Backwashing pH neutralizer problem

May 9, 2012 by John McNeil · Leave a Comment

I’m having problems with a backwashing pH neutralizer that I hope you can help me with. It has run fine for many years, but this week we started to notice a drop in water pressure. After I by-passed the neutralizer, the water pressure returned to normal. I noticed that during backwash the flow to drain starts out fast and then quickly is reduced to a very slow rate. Could you share any ideas you have regarding this?

Answer: Sounds like the bed is fouled with iron &/or sediment. How many days between automatic backwashing? It should be two times per week at a minimum – your water conditions and available flow rate may require more frequent backwashing to maintain the bed condition. For now, try placing the unit into backwash, and leaving in that position (by un-plugging the unit so it will not advance) for at least 30 minutes. See if that improves the situation. If this does not help, it may be necessary to remove the valve, and re-bed the unit – instructions for doing this can be dowloaded from our site.

Defective chemical injection system?

April 17, 2012 by bobwilson1958 · Leave a Comment

Hi, I recently installed a chemical injection system to control pH. I am injecting a soda ash solution into the pipe between the well pump and the pressure tank. The chemical injector seems to be  non-functional.  It has a toggle switch on top. When I push it to “on”, it pumps even when my well pump is not running. When I push it to off, it does not run even when my well pump is operating. My understanding was that the system is designed to inject solution only when the well pump is running.  Do I have a defective system?

Answer:The switch on the pump is simply an on/off electrical switch – works just like a light switch – turn it on and the pump runs, turn it off and the pump stops. It is running normally.

However, the pump has no intelligence – it only knows to run when there is electrical power supplied, and not to run when there is no electrical power. The switch has nothing to do with operation of the system – you normally leave it in the on position at all times. The off position is only used when you are servicing the pump or refilling the solution tank, and don’t want the pump to operate.

It looks like you may have the injection pump wired into an electrical source that is always powered – and this is not correct. You should have the pump wired into the “hot leg” of the electrical circuit that provides power to your existing well pump. In other words, when the pressure switch tells the well pump to come on and start pumping water into the bladder tank, the injection pump will also come on and start injecting. When the pressure switch finds that there is sufficient pressure in the bladder tank, it cuts power to the well pump – the well pump stops pumping water – and the chemical injection pump also stops injection solution.

You will need to rewire the pump to tap into this circuit. Let us know if this resolves your problem, and best regards!

New Dual Tank System; still have same metallic smell problem

March 22, 2012 by j3710 · Leave a Comment

We had a single tank system and were getting a metallic smell and taste from our water; both hot and cold. Sometimes we would get discolored water as well. We had a dual tank system put in (Clack) and now have a new digital filter media. We also had our well serviced. Prior to the installation our turbidity in raw water was 17 and after the softener was 2.4. the iron was 6.73 from raw water and after softener was .24. NOW after this so called new system our turbidity from the raw water is 3.5 and after the conditioner is 3.2! And the iron from the raw water is 6.4 and after the softener is .6! And we still have the metallic smell. How could a new system have worse numbers?

Answer: Turbidity (without getting into too technical of a description), is commonly referred to as a measurement of how clear the water is, and normally expressed in Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU). The greater the amount of total suspended solids in the water, the higher the measured turbidity value, and the cloudier it will appear. Allowed limits for turbidity vary by state, but in general , the limit for turbidity in drinking water is ≤ 5 NTU.

One thing to highlight here is that a water softener is not designed to remove turbidity from water. It’s job is to remove hardness, and to a lesser extent, some levels of dissolved iron and manganese. The softener may reduce turbidity by trapping suspended solids within the resin bed, but this would shorten the lifetime of the softener, as the self-cleaning (backwashing) stage of the regeneration cycle may not be sufficient to remove the captured sediment. A typical way to reduce turbidity is through mechanical filtration, like a cartridge filter or backwashing sediment filter, that would be installed prior to the water softener.

You report a raw water iron level of 6.7 and 6.4 mg/l – this is a very similar value. However, you do not mention what part of the iron present is particulate (ferric ) or dissolved (ferrous). Ferric iron would contribute to an elevated level of turbidity, but ferrous iron (being dissolved/clear water iron) would not. The ferrous iron can be treated by the water softener, ferric iron cannot.

Regarding the treated water analysis, the two significant figures reported in your initial analysis of 0.24 mg/l suggest a laboratory analysis. The 0.6 mg/l measurement is more indicative of a field analysis. If these measurements were not made using the same equipment, and at approximately the same time after sampling, making an assumption in comparing these measurements to each other may not be reasonable.

All of this stated, your comment that you still have a metallic smell in the treated water means that something is not right. Sounds like a combination of insufficient pre-filtration to remove sediment that may be present in the raw water, and possibly modification of the water softener programming to increase the salt dosage. You may also want to to install a Res-Up drip feeder into your water softener brine tank. This is an automatic drip feed system that adds a phosphoric acid solution to your brine (salt) tank, which aids in iron removal from the water softener resin bed during the regeneration process. If you are not familiar with how to adjust your water softener programming, you can contact your water softener installer, and ask him for additional information on how to do this.

Could Autotrol softener cause air in house water lines?

March 15, 2012 by lnisly · Leave a Comment

Answer: It is very possible that air could be drawn into you water by any softener – or any other water appliance – the best way to start to trouble shoot this problem is to by-pass the water softener, and see if the problem goes away. If it does, then you can investigate the specific cause of the water softener failure further. If not, you will need to look elsewhere. One note, if you are using an on-site well, a common cause of this problem is a leaky bladder in your pressure tank.

