Experience replacing resin in water softener?

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scottyja
Posts: 240
Joined: Tue Oct 07, 2008 1:08 pm

Experience replacing resin in water softener?

Post by scottyja »

Anyone here have personal experience replacing the resin in a water softener? I can buy the materials locally for around $130, but local plumbers are asking $300-$400 for the job. I've seen some youtube videos, and it doesn't look too bad, but would love to hear any "did it, it was easy" or "I'll never do it again" experiences (hopefully more the former).

One local company said they'd do it for free, I just have to pay for the materials and get the thing to them. I just don't know how I'd lug the whole cylinder to them - it's heavy. Think it'll just be easier, although messier, to do it myself.

Thanks!
Yooper
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Joined: Fri May 21, 2010 7:25 am
Location: Michigan's Upper Peninsula

Re: Experience replacing resin in water softener?

Post by Yooper »

I'd do it in a minute. I installed my water softener about a month ago and the resin part was just pour it into the tank, add water, and screw the meter on (using cooking oil on the seal - NOT petroleum jelly). Just that simple. You would need to know 1) how much resin your tank currently holds so you know how much to order (basically measure it as you pour it out), and 2) what type of resin you want to use as a replacement (the higher quality is more expensive but supposedly uses less salt during the regeneration phase). I wouldn't sweat the decision on whether to do it yourself or not though, it's super easy.
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TimeRunner
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Re: Experience replacing resin in water softener?

Post by TimeRunner »

I did this in November after watching a Youtube video that a guy made with a unit very similar to ours. See: https://youtu.be/sH0o71luLX0

Some items to note:
1. Have a shop vac to remove the old resin beads. They weigh a lot since they are saturated with water, and will create a big mess if spilled. Have containers available to dispose of them. You may need to do this over time if using residential trash service. Some mess, including where you rinse shop vac base and filter, is tough to avoid.
2. Be careful (plumbing disconnects, etc), and methodical. I took some "before" photos with my phone too.
3. It took at least five days use before the new beads really kicked in and started to work, even just with straight cold water. Obviously it will take some time for hot water tank water to turnover.
EDIT: 4. Get one of those large funnels often sold with the resin beads. <$10. You'll need it to get the resin into the tank efficiently.

I would do this again.
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Topic Author
scottyja
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Joined: Tue Oct 07, 2008 1:08 pm

Re: Experience replacing resin in water softener?

Post by scottyja »

Messy is right! I appreciate the feedback. It was definitely messy, but it was also a relatively painless project and saved me a couple hundred dollars. The hardest part was getting the valve head off, which took two people (one to just hold the tank while the other got the head to unscrew). The resin got all over the place, but fortunately it cleans up pretty easily. I'd say the whole process took me about an hour. Thanks again!
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fishandgolf
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Re: Experience replacing resin in water softener?

Post by fishandgolf »

I often wondered if I need to replace resin in my tank; my softener is ~25 years old. I asked the local guy who originally installed it if it's common for the resin to wear out and will need to be replaced......his reply was ......"not necessarily".

Question: Is there a way to test the hot water to determine if it's no longer soft or is it just a "gut feel" thing? There are only two persons in the house and the softener runs 2x per week.

Would appreciate your comments.

Thank you!
Topic Author
scottyja
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Joined: Tue Oct 07, 2008 1:08 pm

Re: Experience replacing resin in water softener?

Post by scottyja »

fishandgolf wrote:Question: Is there a way to test the hot water to determine if it's no longer soft or is it just a "gut feel" thing? There are only two persons in the house and the softener runs 2x per week.
There are some easy, do-at-home tests to see if you have hard water, but if you want semi-accurate numbers to track changes in water-hardness, I would recommend a pack of test strips that you can purchase online or at local plumbing supply store.

However, if you aren't noticing hard water deposits on your faucets, shower doors, dishes, etc... I wouldn't make any changes. I did this project because our water pressure dropped to almost nothing unless we bypassed the water softener, which made it pretty easy to diagnose the problem.
Yooper
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Joined: Fri May 21, 2010 7:25 am
Location: Michigan's Upper Peninsula

Re: Experience replacing resin in water softener?

Post by Yooper »

fishandgolf wrote:I often wondered if I need to replace resin in my tank; my softener is ~25 years old. I asked the local guy who originally installed it if it's common for the resin to wear out and will need to be replaced......his reply was ......"not necessarily".

Question: Is there a way to test the hot water to determine if it's no longer soft or is it just a "gut feel" thing? There are only two persons in the house and the softener runs 2x per week.

Would appreciate your comments.

Thank you!
Sure, just get some water hardness test strips and they'll give you a good estimate (not exact by any means, but good enough) on the degree of hardness of your water. In fact, Google "hard water test strips" and you can get some for free.
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fishandgolf
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Re: Experience replacing resin in water softener?

Post by fishandgolf »

Thank you scottyja and Yooper for your suggestions. We do live in a rural area and water is very hard...but I will get test strips and check it out!

Thanks again!
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