Water softeners are very stupid machines, they will consume salt regardless if they are working or not. Here is what life is like with a functioning water softener. You have no white spots on your glasses when they come out of the dishwasher, you have no stains in your toilets, bath tubs, showers or sinks. You would be able to wash your white clothes at home without any stains or your whites turning grey. Your skin would not be dry and your hair would feel like it did when you were young, you hardly never buy dish soap, hand soap, laundry soap or skin cream. If what you just read sounds like heaven on earth, your water softener is either not working or doing what the industry calls slipping, meaning it is not working 100%. Sometimes you have soft water and sometimes you do not.

Fact: The majority of water softeners on the market are not producing soft water.

Is My Air Injection or Chemical System Working

If the sulfur smell is back or appears sometimes, if your water pressure fluctuates, if you’re seeing iron stains again or if there is color in your water, your air injection system is most likely not working.

Is My Reverse Osmosis (RO) System Working

To check if your reverse osmosis (RO) is working, you can do a simple tea test. Take a cup of water from your tap and take another cup of water from the RO system. Put them both into a microwave, do not use a pot. Then place an Earl Grey tea bag in each glass. There should be a significant difference in color between both glasses. The tea made with the RO water should be orange and not a dark brown. If the tea is a dark brown, your system is most likely not working. If the water from your RO system tastes funny, in most cases you can fix this with a filter change.

Fact: Earl Grey Tea if made with clean water will be orange NOT dark brown and you should be able to see through the tea; very similar to the picture on the front of the box of tea.

Is My UV Light Working

If your system is old and or you have never changed the UV bulb, your system is not working. If there is an outside system light that is flashing or is red, your system is not working. If you or members in your family are experiencing stomach or bowel problems, your light is not working. If you have a smell in one tap and not in another tap, your light is not working.