New Monarch Solo Water Softener - Already Misbehaving?

[Jbradley]

Hi All,

I'm new to this forum but I have a few questions that have been troubling me the past few days. On Wednesday, 'my' plumber's company installed a Monarch Plumbsoft Solo Water Softener (non-elec) under my sink to compliment the new unvented system he installed a few months ago (the benefits of having softened water are something that I've been after for a while).
However, since he was away on holiday, he sent over one of his colleagues to install the softener.
After installation, the only instructions he gave me (in broken english) were to fill the softener up to the indication line with salt and thats it; he left pretty much as soon as he'd finished.

After having the softener installed for a few days, we've started to notice a few things which have lead to a few questions:

1. Salt residue is now left on glass surfaces (showers, windows etc) where previously there was limescale, why is this happening and is it normal?
2. Most of the time, but not all, the softener makes a 'wurring' noise and water can be heard making its way through the softener whenever there is a demand for water in the house (flushing toilet, open a tap). Is this normal?
3. The water level in the softener is almost at the salt fill indication level and has been dropping over the last day or so.
4. Since all taps in the house, except cold kitchen sink, now serve softened water (including the external tap at the back of the house), can I open the bypass value to water the plants in the garden so that the don't get watered with sot water?
5. The installer drilled a hole in my kitchen wall (at the front of the house!) for the overflow pipe. No idea why he did this as surely it could have been routed into the sink waste via a tundish (to monitor overflow if there happens to be any)?

Ideally my plumber should be answering these questions but he's out of the country and he won't be back for at least a week.

Thanks a lot!

Jack

there should never be any salt in the tapwater or on your washing up.

there might be traces of sodium bicarbonate (as found in indigestion remedies, baking powder etc) but they are usually invisible, unless you boil a pan dry.

It will fizz if added to vinegar, but will not taste salty.

If there is salt in the water, the softener is not working correctly.

btw

when first installed, the softened water begins to dissolve existing scale from inside pipes and fittings. this is most noticeable if flakes and gritty particles come out of the hot taps, but if you look in your WC cistern (take a photo) you will see the scale flaking off and falling to the bottom. It may take some months, perhaps longer. The inside of the hot-water cylinder, if you have one, takes a very long time because it flakes off and falls to the bottom, where it lies undisturbed.

If you get water-marks under taps, a bathroom cleaner should remove them. They may be green if old scale is coming away from copper pipes.

If anyone in your house wet-shaves with foam, they will know if the softener stops working, because it makes the razor feel blunt, and the foam leaves soap-scum on the basin.

is it possible that old limescale is dissolving off the shower, and re-forming into watermarks as it dries? If so, it will eventually wash away and not reform.

Glass and mirrors are usually very easy to sponge clean with soft warm water and half a drop of WUL. No polishing-off required once all the limescale has gone.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I should mention that with the new unvented system that was installed 2 months ago, we also had a new hot water storage tank installed.

It’s possble that the water softener is dissolving limescale etc that has built up in those two months (as well as existing pipes) but I’d expect to gradually see less and less of the white marks. Also, it does make sense that the residue is sodium bicarbonate rather than salt; it’s just annoying as I thought the water would be perfectly clear (maybe I was expecting too much).

Also, I’ve noticed that there’s green scale that’s formed on the bypass vale for the water softener. Is this normal/ok? What’s is that green stuff anyway?

if green is on the outside of the pipes, it's either flux from where it was soldered, or a weeping (leaking) joint, or perhaps some salty water was splashed on it. Rub it clean and bright with a green nylon pan-scourer and soapy water, dry with a clean cotton rag. If it goes away it was probably flux. If it comes back it's weeping.

I had a solo ultra put in last month, seems to be ok although I have nothing to compare against. I do remember some residue at first but that cleared and everything is clear and shiny now, no more streaks everywhere!

I think we had separate overflow pipe as well, although nowhere else for it to go. I found the instructions this weekend and there is really nothing to do except fill with salt. I was expecting some sort of hardness setting but no. I'd keep an eye out if it looks like it is going to overflow though, that doesn't sound good.

Just wondering how much salt we are likely to get through, my biggest concern is prob that we are using a large megaflo so that must take a lot of softening (as well as heating!).

Pure limescale (calcium carbonate) is white, however it will discolour if it comes into contact with other elements. Copper (commonly used in plumbing )usually the element that turns it green.
(I used to work for a water company in my yoof)

I usually buy salt in 10kg bags (I used to get 20kg but they are too heavy to tip in). The "tablets" or "pebbles" are cleaner in use than the granulated, if you spill some you can pick them up. The salt is very corrosive, keep it away from metal tools, lawnmowers, and concrete floors. never carry it in your own car, a single loose grain will eat a hole through the floor. look in the delivery van and you will be shocked. Store them in a clean dry place where dirt and dust will not collect on the packaging.

You can get it from DIY sheds such as Wickes, or from places that sell catering supplies such as Bookers, if you are a trade customer. Prices vary a lot so shop around. Small packs and solid blocks are dearer.

I think we get through about a dozen bags in a year. Your usage will vary but try that as an initial order. It is sometimes cheaper in summer, and goes up when demand from Highways increases approaching and during winter.

The installer probably set an adjustment to the typical hardness in your part of the country. The machines mostly have a small water meter that measures the amount of water used. Having a big megaflow doesn't use extra water, it's the number of baths and showers, and, to a lesser extent, how often you run the washing machine. You ought to have an unsoftened garden tap. Get your plumber (or a better one) to connect one.

The overflow is I think intended to be inconvenient so it triggers you to get it repaired.

Interesting. What water/brine level is your water softener currently sitting it? Mine is sitting just below the salt level (which itself is a cm or so below the arrow indication marks

it will settle down with use. The Fleck designs I am familiar with suck out salty water during the regen for x minutes, then add water back afterwards for y minutes (x and y might be the same but I think x may be longer). It is intended that it will not add more water than was sucked out, or it will eventually overflow. x and y are both more than enough brine to complete the regen and y must not be more than x.

As the amount of salt in the bin reduces, the resting water level drops, because there will be y amount of water plus z amount of salt in the bin, and z will reduce as it gets used up over a month or so.

I think when the salt is almost all gone the brine level in mine is round about four to six inches, I've never measured it.