CAI Water Softener Systems | Filters | Ultraviolet Sterilization

How to tell if my Autotrol water softener regenerated?

July 27, 2010 by SClear · 1 Comment

I have a Autotrol 255/460i valve on my water softener.  Over the years it has been working great, but one problem that I found is that I never know when it has regenerated.  Is there a way to determine this?

Follow-up #2; Mag Ox/Neutralizer question

June 28, 2010 by tealbingy · 1 Comment

I have the raw water information for you.  Below that info is my original information about the tank size and current tap water information (my original post is from 6/21, if you need to look back at it, but I’ve tried to put all the pertinent info here).  FYI, we have a sediment filter first, then the neutralizer, then the water softener.

Hardness: 4.0000
pH: 5.85
TDS: 152

So – my original question about whether or not to use Corosex II, how much to use, and whether it should be added separately or mixed in still stands. Thank you again for your very kind assistance!

Answer: based on your water analysis, we would recommend that you go with a 5:1 Calcite:Corosex mix media.  It’s available on our site for $89.00 per 1/2  ft3 delivered.  Please let us know if you have any questions, and best regards!

Follow-up; 6/21 Neutralizer/Mag Ox question
June 25, 2010 by tealbingy • 1 Comment

Thank you for a quick response (below) – we have cleaned the tank out before, and have cobbled together a tube that we insert into the tank for vacuuming out the calcite. We did NOT know about the gravel. As it’s been a while since we cleaned out the tank, perhaps we should go the distance and start from scratch.
Another question, if you’d be so kind:

Was your information based on a raw pH of 6.8? The pH and TDS which I gave you were for water out of the faucet: post- neutralizer and softener.

Meanwhile, we’ll check out the products and instructions, too – many thanks

Neutralizer – proportion of Mag. Ox.?
June 21, 2010 by tealbingy • 2 Comments

Our water pH has been recently measured at 6.8 (hardness zero, TDS 219), which is beginning to cause blue staining in sinks.  This is a change from a few years back when the water’s pH was above 7.0, so we currently only have Calcite in the tank.

We have a 10″ diameter, approx. 4.5′ tall neutralizer tank.  Please help with these questions:
We assume that we need to add Corosex II, but:

What is  the proportion of Corosex to Calcite?
Can we just add Corosex II on top or do we need to clean out the tank and replace all media? (Last cleanout was about 6 years ago.)
How high should we fill the tank?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Answer: You should not use a Calcite (calcium carbonate) to Corosex (magnesium oxide) mix media in this application.  With a pH of 6.8 and TDS of 219 you will be fine with straight Calcite.  A good neutral pH range is between 7 and 7.8, and your level of 6.8 units is just below what is preferred.  With your level of TDS, a calcite only media will work fine to correct pH to within this range.  Corosex is too powerful an agent for these conditions, and may result with a pH above normal range.

One thing to remember is that about every 5-years, all of the media contained within the tank should be removed and discarded, and replaced with fresh media,  so you are ready to completely re-bed the system.
You have a 10 inch diameter by 54 inch tall tank, and this sized tank contains 1.5 ft3 of calcite media.  18 pounds of gravel should be placed in the tank first, with three ½ ft3 containers of calcite on top of the gravel.  Do not over fill!  No more than 12 inches from the top of the tank!  Calcite and gravel is available on our site, and you can download pH neutralizer installation instructions under the “Services” menu also.  Use a wet/dry shop vacuum to remove the spent calcite and gravel – it works well.

I am looking for the model number on my water softner

June 10, 2010 by lynn · Leave a Comment

I have an Autotrol water softner and cannot find the model number on it.  I need to find a manual online if possible.  Does anyone know where to find the model number on this type of water softner?  Thanks

Answer: The exact location of the label depends on what valve you have, but normally the model and serial number information is located on a silver label found on the back of the control valve near the inlet/outlet connections. You will need to remove the valve cover to find the label.  You can also take a picture of the control and email it to us at info@caitechnologies.com – we will be pleased to identify it for you.  Manuals for Autotrol controls are available in our online store under the “Services” menu.

Voicemail Messages for 2009

June 9, 2010 by bcordonna · Leave a Comment

We did this a few years back, but it’s been busy lately, and we have been amiss.  But as many of you have asked for more, here are some of the messages left with our after hours answering service during 2009-2010. We hope these will bring a smile to your face. As always, the names are changed, but the original messages are untouched. We added comments…..Enjoy!