Sterilight Silver S12Q-PA

March 13, 2012 by lbenoit · 1 Comment

We have a Sterilight Silver S12Q-PA model.  We just changed the bulb about 2 months ago.  The ballast has started beeping intermittently and the display shows “8888″.  Sometimes its stops and the display is normal for a few minutes and then it starts again.  While it is beeping and the display reads “8888″, the lamp still seems to function.

We have had this issue before and had to change the ballast.  Note that we connected the ballast to a surge protector.  I disconnected the system and reconnected it and it sill does this?  I also unplugged everything else that was on the same circuit and that has not helped either..

 Any idea what may be causing this?

Answer: When the ballast displays “8888″ this is normally indicative of a bad ballast. We realize that you just replaced it, but it seems as though this one is defective as well. Depending on the age of the ballast, it may still be covered under warranty. If so, you can contact the company that sold the ballast to you, and retrun it to them for warranty evaluation. The replacement balast for this unit is a part # BA-ICE-S and avalable for $142.00 delivered within the continantal US. Email us at info@caitechnologies.com if you are interested in purchasing this ballast, and we will provide ordering instructions.

Kinetico Questions

March 13, 2012 by Nailpounder · Leave a Comment

I have a Kinetico 60. Probably about 20-25 yrs. old. My problem is: it will not regenerate on its own. I can force a regen. The gears all seem to rotate ,but the little black bar (the one you force to regen) never moves again after the regen.I had my water tested by a friend of mine who works for the local city water dept. even though I have a well. He said my hardness =70 mg./litre and my Iron = .8mg/litre. I’m not sure if this is right. These numbers don’t seem to look like what other people were posting. Anyway, I’ve been messin’ with this thing for about 2 months now. I have taken the first level off a couple of times now. Everything there seems good. Gears all turn easily. I suspect one of the balls has slipped out of its seat when I took it apart. Would this cause it not to regen.? I started to take it apart into the 2nd & 3rd level the last time, but I chickened out when the plates didn’t seem to want to come apart. I do have a pre filter. Also, one side seems to give softened water while the other side gives me iron laden hard water. I need some guidance as to where the little blue balls go, and do I just need to be a little more assertive in removing the 2nd 3rd & 4th tiers of the head. Also, if I rebed this thing (new resin) how do I know if I’m getting quality beads & how full should the tanks be when I’m done? They are 8” dia. by 40” tall. I hope you don’t mind me contacting you through your email. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.
Thanks, John D.

Answer: First, your water analysis seems reasonable – 70 mg/l is equivalent to about 4 GPG (grains per gallon = mg/l divided by 17.1) and the iron is not unusual at 0.8 mg/l.

With regard to your Kinetico water softener, we are not very familiar with the repair of these valves, and are not acquainted with this internal valve design. This is a valve made by Kinetico, and sold & serviced only through their dealerships. We would advise you to be cautious when taking this valve apart – it contains many small parts – these valves are more difficult to work on than an industry standard valve. If you feel that you need to dissemble the valve to any large degree, it may be better to have an authorized Kinetico distributor perform the work. If you need replacement valve parts, they may not sell them outside of their network anyway.

However, you can replace the resin contained within the tanks fairly easily. A model 60 uses 0.7 ft3 cation exchange resin per tank, and we have 1 cubic foot bags available on our site.

Kinetico model 30

March 11, 2012 by deb · Leave a Comment

The softner was working fine until basement flooded and softner salt container fell over and was filled with water…found it set it up filled it with salt and is there a way to manually regenerate the softner also I would like to get an owner’s manual. Can you answer these questions for me? Thank you.

Answer: Sounds like you have an air leak that occurred when your brine tank fell over in the flood. This happens when the brine line that connects the brine (salt) tank with the control valve becomes loosened, and the unit cannot draw salt solution during the regeneration process. We have prepared a document that addresses this problem that you can download by clicking here. To obtain a manual for the model 30 you will have to contact Kinetico directly. Hope this helps!

Choose Water Softener

February 25, 2012 by swang@7584 · Leave a Comment

I have installed this GNSH45E (45,000 Grain) GE Water Softener System about 7 years ago, but it only worked OK for about 2-3 years. Since then this water softener has been down due to control PCB went bad last 6 months. However, I am NOT interested to use GE Water Softener any more. I will appreciate if you can recommend the better water softener to me. We live in San Jose area, California, and the house living area is about 1200 sf, and 3 people in the house. So far, I have seen those Aqua-Pure and Fleck water softener seems better, but I would like know the basic idea about the difference between those many kind of wafer softener as below and your recommendation.

Aqua-Pure 5564007-NWS150M Metered Water Softener
Aqua-Pure CS2001-CS2001 Water Softener
Aqua-Pure AWS 100M – 150M Advanced Water Softener
Aqua-Pure CWS Series Water Softener w/bypass valve (Range 13-1/2, 14.3, 18-1/2GPM)
Aqua-Pure Chrome CWS Series Water Softener w/bypass valve (Range 13-1/2, 14.3, 18-1/2GPM)
Fleck 5600SXT Digital Control (64,000 grains of hardness) from Pentair CO.
Fleck 7000SXT Digital Control (70,000 grains of hardness) from Pentair CO.

Thank you so much.

