Water is dark brown after softener regen

[jguff330]

When my softener does a regen, the water looks like this for about 24 hours . It will (mostly) clear up after a couple minutes if I let it run and look like this.

Years back, my pump started to go out and the only sign was because the water got real brown from being churned up inside the well from the pump running 24/7. This pump was just replaced (unrelated reason) so I know it's not the pump this time. The pressure builds up and pump shuts off when it should. My well is 115' and have never run out of water before. Located in NE Ohio.

Do you think it could be from the softener settings using too much water during regen and churning up the well? I have a ton of iron in my well but the water is normally clear. It regens every 1,950 gallons (roughly 2 weeks) and the water is clear as can be once it settles after that first 24 hours.

my setup...
AQUASURE Harmony Series 48,000 Grain Water Softener with Fine Mesh Resin for Iron Removal
100 micron prefilter after pressure tank, before softener.

 

[jguff330]

Please help lol

 

[wpns]

What time of day does it regen? My iron filter used to put itself in bypass mode when it was returning, so if you used water at that time, you would get untreated water in the pipes.

 

[jguff330]

What time of day does it regen? My iron filter used to put itself in bypass mode when it was returning, so if you used water at that time, you would get untreated water in the pipes.

2am is when it does the regen. Don’t wake up for work until around 4:30. Stays brown for 24-48 hours after.

 

[user 26930]

Is there a place to check the water before the softener?? That way you could tell if it's brown from the well or if the softener is the source. Alternatively when the water is brown, you could put the softener in bypass mode and check the water (allowing for brown water in the lines to be flushed - should only take a couple of minutes).

My city water has a high silt content and we'd often find brown water in toilets, running a bath or filling a clear bottle. The problem affects the whole neighborhood.

When our water heater started leaking, I decided to redo our incoming water setup including replacing the water heater and water softener as well as adding charcoal and particulate filters. I found 2 inches of mud at the bottom of the softener brine tank.

If you find the softener is the primary source of brown water, it might be that the regen cycle is pulling muck from the brine tank into the mineral tank (filled with beads). There should be a 'rinse' cycle after the brine water is expelled from the mineral tank. Things to try:
1) Fully clean the brine tank and note if there's an accumulation of sediment at the bottom.
2) Ensure the softener rinse cycle is running and possibly adjust to run longer to do a better rinse of the beads.
3) If you find sediment in the brine tank, install a whole house filter ahead of the softener.

 

[jguff330]

Is there a place to check the water before the softener?? That way you could tell if it's brown from the well or if the softener is the source. Alternatively when the water is brown, you could put the softener in bypass mode and check the water (allowing for brown water in the lines to be flushed - should only take a couple of minutes).

My city water has a high silt content and we'd often find brown water in toilets, running a bath or filling a clear bottle. The problem affects the whole neighborhood.

When our water heater started leaking, I decided to redo our incoming water setup including replacing the water heater and water softener as well as adding charcoal and particulate filters. I found 2 inches of mud at the bottom of the softener brine tank.

If you find the softener is the primary source of brown water, it might be that the regen cycle is pulling muck from the brine tank into the mineral tank (filled with beads). There should be a 'rinse' cycle after the brine water is expelled from the mineral tank. Things to try:
1) Fully clean the brine tank and note if there's an accumulation of sediment at the bottom.
2) Ensure the softener rinse cycle is running and possibly adjust to run longer to do a better rinse of the beads.
3) If you find sediment in the brine tank, install a whole house filter ahead of the softener.

I have a nice filter before the softener that collects a lot of iron. And I've used res care & iron out to clean the resin just in case. I'll clean the brine tank and check for sediment there. I'll also test a longer rinse cycle, thank you!