Frequently Asked Questions

Your primary job is to keep salt inside the tank at all times to ensure your water is soft. Your system is completely automatic. It senses the usage and only cleans itself and uses salt when necessary…when you’re off on vacation the unit just waits for your return! No unnecessary regeneration! This saves water and money.

Your system must regenerate regularly in order to keep your water soft and clean. What this means is the unit will go off at a specified time, usually 2 AM, and will go though several cycles where it will flush itself out and will add water to the media tank in order to ensure the water is soft. This process creates some noise that can be startling at first. A small high pitched whining sound and the sound of flowing water are some of the sounds you will hear. You will also see a countdown timer on your unit’s circuit board display. This will stop on its own after two hours and it’s completely normal.

The unit meters water so that it will only run when it is necessary thus insuring no wasted water. In a family household, it will usually run once a week while smaller households may only have it run every two weeks roughly. It is uncommon that our customers experience issues with the time the unit runs being that most folks are sleeping at 2 am but should this not be ideal due to early commutes or it is waking up family members, let your tech or installer know and it can be set for any time of the day.

Yes! Please keep an eye on the black plastic brine tank located next to the shiny steel exchange tank. The unit uses between 8-10 pounds of salt during a regeneration cycle. Extremely hard water will require more regeneration but most families use approximately 1 to 2 bags of salt per month. Potassium also can be used but we have experienced manufacturer problems and heavy bridging can occur. We do not recommend the use of potassium until these manufacturer issues are resolved. If potassium must be used due to city requirements or sodium sensitivities, then please only add a bag at a time and keep the tank no more than a quarter full.

Bridging is when the salt has begun to clump or harden substantially inside the brine tank making it harder for the water to dissolve it. It can also create a shelf of salt near the top giving the illusion that the tank is still full. The best way to resolve this is to take a hose and carefully run water along the edges of the inside of the brine tank. This will add freshwater allowing the salt to break down any grip it has on the sides of the tank. It’s important not to fill the tank much more than halfway full if possible. After this let your unit work through the salt over the next few months until it is almost gone. Then add fresh salt on top. While bridging is not very common it happens to most owners at some point in the 15-20 years a unit can be with you. Especially if the unit is in an area with heavy sunlight or freezing cold.

Pellets and large blocks of salt are created using glue-based adhesives that are notorious for dissolving in the water and causing major bridging. This adhesive is also sucked into the valve during regeneration and it is known to clog valves.

Yes! The automatic function of the conditioner will refill the brine tank after each regeneration. The usual amount is approximately ¼ full.

No, the unit goes into a bypass mode during its regeneration. So any water you use during this period will come straight from your water supply. We recommend avoiding this if possible and that is why typically set it for 2 am to avoid as much water use as possible. It may also effect your homes water pressure during this period so it is advised to avoid showering or washing clothes for example.

Unfortunately, as with any product, things can happen that prevent their functionality. Here is the best way to ensure that the unit is working:

I. Check to ensure steady salt consumption. The top should slowly fall deeper in the brine tank over a month or two.

II. Make sure you’re a little slippery in the shower. After a time, we all get used to how soft water feels so try washing your hands at a hard water hose bib in your yard or at a less fortunate neighbor’s home. You’re sure to notice a difference

No! Conditioned water will prevent hard-water deposits from accumulating in your showers & sinks, but it will not dry spot-free. Dust in the air, soap & oils from your body, residual sodium, etc. are all factors in how much spotting you’ll see. Spot-free rinsing uses a process called deionizing the water. This process involves noxious chemicals to regenerate the system & is not affordable or desirable in a residential home.

Any major grocery or hardware store usually carries salt. some possible vendors are Home Depot, Ace Hardware & Lowe’s Home Improvement. Using the extra coarse type is best.

Yes! Should your unit not be inside your garage, shed, or another roofed area of your home, it is important to protect it from the elements. This is especially beneficial to the circuit board which like all electronics does not like major heat or cold. This is not to say your unit would not survive a few seasons without one but with a unit that lasts 15-20 years, it’s beneficial in order to ensure the longest lifespan possible.

I. The time clock on your circuit board display sometimes gets off time due to electrical outages. This can cause a problem because the unit then might think 2 A.M. is 2 P.M., right as you’re doing the laundry! When this occurs, the unit is off-line allowing hard water into your home. No big deal except the hot water heater has now refilled with hard water and your wife/husband is wondering why they feel so sticky in the shower! 🙂 In the event of this consult the first few pages of your owner’s manual or give us a call.

II. Pets are notorious for causing damage to your water softener. It is common for a pet, such as a dog or a cat, to hear the unit running and see something move. This is most commonly the drainage line which is usually made of rubber or PVC pipe depending on the installer’s preference. Due to this many animals, even wild ones occasionally mistake the line for a snake or other animal and chew through it. So keep an eye on your pets.

III. Leaking unit problems! If you notice a leak or water under the reverse osmosis, you’ll need to shut off the unit BEFORE damage can occur. Liquid Solutions Inc. is not responsible for damage caused by leaks. To shut off reverse osmosis, locate the valve assembly on the cold water line under your sink. You’ll see a small white plastic valve with a ¼ inch line running to your unit. Close this valve by turning the blue handle ¼ turn or as far as it will allow. Also, locate the valve on top of the reverse osmosis storage tank and close. Then call for service.