Answer: Just saw this as a draft – published it for you. Anyway, to answer your question, you actually list some standard water softener controls here, incorporated into systems marketed with private label brand names. All of the controls used in the these systems are pretty good ones – all have 5-year warranties, and Fleck and Autotrol are different operating divisions of the same parent company – Pentair. The Aqua-Pure brand is market by Cuno. Here is a list of the controls we believe are used in the systems you mention, and our brief comments regarding each:

Aqua-Pure NWS150M – uses the Fleck 5600 Econominder control, and is 48,000 grain in capacity. This control is used in our WS4C system. Good control for ¾ inch piping – however, we would recommend the 5600SXT microprocessor based control – more features similar price.

Aqua-Pure CS2001 – uses the Fleck 2750 brass body Econominder valve/control, and is 64,000 grain in capacity. Good valve, brass body is mostly used in commercial applications due to expense. Again, we would recommend this unit configured with the SXT control. This is a 1 inch control – use in 1” piping applications. This unit is not available from us online, and we use it for light duty commercial application. You can always call us for a quote if interested.

Aqua-Pure AWS – uses the Autotrol 268 Logix control. Not sure if it uses the limited 760 control, or the fully adjustable 762 control. Good 1 inch valve/control. The model 100 is 32,000 grain, and the 150 is 48,000 grain capacity. We use the 762 version in our WS3LM-HC.

Aqua-Pure CWS – uses the Clack 1 inch WS1 control. Good control. We would caution you against purchasing the CWS series online, as they are configured using Clack WS1 valves, and the manufacturer of this valve has barred sale of softeners equipped with this control on the internet. Only consider purchasing this system from a local distributor, as parts, service and warranty support may be an issue. The “chrome” simply means that it is the same softener, but with a plastic jacket to give it a chrome appearance. We do not offer this system any longer online.

Fleck 5600SXT – as we discussed above, good valve and control. We use the same control in our WS4M system. Be sure it is supplied with good quality resin, by-pass valve, a round brine tank with backup safety float and brine tank grid.

Fleck 7000 SXT – there are two “flavors” of this valve. One configured for 1 inch piping applications, and another one configured for 1.25 inch piping. We use this configured for 1.25 inch in our WS5M-HS system.

You can see some of our systems that use these controls on our site.

Hope this helps!

Resin in water

February 10, 2012 by pryan · Leave a Comment

We recently went away and we shut off the water. We came back and turned the water back on and we’re getting grit that someone told me is resin from the water softener. It’s a Kenmore UltraSoft 100. Any suggestions?

We recently went away and we shut off the water. We came back and turned the water back on and we’re getting grit that someone told me is resin from the water softener. It’s a Kenmore UltraSoft 100. Any suggestions?

Answer: Look closely at the “grit”. If it is ion exchange resin coming from the water softener, then it will look like small plastic-like dark brown to yellow beads that are mostly spherical in shape. Assuming that this is resin, then its most likely due to a broken riser basket. This is the basket/screen found at the bottom of a tube that passes through the resin bed. During normal operation, incoming water travels down through the resin bed, through the basket, and up through the riser tube in to your home. If the basket is broken, it will allow resin to pass into your piping. If the basket is broken, it may not be cost effective to have the part replaced. These softeners normally have only a 1 or 2 year warranty, and if not covered under an active warranty, the cost to service the unit may be close to cost of a new softener.

WaterRight Sanitizer CR-100

February 8, 2012 by griffintl · 1 Comment

This system was in our house when we bought it 4 years ago. At first, the water was great but now we’re having some serious issues. 2 years ago we had a tech. come out and fix something that was going wrong in the computer. He told us at that time that the computer was going out and it would be cheaper to replace the whole thing. He also suggested we go with something besides WaterRight as it’s expensive. A few months ago, while we were out of the house, the system started cycling and blew the tube off the side where it attaches to the system, going to the brine tank. We put the tubing back on and tried to fix it ourselves, but when it did it a second time, my husband tried to block the stream from blowing off the tube and realized there was no fixing this problem ourselves. Our water is VERY nasty without a softener, and our clothes have become a dingy rust color as well as our tubs and sinks and such. Please help . . . should I call a WaterRight technician to look at this again, replace the whole thing, or is there a way I can replace the necessary parts myself?

Answer: This sounds like something you can fix yourselves. The 3/8 inch polytube that connects to the brine tank is a bi-directional path for both drawing brine solution from the brine tank, and refilling it with fresh water in preparation for the next regeneration cycle. If the tube “blew off” during regeneration, then it is likely that it happened during the last cycle (refill) , when water pressure is high. Assuming that this is the case, there are two possibilities. It is possible that the compression fitting used to connect the tube to the control came loose. There are may be a “ferrule” used to connect the tube along with the nut, and it is possible that this piece was lost when the tubing blew off. See the document on our site under the services menu called “Resolving an Air Leak Problem” for pictures of many commonly used nut assemblies and parts that go with them. If you see that you are missing a part for a nut assembly, you should be able to get it by just picking it up from your WaterRight dealer. The other possibility is that the brine valve in your tank is plugged or defective. Inside of your brine tank you will see a plastic column that the tubing connects to. Inside this column (called a brine well) is your brine valve assembly. Remove the top cap, and you will be able to remove the brine assembly. On the bottom of the assembly you will find a small check valve, and you can clean it with fresh water in an attempt to get it working again. When operating properly, you will be able to blow down into the brine assembly easily. There is also a possibility that you have a layer of solidified salt on the bottom of the tank that plugged the brine valve. If this is the case, you will need to remove any salt from the tank, and clean it well with a hose. If your unit contains a brine tank platform (grid) on the bottom, be sure to remove it (it just pulls out), and clean well under it also.

