How to Add Salt to a Water Softener?
02/03/2026
Category : News and Resources
Here are a few steps and tips on how to add salt to a water softener:
How to add salt to a water softener?
Locate the brine tank, open the lid and pour the salt in. Making sure you are regularly refilling your brine tank with the correct salt is one of the most important things you can do to make sure your water softener is running properly.
How much salt goes in a water softener?
Depending on the size of the brine tank, you should probably need to use somewhere between 6 and 8 pounds of salt for every regeneration cycle.
What type of salt should you use?
The two primary types of salt you should use are sodium chloride and potassium chloride. Sodium Chloride salt is perfect for those looking for an inexpensive, easy-to-get, and effective choice that can be used in any water softener (if you have a sodium-related health concern, then you should not use this type). Potassium Chloride salt is a better option for those who may have sodium-restricted diets, or may just feel more comfortable using a non-sodium based salt.
Link to our Water Softener salts
How often should you add salt to a water softener?
Inspect the brine tank
Homeowners should check regularly on the water softener’s salt supply. If the salt level in the brine tank is below the halfway mark, you should refill it and establish a schedule for doing this. Also, if the water level in the brine tank is above the salt, or the salt inside looks wet, then it is time for you to refill your brine tank just over halfway full.
Understand your water softener’s age
A water softener’s age plays a role in how much salt it uses. Water softener’s that are more than 10 years old, will generally use more salt than a newer system. Newer systems may have low salt indicators or remote monitors within the brine tank, which will notify the homeowner when your salt level is running low.
Check for salt bridging and mushing
Salt bridges are a layer of salt covering an air pocket beneath it, making it seem like there is more salt than there actually is. If your salt level appears to not be going down throughout time, this may be an indicator of a salt bridge.
Salt mushing is an issue that may occur where the salt at the bottom of the brine tank causes clogging, resulting in poor regeneration and then hard water being dispersed from the water softener.