If your manual regen doesn’t start, check if the salt bridge is cracked. Sometimes salt forms a crusty dome in the tank. You have to whack it with a broom handle like you’re in a medieval mosh pit. It’s oddly satisfying.
Also, don’t do this at 10 PM. The unit will gurgle and hiss for two hours right next to your guest bedroom. Your mother-in-law will think you’re raising a water monster.
Remember: you are the boss of the softener. It is not the boss of you. Press that button with confidence. Your hair will be soft again, and your coffee maker will stop looking like a stalactite cave.
