DIY water softener repair
A water softener reduces wear and tear on your clothing, prevents filmy deposits on your dishes and washes soap from your skin and hair by neutralizing the calcium carbonate in hard water. If your water softener isn't working right, Sears PartsDirect's repair help can pinpoint the problem and show you how to fix your water softener.
When the softener's display flashes a code, use our error code charts to figure out the problem. Once you've pinpointed the issue is, use our DIY repair guides with detailed procedures to replace the broken parts.
If you're not sure whether your water softener is doing its job, our troubleshooting video on how to check water hardness walks you through the possible problems and offers tips and solutions. You can also find out the best place in your house to install a water softener and get answers to common questions on our articles and videos page.
Our DIY help covers Whirlpool, GE and Kenmore water softener repair and troubleshooting topics, although the advice also can help resolve problems with other brands of water softeners.
If you're looking for the owner’s manual or a complete list of replacement parts for your water softener, search for your model number.
Symptoms for water softeners
Choose a symptom to see related water softener repairs.
Main causes: faulty brine valve assembly, bad rotor valve…
Main causes: clogged drain hose, faulty rotor valve, leaky rotor valve seals…
Main causes: salt bridge inside the salt tank, bad timer, valve motor failure, faulty rotor valve, clogged venturi…
Main causes: loose water line connections, cracked water-carrying components, bad rotor valve seals…
Main causes: lack of electrical power, bad power transformer, faulty timer…
Main causes: empty salt tank, salt bridge, depleted resin, clogged or damaged venturi, broken rotor position switch, fai…
Main causes: broken resin tank screen, bad resin tank seals, cracked upper distributor in resin tank…
Main causes: broken water flow meter, faulty timer, water flow to softener is bypassed…
Repair guides for water softeners
These step-by-step repair guides will help you safely fix what’s broken on your water softener.
How to replace a water softener venturi
The venturi valve in your water softener draws brine water from the salt tank to the resin tank for regeneration. Follow…
How to replace a water softener rotor position switch
The rotor position switch detects the position of the valve rotor. If the rotor position switch fails, follow these step…
How to replace a water softener timer
The timer is the control board you use to program the water softener. If the timer isn’t accepting commands when you pus…
How to replace a water softener valve motor
The valve motor rotates the valve rotor to operate the water softener. If the water softener valve motor fails, follow t…
Articles and videos for water softeners
Use the advice and tips in these articles and videos to get the most out of your water softener.
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