Direct answer: A SpringWell salt-based softener (SS1, SS4 or SS+) regenerates on its own, at 2:00 a.m. by default, using brine from the brine tank to clean the resin. SpringWell’s installation guide sets the regeneration day override to 14 days and the reserve to 10%, so the softener regenerates when its calculated capacity runs low and at least every 14 days. A regeneration takes about 90 minutes, during which the guide says “you will not be able to use your water.” SpringWell recommends salt pellets, allows potassium chloride with the hardness setting raised by 5 gpg, and recommends cleaning the brine tank once a year.
Publisher boundary: Water System Guide is an independent research publisher, not a SpringWell retailer. This page uses SpringWell’s SS1/SS4/SS+ installation instructions (PDF created October 2020), its salt-softener product page and five SpringWell Help Center articles, reviewed October 15, 2026. SpringWell does not publish salt per regeneration or gallons per regeneration, so we do not estimate them. For the app screens themselves, see our SpringWell settings guide.
What happens during a SpringWell regeneration
The installation guide’s system diagram describes the process in two steps: “(1) Water from your source will be softened by the ion exchange softener” and “(2) The salt from your brine tank will regularly regenerate the media in your softening system” (installation instructions, PDF page 3). SpringWell’s Help Center explains that these systems “use a brine solution to wash away the hardness minerals and regenerate the sodium-charged resin beads” (Help Center: salt type).
The product page summarizes the approach as “smart regeneration saves salt and water” (salt softener product page). SpringWell does not publish a step-by-step cycle table (backwash, brine draw, rinse and refill times) for the current electronic head. What it does publish are the settings that control when regeneration happens and how much brine is made.
When it regenerates: the settings SpringWell specifies
From the installation guide’s app setup (installation instructions, PDF pages 14 to 16):
| Setting | SS1 | SS4 |
|---|---|---|
| Regeneration time | 2:00 a.m. default | 2:00 a.m. default |
| Water hardness | Your water test value | Your water test value |
| Regeneration day override | 14 days | 14 days |
| Reserve capacity | 10% | 10% |
| Resin grains capacity | 32 (32,000) | 48 (48,000) |
| Brine refill | 8 minutes | 10 minutes |
How these work together:
- Hardness and grains capacity let the head calculate how many gallons it can soften before it needs to regenerate. The guide tells the owner to “enter the value from your hard water test.”
- Reserve capacity of 10% keeps some capacity in hand so the softener does not run out before the next 2:00 a.m. window.
- Day override of 14 days forces a regeneration at least every two weeks, even with low water use.
- Regeneration time should be “while water is not being used,” the guide says.
- Brine refill controls how long the head refills the brine tank after regeneration, which sets how much salt dissolves for the next cycle. SpringWell gives minutes, not gallons or pounds.
The guide does not list SS+ values; ask SpringWell before changing an SS+.
How long it takes, and forcing a regeneration
At the end of setup, the guide has the owner select “Regenerate Now” in the app and warns: “During this time you will not be able to use your water for 90 minutes.” It then says “the system will regen for 90 minutes” (installation instructions, PDF page 16). Use the same app command if you need to regenerate outside the schedule, for example after adding salt to an empty tank or before a heavy-use day.
The 90-minute figure is why the 2:00 a.m. default matters. If the clock is wrong, regeneration can happen during the morning, and the house will be without softened water while it runs. Setting “Time of Day on Unit” to match your phone is the first step in the guide.
Salt: what kind and how much
SpringWell’s Help Center article on salt says softeners “work best with salts that are specially designed for softening water. That means no dicing, table salts or any salt of that kind,” and concludes: “From our experience, salt pellets seem to work the best” (Help Center: salt type).
On quantity:
- At installation: the brine tank “will need to be filled with 4 to 5 bags of salt pellets” (installation instructions, PDF page 12).
- After cleaning: add “at least two 40-lb bags and max of four 40-lb bags” (Help Center: brine tank maintenance).
