Water softener systems are excellent when you have hard water issues. Unfortunately, you may see yellow and wonder why installing a new water softener made the water look worse. There are several probable causes for this, but all of them are fixable. Whether it’s sediment in the line, inferior quality control, or something else, I’ll show you how to figure it out. Diagnosis is the first step. Once you know where the yellow comes from, you can repair the problem. Sediment filters are a simple solution for most yellow water. After years of hard water, I did a deep dive and learned everything I could about water softeners. Now I have clear water, and you can too. I’ll share everything I found and some simple tips on how to maintain your system as well. Skip the mineral buildup and headaches. No one needs to drink gross, yellow water or settle for hard water.
Why is my water yellow after installing a water softener? Sediment like iron and manganese in your water line causes your new water filter to turn water yellow. Often running the water for a short while will eliminate the particles that got into your line when you changed it. Alternately, you can install a sediment filter if the problem persists.
Why Is My Water Brown After Installing Water Softener
Your water is yellow or brown after installing the water softener for the same reason. Inside your water softener tank, you have a buildup of iron or manganese. Iron can cause brown discoloration because it dissolves and oxidizes, becoming ferric iron.
Iron gives water a brown or even orange tint due to the rusting process. You may see it as brown slugs, or it could simply change the color of the water. Regrettably, this means the resin is fouled.
To fix this issue, you will need to clean out the tank. Additionally, you may need to use a filter to keep additional deposits from entering the tank. However, there is another possibility.
Sediment can sometimes get into a water tank. In this case, it is dirt that causes discoloration. Fortunately, the solution is the same. You can easily add a filter to the water ingress to prevent outside minerals or soil from getting inside.
Types of Water Softeners
In a traditional tank-style water softener system, resin beads inside the tank are treated with salt. The sale changes these resin beads with a sodium ion. In turn, that sodium-charged resin beads exchange ions with calcium and magnesium.
As a result of this process, the water that comes out has little to no calcium or magnesium. In trade, you get water with a low but prevalent sodium content. In short, the salt replaces more troublesome minerals that cause scale buildup.
A tankless water softener system, also known as a water conditioner, works differently. The process, known as template-assisted crystallization or TAC, also uses beads. However, these beads have no sodium ion and instead are covered in nucleation sites, which are small craters. Think of it like incredibly tiny golf balls.
The nucleation sites on this media collect calcium and magnesium, forming small crystals instead of releasing the smaller particles into your pipes. Eventually, these crystals break off, flowing through the pipes in a slightly larger form that doesn’t cause scale buildup that untreated hard water would otherwise have.
You can also find water softening systems that use a series of filters. These are similar to what happens in a Brita water pitcher. Impure water goes in one end and passes through a series of filtering layers such as carbon.
Choose a high-quality iSpring RCC7AK Water Softener System from Amazon to prevent brown water. You can easily restore the natural alkalinity and mineral balance of water for tasty drinking water and fewer mineral deposit problems. Designed for easy DIY installation, you can remove contaminants down to 0. 0001 microns. You’ll love the US-based customer support line if you have any questions about installation. To read the stellar reviews for yourself, click here.
How Do You Get The Yellow Color Out Of Water
Sometimes, when you install a new water softener, your sink water comes out yellow. This can be temporary and running your sink for a few moments may clear everything up. However, if it does not run clear again quickly, you may need another solution.
Regardless of the reason, please do not drink the water until you can identify the source of the yellowing. Exaining the water both visually and by smell can help. Stinky water is coming from a compromised source while regular or metallic smelling H2O may have rust (iron) in it.
Next, try asking a neighbor if they are also experiencing yellow or discolored water. The timing could be a coincidence. Although it is rare, contaminated water can occur on a larger scale. If everyone around has yellow water, then the problem is coming from the municipal pipes rather than your home.
You can easily check to see if your softener tank is contaminated. Rust and sediment in old pipes or your hot water heater could also be the culprit, so check those as well. If none of these solutions work, you need a filter.
Clear up all your water with the Hansing Whole House Water Softener System. Not only is this system salt-free, but it is also made of 304 stainless steel to prevent corrosion. At ninety-five to ninety-eight percent effective, your water won’t turn yellow with this system. Better still it’s healthier for you and your family with a descaler element made from fruits polysaccharide and coconut activated carbon. Skip the nasty brine tanks and messy maintenance. Have Amazon deliver a Hansing fast by clicking here.
How Much Water Should Be In My Water Softener Brine Tank
Your water softener brine tank should never be full of water. Especially if you’re asking why your water is yellow after installing a new water softener, it’s important to know that the tank isn’t supposed to fill up. A full tank is an indication that the egress is blocked. Checking the tank to see that the pipe is free from debris could clear up that yellow water issue.
The salt in your tank should always be a few inches below your water level. Moreover, when you open it up, the tank shouldn’t be nearly full. Unless the manufacturer of your softener system recommends otherwise specifically, you want a few inches of water above your salt level.
When the injector is clogged it will not function properly to move the brine. Typically, this injector has a ridiculously small inlet, and it clogs easily if there’s debris in your tank.
If you want to go brine-tank-free, I recommend the HQUA 5000E Electronic Water Descaler from Amazon. This alternative water softener gives you limescale and rust-free water without the tank maintenance issues you get from brine. A frequency-modulated electromagnetic signal goes through your water to help prevent and destroy those hard-water problems where they start. Best of all, you get a one-year, one hundred percent money-back guarantee with this system. Check it out by clicking here.
How To Maintain Your Water Softener
Unless you have an issue like yellow water after installing, you only need to clean your water softener tank about once a year. You should empty and clean the brine tank annually. At the same time, use Iron-Out on the control bed parts and resin bed.
Refilling salt is simple. Wait until it is completely depleted and then fill it approximately one-third of the way. Avoid rock-salt. Though it is less expensive, it also has more impurities.
Cheap salt leaves more sediment leading to more problems and clogs in the long run. Instead, opt for pure salt with iron or rust remover. It is worth a little more to avoid most of the impurities.
Finally, check the softeners drain. If this drops or gets pushed below the level of the floor drain, it can become fouled with sewage. The end of your softener’s drain should always be above the grate.
Maintenance is easy with the Eddy Electronic Water Descaler from Amazon. You don’t need to clean out a brine tank because you won’t have one to worry about. The Eddy is better for the environment and your water. Plus, you’ll love the one-year “no quibble” Money-Back Guarantee and lifetime repair or replace warranty. Learn more by clicking here.
Final Thoughts
The high quantities of dissolved magnesium and calcium in hard water are bad news. When you install a water softener, and your water is yellow, it can feel like a downgrade, but it’s not. Instead of mineral buildup or gross-looking water, filter that sediment.
An interesting article to read is water shut off valve just spins and spins, also water dripping inside washer is driving me nuts.
Worse than the crusty deposits, hard water makes soap and detergent less effective. Settling for hard water means being less clean. Especially these days, that is a terrible thing. Cleanliness is essential to staying healthy.
You should read no hot water after turning water back on if you have had this problem.
Remember to refill brine tanks and perform routine maintenance on your new water softener. When you keep it in top shape, you will have clean, clear, deposit-free water for years.