CAI Technologies Answering Service Messages- Best of 2009-2010

1.ALBERT XXXXX RE:WATER SOFTENER FELL OUT OF TRUNK/SON FOUND AND WON’T GIVE IT BACK/IS THIS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY? We thought there was some miscommunication when we received the message…but no…their son found the softener in his parent’s driveway, and refused to give it back.  Kid’s putting it in his house, and the customer wanted to know if the loss was covered under warranty…looks like thanksgiving dinner might have a limited guest list this year….

2. TAMMY XXXXX RE:PURCHASED WATER SOFTENER/CAT SITS ON SALT TANK & DOG BARKS AT IT/IS THIS COMMON?  Yes, dogs bark at cats sometimes…..

3. FELIX XXXXX RE:HAVE WATER SOFTENER AND FELL IN SHOWER/SHOWER WAS WET BUT STILL HIT VERY HARD/IS WATER SOFTENER WORKING PROPERLY? Person thought that a soft water might make for a better landing I guess….

4. JOSHUA XXXXX RE: WANT TO CURE MEAT/OK TO PUT MEAT IN MY BRINE TANK?/WILL WATER SOFTENER OPERATION BE AFFECTED? Wow….would not want to drink this water……

5. CALVIN XXXXX RE:WANT TO CURE WIFE’S BAD BREATH WITH CARBON FILTER/PLEASE CALL ASAP.  This guy’s wife had an issue with bad breath, and it bothered him when they watched TV together in the evening.  He got the idea to have her wear a gas mask connected to a flexible tube leading to a tank filled with carbon….no kidding….and his wife was OK with this idea.

6. DON XXXXX RE:NEED REPLACEMENT WATER SOFTENER/WAS BLOWN UP AGAIN/PLEASE CALL.  I guess this is what’s called “war bonus” – three times now.  Forward military base overseas in a war zone uses a water softener to soften some extremely hard water so they can do troop’s laundry more cost effectively. Every time the huge water softener tanks are taken off the plane, and temporarily stored on the runway, the local insurgents blow them up.  Six million dollar Blackhawk helicopter sitting there and the target is a water softener….go figure…

7. DONNA XXXXX RE:WASHED MY CAR WITH SOFT WATER AND NOW IT WON’T START/LATE FOR WORK/PLEASE CALL.  Hmmm..after speaking with this customer, we identified the problem……turns out some cars need gasoline to work…

8. JODY XXXXX RE:HUSBAND IS TOO DRUNK TO INSTALL WATER SYSTEM/NEED RECOMMENDATION FOR LOCAL INSTALLATION/CALL ASAP I’M DRINKING TOO. Sounds like quite a party…we’ll tell the plumber to make sure he grabs a six-pack on his way over….

9. BARRY XXXXX RE:UV SYSTEM WONT TURN ON/WORKED ALL DAY TO TRY AND GET IT TO TURN ON/FED UP/CALL RIGHT AWAY.  Is it plugged in?  Oh….sorry….have a nice evening….

10. ROSEMARY XXXXX RE:GRANDMOTHER BOUGHT WATER FILTER 10 YEARS AGO/SHE DIED AND NEVER USED IT/NOW SHE WANTS TO RETURN IT…sounds like a horror movie…old zombie lady carrying a filter into a retail store….maybe you could call it “Rosemary’s Filter”.

AND THE MILLION DOLLAR WINNER FOR THIS YEAR IS:

11. MINNIE XXXXX RE:HUSBAND DUG HOLE FOR WATER SOFTENER IN YARD AND STRUCK OIL/HE LEFT FOR CASINO/HOW TO FINISH INSTALL?  Yes…this guy actually thought he struck oil, and went into town to celebrate..turns out that he had dug into his underground oil storage tank…this is true…hard to believe…but true

Whole house Carbon Backwash VS Upflow

May 9, 2010 by tribeshill57 · Leave a Comment

I am trying to help a friend out with his whole house carbon tank. It is well water with peroxide injection. His well is a slow recovery. He has been having problems with the current fleck 5600 backwash system. I thought about rebuilding the fleck 5600 and replacing the carbon, gravel and tube. I then noticed this up-flow no backwash system which would obviously be suited for a slow recovery well. Any thoughts of their reliability and effectiveness?