SpringWell’s own cost article recommends checking the brine tank’s salt level “at least once a month and topping it up” as needed (SpringWell water softener cost article).
Potassium chloride
SpringWell’s Help Center says: “Yes, potassium chloride can be used as a sodium alternative, the only setting that would require an adjustment on the Legacy View App is the one labeled ‘Water Hardness’ under the Dashboard. For potassium chloride usage this setting would need to be increased by 5 GPG” (Help Center: potassium chloride). So a 15 gpg test result would be entered as 20 gpg when using potassium chloride.
Water in the brine tank is normal
Owners often worry when they see water in the brine tank. SpringWell’s answer: “Water within the brine tank is completely normal, the level of water to salt ratio will consistently vary. This unit is designed to have the water shut off once it reaches a certain height in the system. The only cause for alarm with the brine tank system is if this unit happens to be overflowing” (Help Center: water in brine tank).
If the brine tank overflows, or the salt level never drops between refills, regeneration may not be drawing brine. Our SpringWell not-softening guide covers the checks.
Cleaning the brine tank once a year
SpringWell recommends cleaning the brine tank “once a year when the salt levels are low.” Its steps (Help Center: brine tank maintenance):
- Put the unit in bypass.
- Disconnect the lines between the softener and brine tank.
- Siphon or dump out the water, “not on grass or plants as the high percentage of sodium in this water/salt mixture may hurt the lawn or plants.”
- Remove remaining salt. If there is a salt bridge, “use warm or hot water to loosen the salt bridge up and break it out.”
- Scrub with a few tablespoons of dish soap in 1 to 2 gallons of water, then rinse.
- Sanitize with 2 to 3 gallons of water and a quarter cup of household bleach for 15 minutes, scrubbing again.
- Reconnect, take the system out of bypass, and add two to four 40-lb bags of salt.
Bypass: needed for maintenance, not for regeneration
The softener regenerates on its own and does not need to be bypassed for a normal cycle. The bypass matters when you clean the brine tank or service the head. SpringWell’s guide calls a bypass valve “highly recommended” and says that “without a bypass valve, you will need to shut off the main water supply any time the softener requires maintenance” (installation instructions, PDF page 6). If the SpringWell bypass was not purchased, it recommends a three-valve bypass loop that “a licensed plumber can install using standard tee fittings and ball valves” (PDF page 3). Remember to return the valve to service after maintenance, or the house will get hard water no matter how well the softener regenerates.
Drain lines and water use
Every regeneration sends water to drain. SpringWell’s Help Center says the drain lines from the resin tank and brine tank overflow “are gravity-fed for the most part, so they will need to be as level or low as possible,” and that if the line must rise above the tank head, keep it “as low as possible, less than 12” typically” (Help Center: drain lines). The installation guide adds that the drain line must not be “pinched or kinked or it will impede the flow of water from the system” (installation instructions, PDF page 9).
The installation guide lists backwash rates of 2 gpm for the SS1 and 2.4 gpm for the SS4, and the product page lists 4 gpm for the SS+ (installation instructions, PDF page 4). SpringWell does not publish how many minutes of the 90-minute cycle are spent at those rates, so we do not convert them to gallons.
Frequently asked questions
How often does a SpringWell water softener regenerate?
When its calculated capacity runs low, based on your hardness setting and water use, with a 10% reserve. SpringWell’s guide also sets a 14-day day override, so it regenerates at least every 14 days. The default start time is 2:00 a.m.
How long does a SpringWell regeneration take?
SpringWell’s installation guide says about 90 minutes, and that you will not be able to use your water during that time. Schedule it for a time when no one is using water.
What salt should I use in a SpringWell softener?
SpringWell recommends salt pellets made for water softeners, not table salt. Potassium chloride also works if you raise the water hardness setting by 5 gpg.
Is it normal to have water in my SpringWell brine tank?
Yes. SpringWell says water in the brine tank is normal and the water-to-salt ratio varies. The fill shuts off at a set height. Only an overflowing brine tank is cause for concern.