Sears Water Softener Is Not Draining

Frozen Pipe

• If you live in an area that gets cold during the winter, the water may freeze in your water softener's drainage pipe. If this happens, the frozen water clogs the pipe and no new water can drain. Thus, your water softener will stop draining. Cover the drainage pipe with blankets or put foam insulation around the pipe to stop water from freezing inside the pipe and blocking the drain.

Blockages

• If there are any blockages in your drainage system, the water won't drain properly. Check both your nozzle and your venturi tubes. If they aren't clean, the dirt or debris in them may be clogging your drain. Dip a toothbrush into soapy, warm water and scrub the nozzle and venturi tubes. After you have cleaned the tubes, rinse them with water and put them back into the water softener system.

Salt Bridge

• If too much salt builds up in the water softener, it creates a "bridge." The salt deposits block air from flowing through the water softener, so the softener doesn't work properly. You can fix a salt bridge by breaking up the pie of salt with a broom handle and running the regeneration cycle. However, after you do this, the salt may get into the nozzle and venturi tubes and clog them, so you'll have to check and clean these parts of the system to avoid drainage problems.

Call Technician

• If your Sears water softener continues to have draining problems after you've taken the troubleshooting steps, call your technician to check the machine and find out what's causing it not to drain properly. You can also call your technician if you're uncomfortable removing the nozzle and venturi tube and cleaning them out yourself.