Replacing Water Softener Resin Beads
08 August 2016
Having traced unusually low water pressure in the house to the water softener, this weekend we replaced the softener’s resin beads. Things learned:
- Emptying the old resin beads involves moving around a fairly lightweight water softener made very heavy loaded with water and old resin. It’s probably best done as a two-person job.
- There may be water pressure built up between the softener and the pipes. Be careful unhooking the unit!
- The top of the softener unit might be screwed on very tight. A large wrench may be helpful.
- Spilled resin beads make the floor / driveway surprisingly slippery. Try to avoid spills! Alternately, if you have to move a large, heavy object, sliding it along a trail of resin beads might be a plausible option…
I couldn’t find any local stores that sold resin beads, so I ordered both the resin beads and filter gravel online. With shipping charges, the total came to $200; a local plumber bid $350 to do the job for me. Not a huge savings, but if you feel up to the task, replacing resin beads can certainly be done yourself.