You can also purchase a complete new brine tank with brine valve and grid from our site if you like. You would need the Clack 464 brine valve and optional grid.

Hope this helps!

Which water softener?

January 11, 2012 by michelle · Leave a Comment

I’m purchasing a Nelson Water Treatment System, but want to know if I should choose a 5600 series 2 tank system or a 9000 series 3 tank system. The salesman says we should get the 3 tank so we have a reserve of soft water. We have 4 in our family, 2 teenage girls but one is off to college next year. I’m trying to figure out what we actually need. Any recommendations?

Answer: The primary benefit of a twin tank softener like the Fleck 9000 (two resin tanks with a stand-alone brine tank) is that there is always a regenerated tank available in stand-by. With this design, as you point out, you would never run out of soft water. But in most residential applications, this is not very important. A standard “two tank” softener (single resin tank with separate brine tank) regenerates automatically at a time of your choosing (normally in the middle of the night), and you would probably never notice any difference.

The primary benefit of a twin tank design is that the tank undergoing regeneration is being supplied with pre-treated water. In the case of an on-site well, where iron or manganese content may be elevated, this is a plus. But in a residential application using municipal water, this is generally not an issue. If you are supplied with water from the city, you should be fine with a Fleck 5600 system. If you have water quality information available, just let us know, and we can recommend an appropriate system size for your application – we would also need to know your pipe size at the point of planned equipment installation – we assume that it is ¾ inch, as the 5600 is a ¾ inch valve.

One comment, if you are considering a twin tank softener, take a look at the Noryl body Fleck 9100 control for a residential application – Nelson supplies this valve also. This valve has similar performance when compared to the 9000, and is more appropriate and less expense than the brass body 9000.

How do I stop a beeping sound on my water softner?

January 8, 2012 by chris roman · Leave a Comment

Answer: We would need to know what manufacturer and model water softener you have before we can make a recommendation. Is this possibly a RainSoft water softener? If it is, the beeping is likely due to a “low salt” alarm indicating that the level of salt in your brine tank is low and in need of refilling. We do not know the specifics of how to adjust this alarm, and you may need to contact RainSoft for specific directions.

Salty Water

January 7, 2012 by 7Moons · Leave a Comment

Hi. I am on well water in Kansas. Very hard water naturally. We have an approximately 1.5 to 2 year old Kenmore water softener which uses salt. Incredibly fast usage of salt in my opinion as well….how many lbs of salt should a 2 person household with normal water usage go through each month? That’s my first question.

My second question is the most important one. I see some other folks have asked about salty water and that most answers refer to either a blocked drain or bad resin bed. Here is my concern…we had Sears (*grumble grumble*) come out and look at this issue several months ago. He said some little hose in the back was disconnected but that really didn’t amount to any problems and he reattached that and said the rest of the system checked out great. And left a sizeable bill for all that wonderful information and service that I had to stay home from 8am to 4pm to receive at their fancy. Sorry had to say that. lol Worst of all the intermittent salty water issues continue despite him servicing the machine.

My husband normally deals with this machine and he is gone for 3 more months. The water should never come out of the tap salty right? It leaves a salty residue on dishes and builds up on the soil surface of house plants. I am not sure of our actual salt usage but it seems excessive. At least 3 bags a month.
I don’t want to call Sears again. Been there…done that….no resolution. Thanks in advance. I appreciate you help.

Answer: The actual amount of salt consumed will depend on your water quality and the amount of water consumed. But with 2 residents in the home, using a value of 20 GPG hardness in the water. You can expect to use about one 40 pound bag per month.

The problem that you are experiencing is probably due to an insufficient rinsing of the bed during regeneration. During regeneration, the water softener draws brine (salt) solution into the resin bed. Following the brine draw stage, fresh water is passed through the bed in order to wash any excess salt from the resin and send it to drain. If all of the salt is not removed from the bed, you will notice it in your drinking water for a period of time after each regeneration.

Some of the reasons that the salt may not be effectively removed from the bed may be (as you have read) a blocked drain line, or fouled resin bed. You mention that you are using on-site well water, and if your water contains a significant amount of iron, manganese or sediment, it is possible that the resin bed has become fouled, and requires cleaning or replacement. If this is not the case, and with a water softener only 1-2 years old, it is more likely that there is a problem with the water flow to drain.

Manually regenerate the unit, and check the drain line to be sure there is a very good flow to drain. See if you can find an obstruction in the line, and clear it if possible. Some other causes of this problem can be a faulty/plugged backwash drain control, incorrect salt setting, insufficient rinse time (this may not be adjustable with your unit), or undersized drain line causing a restriction to flow (the drain line should be no less than 1/2 inch ID, and a smaller drain line may part of the problem).

However, there are other possible causes of this problem, and if you are not familiar with the internal workings of your system, a service call may be required. To our knowledge, EcoWater manufactures this unit, and you may be able to obtain a better level of service from their technician – you might contact them directly.

Bad odor in water

December 30, 2011 by ttrainor · Leave a Comment

I live in southern France and my water comes from a 400 foot deep borehole. I have installed a series of particulate filters and a UV lamp for bacteria. Water analysis shows water to be drinkable. However, there is a persistent odor that I qualify as “metallic” (NOT hydrogen sulfide). I have tried activated charcoal filters from a local supplier but that only seems to remove the odor for a few days. Can you recommend a longer-lasting solution? Thanks in advance.

