The Water Softener Incident

Two nights ago, Liz and I heard a deep sound late at night. We were both somewhat surprised – it sounded like someone slamming a door in the distance, but muffled. We didn’t make much of it, as it happened once or twice after midnight.

I stood in the hallway for a while, trying to listen for the sound to repeat. But after 10 or so minutes, went back to bed after not hearing anything.

This morning, I heard the same sound – but with greater frequency. My best guess was it had something to do with the water heater, which was located in a utility room on the exterior of the house. So I walked over to check things out.

On looking inside, I spotted a lot of moisture and water, splashed across the water heater.

There are two tanks for the water softener, and the tank on the right was wet (the one of the left was bone dry). I’m not clear on what this hose/valve is actually for, but to me it’s a potential culprit. As it had a bit of water on the end, and the splash area seems to emanate from this point.

The water heater, and the drywall behind it.

The floor was pretty soaked. I ended up grabbing some towels, and was able to pick up some of the moisture here.

Really wondering about the hose/valuve (above). The tnak on the left was dry, but the one of the right (and everything else on the right) was wet.

The local repair company is pretty booked up, so I ended up unplugging the water softener for the time being. I’m really wondering if something is up with the relief valve, if that’s what it is.

Related:
Water Relief Valve
Water Rushing Out and Back In
Sudden Showers Inside Treasure Island Supermarket
Waking Up to the Sound of Running Water