Hi, I've read quite a few posts regarding water softeners here...all great stuff but way over my head (if you'll pardon the phrase), so please excuse my ignorance...here's my question:
We have an Ecowater 3000 R30 installed by a local dealer. After it was first installed, the change in our water was quite noticeable, but over time, either we got used to it, or it became less dramatic.
At any rate, one day I noticed that the water level in the brine tank was a little higher than I'd seen before. I wasn't sure if this was normal or not, so decided to leave it alone and keep an eye on it. Over time, it seemed to continue to increase, until finally it reached about half of the tank (about 2 feet high).
I did a little research and concluded that the orifice must be clogged. I found a manual online and managed to remove and disasssemble the venturi unit, and found that it was indeed clogged. After carefully cleaning everything and reassembling the unit, started a recharge cycle and confirmed a healthy vacuum at the venturi's brine hose connection. I ran the system through a few manual recharges and visually confirmed that the water level in the brine tank had gone down to what I would expect - a couple of inches.
My question: during the time the orifice was clogged and I wasn't smart enough to realize it, the unit was still in service. So our water was passing through the resin beads, but during all that time they were not being "cleaned". Does that mean the resin is now saturated or clogged with hardness minerals? Can/Should I be doing extra recharges to "clean up" the resin beads? Or would they need replacement?
Thanks!