Answer: You will need to identify what the cause of the odor is – the water analysis that you already have may point to the cause of the problem. You can always send a sample of your water to our laboratory for a free analysis, but shipping cost may be prohibitive from France – if the needed information is not in your current analysis, you can probably find a local laboratory that can provide this service. From your comment, it’s likely that the odor is due to either iron or manganese. If you have copper or iron water supply piping, and a low water pH, it is also possible that the acidity of the water is dissolving the piping and causing the odor. If you have additional information available, please let us know, and we can try to help you further.

Correction of an iron/magnesium problem can be accomplished a number of ways, but most frequently, we use a chemical free system known as an Iron-Pro. This system uses aeration along with a polishing media to remove the iron or magnesium contaminant.

If low pH is your problem, you may be able to use a backwashing pH neutralizer to resolve it. Normal pH range is between 7.0 and 7.8 standard units, and operating below 7.0 units will require correction. One word of caution, a calcite based neutralizer adds some hardness to your water (normally 3 to 5 GPG), and hardness should not exceed 7 GPG when a UV system is used. Depending on your initial level of water hardness, you may need to add a water softener after the neutralizer (and before the UV) to reduce the hardness.

Many thanks for the swift response. In answer to your points, the pH is 7.8. Iron and magnesium are only present at trace levels (<20micrograms/liter). I am therefore at a loss to work out where the problem could be coming from. I would appreciate any help you can provide.

Regards Terence Trainor

Answer: This is very unusual if you are sure that the iron and manganese analysis is 20 micrograms/l (and not milligrams/l) – if this is the case, we would not be able to guess at the cause. The only thing we would recommend is that you have a laboratory perform a full screen of all contaminants in your water. The odor must be caused by something that can be measured. We would also recommend that you have the measurement performed by a different laboratory, just to reconfirm the analysis. To make sure that the pH measurement is accurate, be sure to fill your sample bottle to overflowing in order to minimize any entrapped air, and have the measurement made as soon as is possible after the sample is taken. Although you mention that you do not believe that the odor is due to H2S, this presence (and the presence of many other volatile compounds) needs to be measured on site to accurately detect.

Thanks once again for the swift response. Yes, I am sure it is micro not milli (the symbol on the analysis is the Greek letter for micro). The sample bottle was filled to overflowing and the samples were brought for analysis within less than an hour of being taken. I’ll follow up on your suggestion for a second opinion. I totally agree that the odor must be due to SOMETHING that is measurable!

Thanks once again, Terence Trainor

Salt Free Water Softeners?

December 23, 2011 by mgradwell1123 · Leave a Comment

Did your company start offering salt-free softening solutions? Who do I contact?

Answer: We have discussed this topic in the past, and you might search this blog for the terms “Salt Free Water Softeners” (in quotes) to read more. At this time, we do not offer these systems commercially, as the only evidence we have seen to date that these systems work is anecdotal. However, we have in the past produced these systems for our distributers by request, and you can contact us by telephone to inquire about pricing and delivery. One note, we will not be able to provide any performance guarantee with this system – only our standard equipment warranty. Thanks!

Water softener not regenerating

December 14, 2011 by Larry D · Leave a Comment

I have a Kinetico model 30 water softener and it is not regenerating soft water. I tried flushing the system but still no soft water. What might I try to make it work again?

Answer: There are many possible causes of water softener failure, and to try and identify the probable cause we would need to more specifics as to what exactly is occurring. For instance, is the softener regenerating automatically as normal, but not supplying softened water?

If it seems to be regenerating, during the brine draw stage, does the water level in the brine (salt) tank recede? Or, is the brine tank very full of water – full to an unusually high level? If either of these is the case, you may have a “salt bridge” at the bottom of your brine tank. A salt bridge is a large mass of salt that formed on the bottom of the tank over time. This can cause a blockage of the brine draw assembly, and prevent brine solution for being drawn into the softener. If this seems to be the case, you will need to empty the brine tank of salt, clean it out well, and refill with new salt.

It may be a mechanical issue, and you can look in your manual to find the location of the injector, screen, and drain line flow control. Inspect these parts to be sure they are clean and in good shape. If replacement parts are required, only a Kinetico representative can help you here. Kinetico controls are of a proprietary design, and parts can only be purchased directly from Kinetico.

It may also be that the resin bed requires replacement. If this is the case, you probably noticed the quality of the water getting worse over time, before total failure occurred. A model 30 uses two tanks, each containing 1/2 ft3 of resin. A 1 ft3 bag of resin can be purchased online for $130.00 delivered.

Replacing Chlorine Treatment with Hydrogen Peroxide in Well-Water Application

December 13, 2011 by cmcoleman · Leave a Comment

Hello,

We live in a very rural area in Tennessee where there are many wells. Most of them contain sulfur to a certain degree and some iron and manganese. Our well has an occasional “rotten egg” odor, but very infrequently, and it’s gone just a few seconds after we notice it. We have lived here for 7 years, and the people who put in the wells and the water-treatment systems around here have a reputation for ripping people off by installing systems that are not needed… or by disguising used tanks by putting a shiny new tank skin on them and selling them for new to unsuspecting home-owners.

