Maintain
How to Drain a Water Softener
To drain a water softener, put it in bypass, unplug it, empty the brine tank, then drain the resin tank as its manual directs. Draining protects the softener from freezing and makes moving or repairs easier.
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Quick answer
- Shut off the supply, put the softener in bypass and unplug it first.
- Siphon or scoop the brine out, keeping it away from plants.
- Drain the resin tank the way your owner's manual describes.
- SoftPro says to winterize once temperatures consistently drop below 32°F.
- Restart by filling slowly and following your system's start-up steps.
Why you'd drain it
Most softeners never need draining. They are meant to sit full of water and run year after year. There are four common reasons to empty one:
- Freezing. The Fleck 5600SXT manual says not to install a softener where temperatures drop below 32°F, and Quality Water Treatment's install guide warns that freezing voids the warranty. A cabin, garage or vacation home that goes unheated needs a drained softener.
- Moving the unit. A full brine tank and resin tank are heavy and slosh. Draining makes them easier to carry, whether across the basement or to a new house. For choosing the new spot, see where a softener should go.
- Cleaning the brine tank. Old salt, sludge or a rotten-egg smell mean the brine tank needs emptying and scrubbing. The full method is in how to clean a brine tank.
- Repairs and resin replacement. Re-bedding the resin tank starts with emptying it. See how to replace water softener resin.
If you are only leaving home for a few weeks in a heated house, you probably do not need to drain anything. The vacation guide explains when bypass alone is enough.
Draining the brine tank
These steps follow Quality Water Treatment's brine tank cleaning method.
- Bypass the softener. Turn the bypass valve to bypass so the house stays on water. See the bypass valve guide if you are not sure which way the handles go.
- Turn off and unplug the valve. Never work on a softener with the power on.
- Disconnect the lines. Take off the brine line between the brine tank and the valve, and the overflow line if there is one.
- Remove the brine. Siphon or bail the brine water out, and drain it away from plants and lawn.
- Take out the old salt. Scoop out any salt left in the tank, along with any sludge on the bottom.
For vacation homes, SoftPro suggests leaving a little salt in the brine tank, so you may not need to empty it completely when the tank is staying put.
Draining the resin tank
The resin tank is the tall tank with the control valve on top. It holds the resin beads and stays full of water even when the brine tank is empty. Methods vary by valve and tank, so SoftPro tells owners to drain the resin tank as their owner's manual describes. The general approach is:
- Keep the softener in bypass and unplugged.
- Relieve the pressure. Before any parts come off, the Fleck 5600SXT service manual has you move the control briefly into Backwash and return it to In Service.
- Disconnect the inlet, outlet and drain line from the valve, following your manual.
- Let the water drain out in the way your manual allows for your tank.
Keep the tank upright if you can. Quality Water Treatment notes that a tank laid on its side may need a backwash at start-up to reclassify the media.
Winterizing
SoftPro says to winterize a softener when its location consistently drops below 32°F. Its steps are:
- Shut off the water supply to the softener.
- Put the softener in bypass.
- Drain the resin and brine tanks per the owner's manual.
- Drain and store the hoses, including the drain and brine lines.
- Move the softener indoors or cover it.
For a vacation home that will sit empty, SoftPro adds: drain the tanks, hoses and low points, leave a little salt in the brine tank, and consider shutting off and draining the whole house.
If the unit stays where it is, protect the valve as well as the tanks. The Fleck manual says that in cold weather the valve should be warmed to room temperature before it is operated.
Restarting
When the softener goes back into service, treat it like a new start-up:
- Reconnect everything and check the bypass is still in bypass.
- Add water to the brine tank. Use the amount your guide states: Quality Water Treatment's guide calls for 2 gallons and SoftPro's for 3. Salt goes in after the water.
- Fill the resin tank slowly. SoftPro's Elite guide says to open the bypass inlet only about a quarter turn until the tank fills, then fully. Pentair's manual warns that opening the water valve fully can push media out of the tank.
- Run a cold soft-water tap until it runs clear.
- Plug in and set the clock. Then run your system's start-up routine. Fleck and Pentair have you step the valve through a full regeneration by hand; SoftPro and Quality Water Treatment state that their pre-charged units do not need one.
- Check for leaks around the valve, bypass and drain connection.
Finally, confirm the hardness and time settings in the settings guide, and go back to your normal maintenance routine.
Common questions
Where should the salty water from a brine tank go?
Into a floor drain, laundry tub or other household drain, not onto the lawn or garden. Quality Water Treatment's cleaning steps say to drain the brine away from plants.
Does draining a softener damage the resin?
Draining for a short storage period is part of SoftPro's winterizing method, so it is an accepted step. What harms a softener is freezing with water inside, which Quality Water Treatment says voids the warranty.
Can salt stay in the brine tank over winter?
SoftPro suggests leaving a little salt in the brine tank of a vacation home. If you are moving the tank, empty it first so it is light enough to carry.
Should a softener in an unheated garage be drained every winter?
If temperatures there consistently drop below 32°F, SoftPro's advice is to winterize it. The Fleck manual also says not to install a softener where it can freeze, so a heated spot is the long-term fix.
Before and after draining
More help: see our water softener guide.