Answer: If the well has a slow recovery, it may not have the ability to deliver the required flow for proper operation of a filter system using a 5600 automatic backwashing control.  Up-Flow non-backwashing systems are not as effective as a system with an automatic backwash, but with a slow recovery well, it may be a better solution.  If sufficient flow is not available for proper function of the 5600, the carbon will not be cleaned and reorganized correctly, and this can lead to bed failure over time.  Up-Flow systems do not require backwashing, and are very appropriate for low flow applications.

Grainy Yellow Water???

April 27, 2010 by debra · Leave a Comment

My US Filter Water Softner – Model USF938 – hasn’t been working well.  Today, my daughter turned the water on in the bath tub and had bright yellow water pour out- full of bright yellow granules.  It ran yellow for maybe 5 minutes – and then started running clear – but still has granules in it.  It looks like normal water, but with small grains of  probably potassium (I use Potassium instead of salt) any idea what is going on here?

Answer – We are not familiar with this specific model from US Filter, but depending on the age of the system it might use a Fleck 5600 control – which is a good one – and if so, it’s worth repairing the system.  The material that you are finding in the water is actually the cation exchange resin that is contained within the resin tank.  When you say that the water runs “yellow” for a few minutes, it is likely that the resin has deteriorated, and bleeding into the water supply.  Our guess is that you are using municipal water that contains chlorine – if so – chlorine (or chloramines) can have a detrimental affect on cation exchange resin, and it may break down over time.  It is easy to replace this material with fresh resin, available on our site in 1 ft3 bags for $130.00 delivered.  Use a wet/dry shop vacuum to remove the old resin after you unscrew the control valve.  NOTE: be sure to relive the pressure from the softener by placing it into by-pass and then into the backwash position.  If you don’t know how to do this, it best to hire a plumber or water treatment professional.

Iron out may have made things worse….

April 15, 2010 by bassniper · Leave a Comment

Hey guys, I spoke to Bill the other day and he recommended that before i add more salt to my softener, I regenerate it three separate time with a 1/2 cup of iron out diluted in a half gallon of cold water and add it to my brine tank. We are currently getting help with you for helping us solve out iron problems as my birm tank is not working as it was a bad purchase.

OK. So we did this three times and then added salt and regenerated it to soften the water. Now the water is really bad. Our bath water is really not even clear and the water in out toilets is yellow. What is going on? Did we jar the system so bad with the iron out that it is cleaning our pipes now? Please help as we thought by doing this we would actually help the condition of our water temporarily until we get the right iron removal equipment from you.

We have had a few posts so you can preview them before answering if need be. There are a lot of details in them you may need to know. Any help here would be very much appreciated. You should have our water samples Friday. Thanks guys. -G

Answer: The coloration in your water is due to iron that was fouling the resin bed.  The Iron Out treatment loosened some of this iron, and the residual that was not removed during backwashing is passing into your household water supply.  This will clear after time, or you can place the unit into backwash (normally stage 1 of the regeneration cycle), unplug the unit, and leave it in backwash for about 30 minutes.  Reconnect the power, and allow the softener to complete the regeneration cycle.  Then run both your hot and cold water until the line are clear.  We’ll look for your samples.

This is the letter we are enclosing with our water samples….

April 13, 2010 by bassniper · Leave a Comment

This is the letter we are including in out water sample we are sending you. If you had time look this over and give us any feedback that would be great. I know it will depend on the water test, but some of these could be a yes or no answer.

—————————-
Dear CAI Technologies, Please take a minute and read this whole letter BEFORE giving us a solution. Enclosed you will find two samples of our water. Bottle “A” is from the outside hose that is untreated and bottle “B” is from the kitchen sink after running it for a few minutes with Softened water. Can we have the results from this test and is this a good test that you do? We have had cheap city test done, and they are not accurate.

I spoke with Bill on Tuesday and have submitted two questions to the forum and thank you for answering them.