When we first came here, the water treatment for the well water consisted of various filters and softeners, which we did not understand at all… and the water tasted BAD in spite of tank after tank after tank that was “supposed” to be treating the water. What we were told did not make sense to us, so we collected a water sample directly from the well, we had it analyzed by a third party. We were told that our water was just as good, clear and clean as “bottled water” and that we probably did not need all the filters or the softeners. So… just for curiosity, we disconnected everything, and have since only used a chlorine injection system to treat the water. It is amazing how many people come to our house and comment on how good our water tastes compared to theirs… and they only live just down the road… AND they have a slew of filters, holding tanks, and various other “paraphernalia” from the local water-treatment “specialists”.

I have been using peroxide, as well as vinegar, in our home as an everyday cleaner and disinfectant due to our parrots. They are very sensitive to cleaning agents, and these are the safest for them. I have worried about the effect that the chlorinated water might have on them (two have very dry skin in spite of added humidity and we wonder if it might be the chlorine affecting them… even though I let their water sit overnight), even though we dilute the chlorine in the tank quite a bit. But I also worry about how safe chlorine actually is for us, too. I started searching around, and have found several articles about the use of peroxide in place of chlorine to treat well water. Is this true? It almost sounds too good to be…

Unfortunately, I have also come across several different schools of thought on the percentage of hydrogen peroxide that is used… from the standard “over-the-counter” 3% to 35% to 50%. Which is correct? If this is indeed possible, would we just have to throw away the tank that holds the chlorine, as well as the pump/supply line that we are currently using?

If peroxide is indeed a better solution, I would really like to know what I would need to change our system over to a peroxide-based system instead of chlorine-based one, and how we would go about accomplishing such a task.

I do have particulars in regards to the water-test and would be happy to supply those if you feel that information is pertinent. Just let me know what you need to know that would be helpful. Thank you in advance,

Cathy Coleman
Pikeville, Tennessee

Answer: While using hydrogen peroxide is certainly an option here, you would be better off continuing to use chlorine injection, and simply adding a backwashing carbon filter downstream of the chlorine injection point. The reason for this is basically cost. In very high sulfur applications, we recommend the use of hydrogen peroxide (usually available for injection systems in a 7% concentration), as it is a very powerful oxidizer. But it is also more expensive to use this solution when compared to household chlorine bleach. In your case a backwashing carbon filter will remove all chlorine injected into your system, and also remove any residual sulfur (rotten egg) odor. The carbon filter will also act as a self-cleaning filter; and remove particulate formed during the injection process down to 20 microns is size. A typical size for this application is 1.5 ft3, and these are available online for $580.00 delivered.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

rotten egg

November 18, 2011 by michaelfdaley · Leave a Comment

I’ve had two water treatment specialists test my well water. I already know I have hydrogen sulphide problems, but one says we have soft water and one says hard water. The first would charge $4000 for a filter, and the second would charge $1500. He’s suggesting the Nelson 5600 series filter for whole house filtration. I can’t find anything on it, and I would prefer this because it’s cheaper but I don’t want to keep coming back to fix it if this doesn’t work. Do you know whether this filter is a good bet? I understand from what he told me there can’t be any guarantees because it is a deep well, artesian, and because of changes in the aquifer.

Answer: There are a few ways to address this issue, and we will discuss them below, but first a comment about the quotes that you mention. We can’t guess what the $4000 system is comprised of, but it seems likely that the other option, the Nelson Corporation filter using a Fleck 5600 ¾” control, is a backwashing carbon filter. A carbon filter can be effective at removing low levels of hydrogen sulfide (H2S), but it is not really appropriate for mid to high levels of H2S, as a given filter bed volume has a corresponding finite ability to hold sulfur, and elevated levels of sulfur will eventually result in the breakthrough of H2S. In a higher H2S environment, frequent replacement of the carbon media would be required, and this would not be cost effective in the long run. Consider this option only if the level of H2S contamination is very low. Also, a carbon filter will do nothing to address a hard water problem, assuming it exists.

A hydrogen sulfide measurement needs to be made onsite, as H2S is very volatile, and a measurement taken at a lab would not be representative of the conditions at the source. Let us know your impressions of the odor, mild/intermittent – mid range – strong. This will help us to recommend the best system for your application.
Regarding hard vs. soft water – hardness in water is not subjective – it’s a simple measurement (normally reported in mg/l or grain per gallon CaCO3), and you should have been provided with this data. If you have this information available, please let us know, and we will be pleased to let you know if you should consider a water softener. If you don’t have this information, just visit our site for instructions on how to sample and where to send your water for our free analysis.

Here are a few possible solutions (again, the best method of remediation will depend on your application specifics):

Sulfur Pro
The Sulfur-Pro uses a specially designed control valve and a media tank partially filled with carbon media. The unit keeps 1/2 of the tank filled with air at all times, and the sulfur (along with some levels of iron and manganese) is oxidized by the air, and then polished by the Centaur carbon media. It cleans and flushes the bed very aggressively, as air is also contained in the backwash water. The system removes very high levels of and sulfur, and is priced between $880.00 and $1160.00 delivered (for the 3/4″ 7 GPM or 1″ 11 & 15 GPM system. For correct operation of this system you need to have approximately 7 GPM water flow rate available for 10 min – required for the periodic – 2 times per week backwashing stage for the 7 GPM unit. 10 GPM for 10 minutes for the two larger sized systems.
You can view and purchase this system online at www.caitechnologies – enter the Water Treatment Systems area, and click on the “Specialty Filters” (Sulfur-Pro) drop-down under the Online Store menu.

