septic system.

Drain to a laundry tub, standpipe or floor drain, providing an air gap for all installations. The drain field should be able to handle small amounts of brine regenerant.

The electronic controller is programmed to know the water softener’s capacity. It uses the softener capacity, the hardness setting and the water usage from the meter to continuously adjust to the customer’s water using habits.

The electronic controller is searching for a water usage pattern and may seem to regenerate more frequently or not enough for the first few weeks of installation.

A salt bridge is a hollow area below the salt in your softener. To remove: hold a broom handle or similar tool up to the softener. Make a pencil mark on the handle 1” or 2” below the top height of the rim. Then carefully push the broom handle straight down into the salt. If a hard object is felt before the pencil mark gets to the top of the tank, it’s most likely a salt bridge. Carefully, push broom handle into the bridge in a few places to break it up. Do not try to break the salt bridge by pounding on the outside of the salt tank, as it may damage it. If necessary, you may also use a small amount of warm water to soften the bridge.

There could be a number of reasons, such as:

• Kenmore units are very salt efficient and do not use much salt to regenerate.
• You possibly have a salt bridge.
• The nozzle and venturi could possibly be plugged.

There could be a number of reasons, such as:

• The unit is not sized properly
• The unit is not programmed correctly
• A leaky toilet or faucet is using up the softener’s capacity
• A salt bridge may be present in the tank
• Hot water is being used during regeneration time
• There is no salt in the unit

Approximately two to five inches.