We are looking for the right solution to fix our water problem. There is too much iron in our system. We need a financially reasonable solution with long-term benefits and cost effective upkeep. We will soon have a 2700 sq. ft house with three full baths, a air bubble bath tub, and a new kitchen with new appliances. We also have an older hot tub outside that we stopped using because we could not control the iron in it. We would like to use it again. The problems we have with our water is:

1. Dirty rust stained dishes from the dishwasher. Dishes are ruined as well as the inside of the dishwasher is discolored. We use iron out a lot there.
2. My wife’s color treated hair lasts about two weeks and the salon products do not work at all.
3. We can no longer buy white clothes and they do not stay white.
4. We do not have clean bath/shower water. It is always questionable and discolored and gross. It smells like heavy iron.
5. Our hot tub has too much iron in it so we no longer use it.
6. Our small child’s pool water last about 2 days in the summer.
7. From time to time we have a horrible egg smell when we use the washing machine (not every time).
8. We have whitish brownish calcium(?) deposits around our shower heads. It can be scraped off, but it is hard to do and is a pain in the butt.

Can you provide a “fluoride treatment plan option” so we can add fluoride to our reverse osmosis system so my kids can have fluoride? Is it cheaper to have delivered water? We do have a radon issue that we are currently going to fix. Does this affect our water? We look forward to hearing from you. Thanks in advance.

My iron issues, part 2

April 12, 2010 by bassniper · Leave a Comment

OK. I have been told to put the atomizer valve back into the system so the iron can get bigger with the air being entered into the system. This will help my style of iron trap really pull the iron out better than it is now because it will be bigger and easier for the iron trap to grab.

I have also added a 1/2 cup of “iron out” to my salt tank and regenerated my softener to help pull any iron out that the iron trap was letting through. I may add a 1/2 cup every two months or so to help keep my softener clean. Just an extra step to help. Is this worth it?

I was told that the “Iron Breaker” would not solve my problem by another company that sells them in my area. He also told me that my copper pipes are really old and that I was the first homeowner to address the iron problem, so, the pipes have iron in them on the walls. This has built up over many years. I can attest to this build up. I have had to remove copper pipe and they were coated with iron. It flushed out easily so I do not know why it does not flush out on its own. “Maybe it is” he said.

OK. With this done and my media in the iron tank changed about a year ago, am I on the right track? We are going to be doing an addition and the copper pipe work will need to be replaced. I am trying to get it all replaced so we can start fresh.

I was also told to “not shock the well” as this is the last resort and iron is not bacteria, so the shock treatment will not help that.

Any recommendations on what I can do or is there anything that will help make my system better and the iron go away for good, other than what I was planning an above?

Last question, I am going to send you two water samples for testing. One from the “Y” screen that will have iron in it and one from the water source after the iron trap and softener. Are these the two areas you would want me to take the samples from? If not, where should I take them from?

What will you test for? There was one guy on here who had his water tested for 12 different things. Can you do that for me so we have a complete test to rule out any other problems or concerns?

Thanks in advance for your time. I do really appreciate it. –G

Answer: The inline atomizer (venturi) may be causing the oxidized iron particulate to agglomerate and form larger particles that are easier for your “iron trap” to capture, but these devices can cause other problems.  Inline venturies (also called micronizers) severely restrict the internal pipe diameter at the point of installation, creating substantial backpressure, and possibly causing well pump failure over time.  Precipitated iron may clog the well supply line and pressure tank.  It is also likely that the iron deposits you are finding within your piping are due to the heavy precipitation caused by this device, and not just that the pipes are older.

We would recommend that you continue to treat your softener with Iron Out as this will aid in the removal of accumulated iron from the resin bed.

We are not sure why you were told the Iron Breaker would not resolve the problem, but proper application of this system depends on the available flow rate, iron concentration, type of iron present, and pH level of your water.  It is possible that one of these variables would prohibit the use of an Iron Breaker, but it is important to remember that this system works in the same way as your atomizer (oxidation by air), but without any the disadvantage as mentioned above – possibly your pH or available water flow rate is too low.

If you send our laboratory a sample of your water for our free analysis, we will measure, hardness, iron (and iron species), pH level, and total dissolved solids (TDS).  Instructions for sampling your water and the mailing address are available on any of our websites.  Based on this analysis, we will be pleased to make an equipment recommendation for your application – be sure to let us know what equipment is already installed, your pipe diameter, and the number of residents in your home. Take a sample of your raw water with all treatment equipment (including the atomizer) off line. Thanks!

