What Happens if My Water Softener Runs Out of Salt?

Salt top-ups are the most important maintenance job for a water softener. We all know that we need to make sure there’s plenty of salt in the brine tank – but why?

In this guide, we’ve answered the question: What happens if water softener runs out of salt? We’ve also discussed how long water softeners can go without salt, and how to make sure your softener is always topped up with sodium chloride.

🔔 Can a Water Softener Run Without Salt?

To understand whether salt-based water softeners can continue to work with no salt, let’s first consider how a water softener operates.

There are two main features of a water softening system: a brine tank and a resin tank.

The water softening resin tank, or mineral tank, contains resin beads that are loaded with sodium ions. During the softening process, these sodium ions swap places with minerals in the water in a process called ion exchange. This softens water and eliminates scale.

To ensure the resin beads can be replenished with sodium as necessary, you’ll need to top up the brine tank with water softening salt as recommended by your manufacturer. When the water softener regenerates, salt is carried into the mineral tank.

Imagine, now, that you didn’t add any salt to your brine tank.

In this scenario, there would be no sodium to replenish the resin beads. The softener would continue to run, but nothing would happen, because sodium is needed in order for ion exchange to take place.

As a result, your water will still be hard. You’ll start to notice the signs of hard water around your home, including mineral spotting on your glassware, poor water lather, and hard water scale formation on your water-based appliances.

🤔 What Happens If Water Softener Runs Out of Salt? 7 Likely Outcomes

If you let your water softener run without salt, there are several consequences you may experience:

Reduced System Efficiency & Lifespan

If you bought a water softener to deal with hard water in the first place, we don’t need to tell you what limescale is. This sticky, streaky substance can be a nuisance, affecting the appearance of your home and the performance of your appliances, and is very difficult to clean.

If your water softener runs out of salt, the hard minerals in your water have access to the important components in the control valve, including the piston chamber, leaving limescale deposits.

As well as generally slowing water flow, hard water minerals may affect the regeneration performance and efficiency of your water softener. A softening water treatment unit can last for 10-20 years, but only with the right care.

You risk shortening your system’s lifespan by allowing hard water to flow through it.

Brine Tank Overflow

An overflowing brine tank is another possible outcome if your water softener runs out of salt. Air or water leakages will cause a malfunction of your system and an overflow of water in the brine tank will occur. 

Obstructions can also cause issues with the float control.

The brine float may allow water to continue filling, eventually causing an overflow. This may result in water damage in your home if you don’t spot the problem early.

Water Isn’t Softened

The most obvious outcome of allowing your water softener to run out of salt is that your water won’t be softened.

The ion exchange process only works when calcium and magnesium minerals can be swapped with sodium ions. If the process is lacking water softening salt, these hard minerals will remain in your water.

That means you’ll miss out on all the benefits of soft water, such as improved skin and hair health, easier cleaning, and less soap required for washing – presumably the reason why you bought your water softener in the first place.

Limescale Buildup in Pipes & Appliances

Limescale buildup inside your pipes will occur if you allow your softener to run for a long time without topping up the water softener salt.

Water softeners are the best defense against limescale. Because a water softener eliminates scale-causing minerals, there’s literally no way that scale can collect on your water fixtures. But if your water softener doesn’t contain salt, your water won’t softened, and the scale will be able to freely form.

When limescale gets into your plumbing, it can have an impact on your water flow, reducing water pressure.

Hard minerals may also accumulate in your water heating system and other appliances, affecting their efficiency.

Soap Won’t Lather

Soft water doesn’t contain calcium and magnesium minerals, and is unable to form scum, so it lathers with soap more effectively than hard water.

If you don’t add salt to your water softener, you’ll have hard water, not soft water, flowing through your plumbing system. As a result, soap won’t lather effectively, and you’ll find that you need more soap to do the same job.

You may also notice the formation of sticky soap scum, and you might experience skin and hair issues as a result of washing in hard water.

Hard Water Stains

Limescale in your pipes might be hidden from sight, but there’s no avoiding hard water stains on your faucets and fixtures.

A lack of salt in your water softener means you won’t have soft water in your home – so there’s nothing to stop limescale from depositing across your home.

Limescale buildup occurs around faucets, in sinks, toilets, and bathtubs, on shower units and shower heads, and on any other surfaces that come into contact with hard water. You may need to buy special products to remove the limescale.

Iron Stains

Hard water minerals often come hand-in-hand with iron, especially in well water supplies.

