It might be – but then again it might not!
But to check the reason behind any sudden or gradual drop in water pressure, here’s what we would recommend:
- If you have had your water softener installed for some time and the water pressure suddenly drops right off for no apparent reason, firstly check with your neighbours to see if they have encountered the same issues with their water flow. If so, then this would indicate that there is a problem with the local mains supply, which will need to be rectified by the local water company.
- If the neighbouring water supply appears normal, then temporarily remove (by-pass) your water softener from your water supply. If the flow is still reduced and doesn’t improve, then you’ll know that the pressure drop is again due to a problem with the mains rather than the softener. On the other hand, if the pressure increases once you have by-passed the softener from the sequence, then this would indicate something may be amiss with the water softener itself.
- If the water softener appears to be the culprit, the most likely reason for this will be because of a fouled resin. This occurs when the resin swells up and stops the normal flow of water getting through. A gradual accumulation of chlorine in the water is often the cause of fouled resin and is more likely to manifest in lesser quality or older softeners, which have had plenty of wear and tear. If fouled resin is the reason for the drop in water pressure, although this can be fixed, in the vast majority of cases we would advise that this would be the time to consider upgrading your water softener.
We would stress that water softeners are designed to be reliable and to last for years and years. It may be that you can quickly remedy the problem, or that the product is simply due for a service. But it may also be that your water softener is telling you that it needs replacing.
Whatever the reason, if your soft water system suddenly stops producing the right results, please contact the area’s No. 1 sales and service provider, SJ Water Softeners on 01243 607494 or via email: scott@sjbs.info