Should You Winterize Your Water Softener?
Short answer: winterize your water softener if it’s installed outside, in an unheated garage, or in a home where you’ll shut the heat off while away. A brine tank that freezes can crack and stop softening water altogether — a quick seasonal check now avoids a repair call later.
If you live in a colder climate such as Denver, or have a home in a warmer climate you travel to over the holidays and through the winter, you probably already take steps to protect your pipes from freezing. So why wouldn’t you protect your water conditioning equipment the same way?
When Should You Winterize a Water Softener?
If you keep your Culligan® water softener in your home and don’t leave for a prolonged period of time, it should be fine as-is. But you should consider winterizing your softener if:
- You have a unit installed outside
- You have a unit installed in an unheated garage
- You leave your home for an extended amount of time and turn the heat off
How to Winterize Your Water Softener Before It Freezes
Because of the salt saturation, your brine tank is likely to freeze only in genuinely cold conditions. If your softener will sit in temperatures below -5°F, consider emptying the tank — this reduces the chance of the salt tank being damaged or cracked.
Year-round usage of a water softener might just require keeping it warm. Consider adding a space heater to your garage or basement area, or use plumbing insulation sheets or blankets around the unit and its supply lines.
If you have other water treatment equipment — a chlorinator, UV light, whole-home water filter, water pump, pressure tank, or expansion tank — those should be insulated properly or drained completely for the season too.
Do You Need to Turn Off Your Water Softener in Winter?
There’s no need to turn off your Culligan water softener, since it monitors usage and hardness and shouldn’t run a regeneration cycle if nobody’s using the water. If you own a different brand that runs on a time-based regeneration cycle instead, that’s a different story — check your manual or ask your local Culligan Man.
If your softener has already frozen, stopped regenerating, or is acting up after a cold spell, a water softener repair visit can get it back on track before it causes bigger problems.
Call your local Denver Culligan if you have questions about when or how to winterize your water softener or other treatment equipment.