Peroxide Injection System
For very high levels of sulfur contained in water, we would recommend chemical injection of hydrogen peroxide. The peroxide will oxidize the hydrogen sulfide present in the water to insoluble sulfur oxide, and then this material is filtered out in a downstream backwashing carbon filter. The carbon filter will also polish any residual sulfur not removed during the injection process. The retention tank just provides contact time so that the oxidation reaction can occur . Maintenance requires periodic refilling of the solution storage tank with hydrogen peroxide, annual replacement of a pump tube (you get 1 spare tube with the system). Tubes are inexpensive (pack of 2 cost $35 delivered). Replacement (re-bedding) of the carbon bed in your existing filter system every two to three years is recommended.

This liquid injection system meters hydrogen peroxide solution directly into your water supply. This system is composed of a chemical feed pump, static mixer, solution storage tank and retention tank. When your well pump comes on, the chemical feed pump injects solution into the static mixer (which aids in the uniform mixing process) and enters the retention tank where the disinfection/oxidation process occurs.

a. Stenner 15 gallon STS solution storage & chemical feed pump system
b. 80 gallon retention tank
c. In-line static mixer
d. 5 gallons, 3% hydrogen peroxide solution
Price, $1200.00 delivered

You typically add a straight 3% hydrogen peroxide solution to the 15 gallon chemical solution tank to start. You then vary the pump feed rate until you obtain the desired removal efficiency – typically a setting of 50% works well. A 5-gallon case of 3% hydrogen peroxide is available for $110.00 delivered.

This configuration (for peroxide injection) is not offered for sale on our store, and if you would like to order this online, please visit our special orders page at http://www.caitechnologies.com – enter the Water Treatment Systems area, and click on the “Special Orders” drop-down under the “Services” menu. To purchase this special order online, enter the special order number “3530820″ in the text box as shown. This number pertains to your specific equipment (CI-PEROXIDE) and you can enter the order specifics such as name and address into our secure online ordering system. After checkout is complete, the is a “Special Instruction/Comments” text box where you can note any additional information if you like.

Carbon Filter
Thi filter is probably similar to the 5600 Nelson system you mention. If you inject peroxide into your water you should always incorporate a backwashing carbon filter into your system. The filter would be installed after the chemical injection equipment, and will act to filter out the oxidized sulfur. Our model CF15-M, 1.5 ft3 automatic backwashing carbon filter (Autotrol 263/740i valve and control) is available online at for $580.00. With this very high level of sulfur, you may want to consider the Centaur carbon option – Centaur excels at H2S removal, and will act as a very good polishing bed in the event any residual sulfur gets through the injection process. Carbon filters require that the filter media be replaced every two to four years at a cost of approximately $150.00. The carbon filter would be placed after the chlorination injection equipment and holding tank.

As we mentioned, a carbon filter alone will do a very good job at removing low levels of sulfur without any other installed equipment. However, if sulfur levels are anything other than very low (or periodic), this would not be a cost effective solution, as the carbon contained within the filter would need replacement too frequently. If needed, a water softener would be in last position after the carbon filter.

Please let us know if you have any other questions.

Cost To Service Water System

October 6, 2011 by hap perry · 1 Comment

1 What should it cost to change resin and sand?
2 What causes all the salt to desolve and is it ok? thanks

Answer: The cost to replace the resin and sand (gravel) depends on the size of your unit, but replacement cation exchange resin is available on our site for $130.00 per cubic foot bag, delivered. Gravel is available in 50 pound bags for $60.00 delivered.

During automatic regeneration, water is added to the brine (salt) tank with each refill. The salt dissolves in this water (now called “brine solution”), and some amount of salt is consumed with every regeneration – this is normal operation.

How do I lower pH?

October 2, 2011 by cquillen · Leave a Comment

I have soft water but very high ph (8.5-9.5) and high alkalinity.  The water is destroying my hair.  I have a vitamin c shower filter however it does very little if anything at all.  No one seems to know the answer as to how to reduce the ph in my home.  I am not on a private well however the water district is a well system.

Answer: The only way to do this is by injecting an acidic solution, typically citric acid. A acid injection for lowering water pH system meters liquid citric acid solution right into your water supply. This system is composed of a chemical feed pump, static mixer, solution storage tank and retention tank. When your well pump comes on, the chemical feed pump adds citric acid solution into the static mixer (which aids in the uniform mixing process) and enters the retention tank where the neutralization process occurs. Price is $1160.00 delivered, and equipment included in the package is listed below:

Stenner STS chemical feed pump and solution storage tank system (ties in to well pump electrical – specify voltage of well pump when ordering)
1″ In-line static mixer
40 gallon retention tank
Case of citric acid, quantity of six 4 pound containers of powder concentrate

Dimensions are:
Chemical retention tank – approximately 20 dia. x 25″ height
Retention tank – approximately 18″ dia. x 40″ height

We offer 24/7 technical service support to assist you with any installation or operation questions that you may have. Typical mix is ratio is approximately 16 to 24 ounces of citric acid added to 15 gallons of water. Maintenance is basically refilling the Stenner STS storage tank with citric acid solution from time-to-time. You also need to change a pump tube 1-time per year (a spare tube is included along with the system).

If you would like to order this online, please visit our Special Orders Page. To purchase this special order online, enter the special order number “0301140″ in the text box as shown. This number pertains to this specific equipment and you can enter the order specifics such as name and address into our secure online ordering system. After checkout is complete, the is a “Special Instruction/Comments” text box where you can note any additional information if you like.

