Your water softener bypass valve in Las Vegas, from on and off to leaks

Water softener bypass valve on or off: what each position does

Most bypass valves have two positions that matter:

• Service (bypass off). Water goes in through the softener’s inlet, through the resin and out to the house softened. This is where the valve should sit day to day.
• Bypass (bypass on). Water skips the softener entirely. WaterBoss’s manual is blunt about it: all water to the home is then raw, untreated water.

Turning the bypass on turns softening off, so read the labels on the valve.

Clack’s two-handle bypass has two more positions. Its service manual describes a diagnostic position (water reaches the softener and the house, but nothing leaves the softener) and a shut-off position, which stops water to the house. Those are mainly for service technicians.

When to bypass a water softener

• A leak. Pentair’s manual names emergency leaks first among reasons for the bypass. The Las Vegas Valley Water District uses it as a leak test: turn the bypass lever, then watch the flow indicator on your water meter. If it stops moving, the leak is in the softener. See our guide to a water softener leaking in Las Vegas for what to check next.
• Repairs and service. WaterBoss says to bypass whenever work is done on the softener or the plumbing.
• Watering plants and lawns. WaterBoss says to use bypass for watering plants or lawns with untreated water, and Pentair says to use it when watering outside for long periods if the outdoor taps run through the softener. The Southern Nevada Water Authority lists harm to houseplants from the extra salt as a drawback of softening; more in our page on whether a water softener is bad for plants. For the lawn, see does softened water kill grass.
• Filling a pool. None of the manuals we read names pools, but a pool fill is outdoor water use, which Pentair lists as a reason to bypass. If your pool fills from a softened tap, bypassing keeps the softener from spending salt on it.
• A power cut mid-recharge. Pentair’s manual for its connected softener says that if the power fails during a recharge, the valve stays where it is until power returns, and warns about overflows. If you hear water running to the drain during an outage, bypass it.

While the softener is bypassed, go easy on hot water. GE gives that advice for the hours when its softener recharges (and bypasses itself), because whatever you draw from the water heater is replaced with hard water.

How to bypass a water softener, by valve type

Push-pull (single bypass valve). GE and Morton fit a single bypass valve that clips onto the softener. Push the stem in for bypass; pull it out for service (soft water).

Single knob or lever. WaterBoss’s bypass sits on the control valve: turn the knob to Bypass, and back to Service when you’re done. Turning it partway toward Bypass blends some hard water back in, which WaterBoss describes as a way to adjust hardness. Pentair’s whole-house softener uses rotary handles.

Two handles (Clack and similar). The red arrow-shaped handles point in the direction of flow for normal service. Point both toward the centre of the bypass and the softener is isolated.

Three-valve manual bypass. Older homes and some installers use three ordinary valves in the pipe: an inlet valve, an outlet valve and a bypass valve between them. GE and Morton both give the same steps: close the inlet and outlet valves and open the bypass for hard water; reverse it for soft water.

Our water softener loop in Las Vegas diagram shows where the bypass sits.

Leaking at the bypass valve, and bypass valve replacement

Most leaks at a bypass come from its seals and clips, not the valve body.

• O-rings. GE’s installers grease the bypass O-rings with silicone grease before pushing the valve on. Clack’s manual says its bypass O-rings can be replaced if service is needed, and warns to use silicone-based lubricant only: petroleum jelly and other hydrocarbon products damage O-rings and plastic.
• Clips. GE says the clips must snap fully home so the bypass can’t pull out. Before removing one, turn off the water and open a tap to release pressure, and don’t reuse a damaged clip.
• Heat damage. GE warns that soldering heat damages the bypass and adaptors, a common cause of trouble after pipe work nearby.

For a replacement, Pentair’s and WaterBoss’s manuals list the bypass as an assembly with its own O-rings and seals, and Clack lists its bypass parts separately. Use the part number from your own manual’s parts list.

When the bypass goes back to service after any repair, check your softener settings for Las Vegas and watch for drips for a day. If the repair turns into a replacement softener, work out the size your home needs first.

Sources for this page

• Las Vegas Valley Water District · find-and-fix-leaks page · undated · bypass lever and meter flow indicator leak test.
• Southern Nevada Water Authority · home treatment systems page · undated · harm to houseplants from softened water.
• WaterBoss · owner’s manual and installation guide · 2020 · what bypass does, when to use it, knob positions and blending, bypass parts.
• Pentair · whole-house softener manual · 2020 · reasons for the bypass, outdoor watering, rotary handles, bypass parts.
• Pentair · connected softener installation manual · undated · power failure during a recharge.
• GE Appliances · water softener owner’s manual and installation instructions · 2014 · push-pull positions, three-valve bypass, O-rings, clips, soldering heat, hot water during bypass.
• Morton Water Softeners · installation and operation manual · 2020 · push-pull and three-valve bypass.
• Clack Corporation · control valve service manual · current edition, checked October 2026 · four bypass positions, replaceable O-rings, silicone-only lubricant.