Water remains hard even though the Culligan softener appears to run normally

Safety: Most checks are external. For internal valve work, place the unit in bypass and relieve pressure.

• Confirm salt usage: Mark the salt level and check after a few days. If salt is not dropping, the unit is not regenerating properly.
• Check hardness setting: Compare the programmed hardness to your actual water hardness (from a test kit or lab). Increase the setting if it is too low.
• Verify brine draw: Start a manual regeneration and watch the brine tank. During brine draw, the water level should slowly drop. If it does not, clean the injector, throat, and brine line.
• Resin condition: If the unit is older (10–15+ years) or heavily exposed to iron, the resin may be exhausted or fouled and require replacement.

If hardness remains high after correcting brine draw and programming, plan for a resin bed replacement.