Would water softener cause rings in toilet bowl?

[Brian Elfert]

I installed a reconditioned Kinetico water softener over a year ago to replace a dead water softener. Since then I seem to have a ring and a film in one of toilet bowls in a bathroom that is very rarely used. Would a water softener cause a ring like that? The ring is very hard to remove. Kinetico set the water softener based on the hardness of water in my city. The softener seems to be working because I get a lot more foam from soap and it is using up salt.

[George Bokros]

I would think the softener would not do that. It is more a function of the toilet bowl cleaner removing the finish and leaving the porous porcelain exposed. Those toilet cleaners that you hang in the tank in particular are very strong. My wife stored toilet bowl cleaner in the vanity, the fumes removed the plating from the hinges of the vanity.

[Brian Elfert]

I don't use the in-tank cleaners. I so rarely use or clean that toilet that I doubt the finish has gotten worn off in the past 12 years since the toilet was new. I maybe have cleaned the toilet once in the past year just to try to get the film and ring off. I guess I could see if it seems rough instead of smooth.

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

Is it just the Kinetico "scuba tanks" or do you have an additional container holding salt to soften the water? It's possible there is an additive in the brand of salt you are using or more-likely depending upon the color of the stain, your Kinetico is not set up to filter manganese or iron. I have owned a Kinetico system for about 14 years now and moved it with us to the rental and it will move with us to our permanant home. We have no stains any more at any home it has been in. (First home had iron, rental has manganese.)

[Myk Rian]

I see nobody read your post before replying.
Cleaners have nothing to do with it, and you have a salt tank.
The water just sitting there will do it. There is still some salt in the water, and that's what causes it.
Flush it once or twice a week.

[Ed Aumiller]

Myk... how could anyone reply without reading it.???? They may not have understood it in the same way as you did, but in my opinion, that had to have read it......

[Brian Elfert]

My Kinetico has the big tank holding the salt. I do use Morton's rust removing salt because of the high iron content in the water. It sounds like I just need to get it clean and then flush it every week.

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

Wow Myk. Relax a bit. Your definition of "rarely used" could mean weeks go by, while my definition of "rarely used" could mean once every 2 days. Different brands of salt contain different additives. It may be an additive in the salt that is causing the staining. Try using a different brand of salt. It may also be due to the Kinetico not being set up to filter whatever is causing the stain.

If you are using salt as a water softener, there will be high levels of sodium in the water. If you ever have a hair analysis done in a lab, the sodium levels can show up around 1600 when the "reference range" is well under 100. They look at you funny until you explain you use salt in your water filter system. :D

[Rick Potter]

I have a place in Phoenix that only gets used every two or three months. The toilets have a dark scum at and below the water line. No softener, very hard water. In our case, it has to be the water.

Rick Potter

[Brian Elfert]

Before I installed my first water softener the toilet tank got black inside from the hard water. Not surprising that unused toilets with hard water in them would get stained.

By rarely used, I mean the toilet might get used once a month if that often. It probably gets flushed about 10 times a year at this point. I always use the toilet in the master bath.