Most water softeners are capable of removing low levels of iron as well as hardness minerals. But if your water softener is out of salt, the iron can’t be removed and will remain in your home’s water.

Ion gives water a metallic taste and smell and causes rust staining. Once iron is exposed to air, it oxidizes, leaving orange or brown deposits in sinks, toilet bowls, and bathtubs.

⌛️ How Long Can a Water Softener Go Without Salt?

There are two situations you might be referring to if you’re wondering how long a water softener can go without salt:

1. How long can a water softener go between salt top-ups?
2. How long can a water softener go once the salt has run out?

Let’s answer question 1 first: How long can a water softener go between salt top-ups?

The answer is: it depends on several factors, including the water softener brine tank capacity, your water hardness, and your water usage. Generally, a water softener can go up to 12 weeks without salt.

The harder your water and the more water you use, the faster the resin will be depleted of salt. So, if your water is very hard or you use a lot of water every day, your water softener will go for less time without salt. This also depends on the brine tank capacity – the bigger the brine tank, the more salt it can hold, and the longer the softener can go between salt top-ups.

Now to answer question 2: How long can a water softener go once the salt has run out?

The answer to this question is: indefinitely. A softening system will keep running as normal regardless of whether or not you top up the water softener tank.

A lack of salt in the softener won’t damage it or affect its process. The only obvious setback is that with no salt in the water softener’s brine tank, the system won’t be able to soften your water because there will be no sodium chloride to replenish the resin beads.

👌 How to Ensure My Water Softener Doesn’t Run Out of Salt?

Now you know what happens if water softener runs out of salt, it’s worth knowing how to prevent this from happening.

Use a Smart System

The best way to avoid running out of salt in your softener is to use a smart water softening system.

Many of the latest water softeners on the market today come with a smart control valve that can be connected to your phone via a Bluetooth app. This app monitors your water softener salt levels and reminds you when salt is getting low.

Set a Reminder On Your Phone

If you have an older softener that doesn’t offer app connection, make sure to set a reminder to check your water softener salt levels on your phone calendar.

You can set a recurring reminder for every few weeks to check the salt, or set a new reminder every time you’ve completed this water softener maintenance task.

Make a Habit of Manually Checking

As well as setting a reminder on your phone, for extra peace of mind, it’s worth manually assessing your water softener between top-ups.

Get into a habit of checking the brine solution once or twice a week.

Keep Extra Salt On Hand

We strongly recommend having extra salt on hand for occasions where you forget to top up your salt tank or you didn’t correctly anticipate how much sodium your softener would use.

Having slightly more salt than you think you’ll need means you can add salt to your salt tank exactly when you need it, rather than having to use the system as it is until you can buy some more.

📆 How Often Do You Need To Replace Salt in Your Water Softener?

Generally speaking, you should replace your water softener salt every 8 to 12 weeks. However, you should check your water softener at least once every 6 weeks to be certain that the salt level hasn’t already dropped too low.

The quality and brand of your water softener, and the quality and purity of the salt you use, may affect how much salt the softener uses, and how often you need to replenish the salt.

Additionally, your daily water usage will affect how much water treatment is required, and how often the system is used – and how much salt is used per day. Check your user manual for more information.

📑 Final Word

Salt top-ups are an inevitable maintenance task for salt-based water softener systems.

Most people find it easy to slot water softener maintenance into their routines. But if you really hate having to remember to top up salt, consider swapping to a salt-free water softener, which offers many of the benefits of a conventional water softener without the use of salt.

❔ FAQ

Does it damage a water softener to run without salt?

No, it doesn’t damage a water softener to run without salt. Water softeners need salt for the ion exchange process, so using a softener without salt means you won’t get soft water. But a lack of salt in water softening systems won’t cause internal damage to the components.

What should I do if my water softener runs out of salt?

If your water softener runs out of salt, simply add some more. Don’t worry, a lack of salt doesn’t damage the system, so just fill up the brine tank as soon as you can.

How do I know if my water softener needs salt?

You’ll know if your water softener needs salt by checking the salt brine tank. If the salt level is less than half full, you’ll need to add salt to the tank. You may also notice a change in your water quality, indicating that your softener isn’t producing soft water as it should.

Can I add too much salt to my water softener?

Yes, you can add too much salt to a water softener. Most water softeners have a maximum salt level in the brine tank. If you exceed this level, a salt bridge may form in the tank, affecting the softener’s ability to form a brine solution.