Water Softener - Resin Beads

Resin beads in our water softeners are designed to last the life of the appliance. They may, however, need to be cleaned if the iron content is high in the water.

 

Cleaning the Resin Beads / Bed In a Water Softener

GE Appliances recommends using Super Iron Out® to clean your resin bed/beads if your iron content is high. Use Super Iron Out® with every 40 pound bag of salt as preventative maintenance against rust build up. Clean the bed at least every six months, or more often if iron appears in the soft water between cleaning.

 

We recommend following the instructions on the bottle of Iron Out on how to properly use the product. The instructions state to put the Iron Out in the brine well and then immediately run a regeneration. It goes on to state that if there is an odor detected in the tap water, to run another regeneration until the odor is gone. Here are the instructions for Iron Out usage:

 

First Application

  1. Add 1 cup in 1/2 gallon of cold water.
  2. Pour directly into the brine well (for softeners with no brine well, pour directly into salt tank when salt level is low).
  3. Manually regenerate the water softener.
  4. Repeat for a heavily fouled unit.

Regular Use

  1. Add 1/4 cup per 40 pounds of salt.
  2. Repeat regularly for continuous treatment.
  3. Note: If taste or odor is detected in the tap water, manually regenerate the softener again, then run cold water until the odor is gone. For cabinet models, use for periodic cleaning only. Follow the First Application instructions above.

In a properly functioning water softener, Iron Out will never mix with potable water. Iron Out does not harm your drinking water, the same way the salt in your system does not harm your water supply. The water softener has a mineral bed that water passes through and catches the hardness and iron particles found in the water. When the mineral bed gets compacted with particles, the softener goes into regeneration mode and the water supply goes on bypass. The salt brine and Iron Out are drawn into the mineral bed of the softener and they remove the hardness and iron particles from the mineral bed. This is flushed down the drain, then 40 to 60 gallons of fresh water is flushed through the water softener and sent down the drain. Finally, the water softener goes back into service for everyday usage.

 

If you need to replace the resin beads in the water softener, you will need 1.25 cubic feet of resin beads. We do not provide information on the type of resin used in our water softeners, since only resin beads specified for our softener should be used. We sell resin beads in 1 cubic feet capacity, part number WS01X10002.

 

Additional Support

Should you require repair service for your Water Softener, please contact service at 1-800-952-5039 for the nearest authorized SmartWater Servicer in your area.