However, the standard method of using a chemical injection is in a wll application, where you the point of injection prior to the pressure tank – here flow rate is always the same. If you need to install the system in a municipal water supply application (where the flow is variable), then you would operate the pump using a water meter and PCM module. The reason is that the flow after pressure tank will be variable, and you need to inject the citric acid solution at different pump rates. This system called a “Proportional Feed Add-on Package” is available for an additional $470.00 delivered (3/4” piping) or $510.00 delivered (1″ piping), and includes the Stenner PCM-5 pump control module and Hayes contacting flow meter. This add-on package is also available online at http://www.caitechnologies.com – enter the Water Treatment Systems area, and click on the “Chemical Feed Systems” drop-down under the “Online Store” menu in the upper left portion of the page. Just scroll down the page until you see this add-on package listed. Additional information regarding the PCM is attached.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us by email or telephone at 800-580-3033, and best regards!

Advice and recommendation

September 28, 2011 by chrismagg · Leave a Comment

Recently purchased a new house and noticed a rotten egg smell when running the cold water. Had the water tested with the following results:

Hardness: 32 GPG
Iron 1.2 ppm
PH 7.4
Sulfur 1 ppm
TDS 479 ppm

I’m looking for some advice and recommendations on equipment to mitigate current water conditions.

Answer: Regarding removing the “rotton egg” odor due to the sulfur contained within the water, this is a good candidate for a Sulfur-Pro system. The Sulfur-Pro (also known as the Breaker III system) uses a specially designed control valve and a media tank filled with Centaur carbon media. The unit keeps 1/2 of the tank filled with air at all times, and the sulfur in your water is oxidized by the air, and any residual sulfur is “polished” and removed in the carbon media contained within the tank. It cleans and flushes the bed very aggressively, as air is also contained in the backwash water. The Sulfur-Pro is a non-chemical solution that removes very high levels of sulfur. We would recommend the 7 GPM unit (used in 3/4″ diameter piping applications, requires 7 GPM water flow available for backwash) for $880.00 delivered. If you have 1” diameter piping, consider the 11 GPM Iron-Pro system (required 10 GPM backwash flow rate availability), priced at $990.00 delivered. For larger flow applications, the 15 GPM unit (12 GPM B/W flow required) is available, and priced at $1160.00 delivered (additional specifications are attached).

You can view and purchase this system online at http://www.caitechnologies.com - enter the Water Treatment Systems area, and click on the “Specialty Filters” drop-down under the Online Store menu.

To recommend a water softener to remove the hardness in this application, we would need to know your piping diameter (at the point of planned equipment installation) and the number of residents in your home. If you would like to provide us with this information we will be pleased to recommend a system.

Lamp failure alarm

September 23, 2011 by kimmy · Leave a Comment

I am trying to reset the controller on my Sterilight. I am following all of the steps correctly, however it is not resetting to the 365 days. I am getting A1 flashing. If this is due to moisture build up how can I fix this issue as well?

Answer: On some of the early firmware versions of the newer BA-ICE-S controller, the “A1” fault code was displayed to indicate a lamp failure status. Basically, this should not indicate any problem with the ballast, rather a problem with the lamp. Easiest thing to try is to place your old lamp back into the unit, and see if the fault code goes away. If it does, then you have a bad lamp. O.E.M. Sterilight lamps have a 1-year warranty, and assuming that it is a new lamp, it should be covered.

Water problems with new well and water softner

September 17, 2011 by Rockhard · Leave a Comment

I have installed a new well and water softner. When I first turn on a faucet there is a heavy discharge of cloudy water before it settles down. It has air in the water and in a couple of minutes after it’s in the glass it clears. I think this is what is causing my ice maker to make cloudy soft ice. Can someone help me with this problem?

Answer: First, just to confirm that what you are seeing is actually air, fill a clear glass with water and sit it on the countertop. If the cloudiness clears from the bottom of the glass up, then it’s due to air contained within the water.

Assuming that the problem is due to air, you need to determine where the air is coming from. First, by-pass the water softener and run your tap for a while to see if the problem persists. If it does, the problem is not due to the softener. If the air disappears, check your softener inlet/outlet connections, and look closely around the softener valve for any small leak. When the household water is running, it is possible for a leak location to act as a venturi, and pull air into your water supply.

However, you mention that you installed a new well. It is more likely that you have a leak in the well pump or pressure tank system that is allowing air to enter your water supply. If you by-pass the softener and do not see the problem go away, then we would suggest that you call your well pump installer to discuss this is more detail.

Hope this helps!

WaterRight model ASC1-1054ME-00-01-00-01-00

September 7, 2011 by Dan Dailey · 1 Comment

I have had this water system for 4.5 years and the controller head is broken. I had the company that installed the system come out and they said the warranty on the head is 3 years, however, WaterRight says the warranty is 5 years. The company wants to charge me to rebuild the head at a cost of $735 or buy a new head at $970, but they suggest a whole new system at $2528. Now I’m not stupid, I know that if WaterRight has a 5 year warranty on the head, but the installing company says 3 years, I assume they are trying to rip me off. What are your thoughts on the matter?
Dan, Purcellville, VA

Answer: We are really not familar with the warranty oferred by Water Right – and so we can’t speak to that point. However, Water Right used two different controls in the ASC-1 softener. Newer ones use the Clack WS1 control, and the valve and parts are only available from the company that sold the unit to you originally. However, the other valve used is a Fleck 2510, and there is no restriction on obtaining a replacement valve if this is the one that you have. Assuming your unit uses an microprocessor based control, a replacement head is available on our site for $450.00 delivered.