Consult the emergency FAQ’s below for pictures and a in depth guide.

Yes! Your reverse osmosis unit (R.O.) is refilling the tank during those times. R.O. technology takes time to make your family’s purified water. Because the process involves squeezing h2o particles through a semi-permeable membrane, the unit needs the storage tank to hold your purified water until you desire it. During this process, the R.O. is rinsing the membrane and that is the gurgling sound you hear as it runs down your drain.

The R.O. tank holds approximately 1 to 1½ gallons of purified water. The R.O. tank volume is 3.5 gallons, but the air pressure and bladder take some room, so your actual drawdown is less.

Roughly one hour to completely fill the tank.

Once a year, the filters on the R.O. will need to be changed. Liquid Solutions will contact you when that needs to be done. At that time the unit is sanitized and several tests are done to ensure the functionality of your membrane and storage tank.

A membrane is a special filter on your unit that is not changed every year. This critical component is what makes reverse osmosis what it is. Put simply, water is squeezed through the membrane after being filtered through three other filters. Should the molecules be small enough the water will pass through the membrane where it will be stored in your storage tank. The water that is not able to do this is separated into a drain line and is disposed of.

Yes! The cloudiness and bubbles are a combination of the purification process, which does add a little oxygen to the water, as well as the holding tank being a little feisty in their new home. The tank has air pressure and a bladder allowing the unit to provide your purified water. Sometimes the tank takes 2 or 3 weeks to stretch the bladder inside and this will resolve itself in time. If you’d like to check, just pour a glass of water and allow it to sit for a minute. It should clear up to a sparkling clean.

This is highly advised against. The purity of the water is of course paramount and depending on where you get your water from you will normally begin tasting a difference after one year. These are contaminants getting through because your filters are unable to accept any more. Even should your water quality somehow remain constant this puts a major strain on your unit’s membrane and basic fittings due to backpressure building on the inside of the manifold. This can cause premature leaks and failures early in your unit’s life.

No, it is actually the complete opposite. This can also cause damage to your membrane requiring you to replace it earlier. Though it seems counterintuitive, the more you use your unit, the longer the membrane and storage tank will last. Why? Nothing is more detrimental to your filters than stagnant water sitting inside them. If it is allowed to sit for weeks, months, or years, bacteria will eat away at the carbon inside the filters. This is especially true for your membrane. It also causes damage to your tank because the bladder inside is unable to expand and will begin to lose its elasticity much more rapidly causing the need for an early tank replacement. The best thing you can do is use it as much as possible. Should you go on a week-long vacation it will in no way cause major damage but continually leaving it will weigh on it over time.

Yes, like any piece of equipment that uses water such as garbage disposals or sink P traps, leaks can happen and most people will experience one in the 15-20 years they have a unit. All new installs through Liquid Solutions come with a complimentary leak detector that alerts you to the leak and turns off the water to the unit electronically until it is reset. If desired, any existing RO installation can be upgraded with a leak detector by your service tech for $55. Whether you have this detector or not, in the event of a leak you will need to turn the water off to your unit. Thankfully on almost any install, we install separate bypass valves to allow you to easily turn the water off to your unit without turning the water off to the rest of your sink. In the rare case it’s not present you will need to turn off your cold angle stop in place of the feed valve. To shut off reverse osmosis, locate the valve assembly on the cold water line under your sink. You’ll see a small white plastic valve with a ¼ inch line running to your unit. This line will be smaller than the others and is usually orange or red in color. Close this valve by turning the blue handle ¼ turn or as far as it will allow. Also, locate the valve on top of the reverse osmosis storage tank and close it. Lastly, turn on the spigot for your reverse osmosis system to release the pressure inside the manifold. A small bit of water will come out. Then call for service. It may drip a bit more for anywhere between a few minutes to at most ten but it will stop.

Liquid Solutions is not responsible for damage caused by leaks. For more detailed information with pictures please consult our emergency FAQ section at the bottom of this page.

If your leak detection device goes off, you will likely have some water or other moisture underneath the sink. Whether it’s from your reverse osmosis system, garbage disposal, or even cleaning your cabinets, you’ll need to turn off the detector to stop the alarm and resume having water in your reverse osmosis system. If the detector goes off, grab the blue and white box, see the picture below for reference, then dry off the bottom where the two metal bars are, with a towel or other drying device. Then hold down the blue button until you hear a long beep. This is the detector resetting. Once you do this, you will have water restored to your reverse osmosis system. At this point, you should inspect to see what caused the leak. If it’s your reverse osmosis system please call for service and shut off the water to the system manually. See emergency FAQ’s for instructions on this. If it is from your garbage disposal or other fixture of your sink, please call your plumber of choice to have them fixed. In the meantime, ensure your detector does not get wet again to prevent it from beeping again. The best way to do this is to flip it upside down so that the metal bars are facing up away from the cabinet. Once the problem has been resolved, it may be flipped right side up.

Do not pull the battery out to shut off the detector unless absolutely necessary. This will prevent the detector from turning the water back on to your Reverse Osmosis System and therefore prevent the production of water until the battery has been reinserted and the detector reset.