Is my Kinetico set up right?

February 18, 2010 by Clubfed · Leave a Comment

I purchased a Kinetico Quad 50 approximately 11 years ago in Las Vegas, NV.  The unit was installed and serviced by Kinetico for 4 years that I lived there.  I removed the unit myself and took the softener with me to Martinsville, IN for future use.  The house I moved into had well water so the unit was of no use to me at this time.  I stored the unit in my garage with the water drained, I THOUGHT, and the openings plugged.  About three years later the County started installing Rural Water in my area so I figured it was time to start getting the Quad 50 ready for install.  After carefully inspecting the tanks, I noticed the bottom tank on the secondary unit was cracked and seeping black resin/beads.  I took the tank to the nearest Kinetico dealer which was 55 miles away.  They seemed kind of hesitant about fixing my softener since I never purchased it from them.  They replaced the bottom tank and resin for $325.  Seemed kind of high to me but I had no other choice.  I finally completed the install after several snafus.  When I turned the water back on, the bottom tank on the primary unit was leaking this time.  Back to Kinetico I go and another $225 dollars down the tube.  I put off completely installing the water system until I got heat in the garage where the softener is installed.  Almost two years later I finally have a heated garage.  According to the water company in my area the hardness of the water is 22 GPG.  The control head has a number 4 disk installed and the float assy/adjuster tube in the brine tank has the tabs broken off down to the H mark.  I don’t know a whole lot about the system and the local Kinetico dealer acts like any information giving out is top secret stuff.  It is almost impossible to find any kind of information or operating manuals on the Quad 50.  I am afraid with all the movements this unit has gone through that the float positions and any other adjustments have been knocked out of whack.  My questions are these!  With the water softener configured the way I have described, is this the correct setup for the water system I am currently on? Will the water be to soft/salty or not softened enough with these settings?  There are five marks on the float rod that the float rides on inside the brine well.  What mark is the float supposed to be set at?   Does the float move up and down the float rod or does it remain where you set it?  Is the adjuster tube supposed to move up and down the shaft during different phases of the cycle or does it remain seated on the float seal?  During the brine draw is all the fluid supposed to be transferred to the resin tanks?  I know I have rambled on and on but I want all the information I can get about the Quad 50 so I can get a better understanding of how the system works. I don’t see spending the kind of money that I have spent on this system if I am not getting the optimum performance out of it. All answers from anyone familiar with the Kinetico systems would be greatly appreciated.  I am grasping for information about this systems.  Thanks to all in advance.

Answer: Well, we will try to answer as best as we can…we are not intrinsically familiar with the Kinetico product. But the way that a water softener functions is the same for any system. Depending on the size of the unit, the “programming” determines the amount of water that is added to the brine tank.  This water dissolve the salt contained in the brine tank to saturation, and then during regeneration, the (now brine) solution is pulled back into the softener resin column where the ion-exchange process occurs. To the best of our knowledge – as long as you did not change the size of the tanks when you replaced them – you should be able to put the unit on line, and go with it.  If you were using city water in the past – and are again using city water – the difference in hardness between the two would hopefully not make too much of a difference.  Worst case, you might run out of soft water from time-to-time, or possibly you won’t get the maximum efficiency from the unit.  Either way – it will still work for you. We believe that the #4 “program” disk controls the time the unit spends in each regeneration stage, and the float assembly “H” setting controls the brine tank refill volume.  Could be wrong about this – maybe a Kinetico person out there can help if we are incorrect?

Why should I regenerate so frequently?

February 8, 2010 by esandoval1 · 1 Comment

I have a 32,000 grain capacity WS with a Clack WS1-EE. There are four people in our home but data from water company for last two years shows and average use of 137 G/day. Our water hardness is 19 GPG per Water Quality Report from water company. I put 1 cu.ft. of SST-60 resin in tank at time of install–did all work myself–to save on salt cost because I am using potassium salt instead of Na.

After I got it all set-up and turned it on I checked the control’s programming and found it was set to regen every 1,350 gals or every ten days, whichever is first. When I do the calculation 32,000 / 19 GPG I get 2,000 gals for number of gals that can be softened, so why do they want me to do it after only 1,350 gals?

Next, if I take 90% of that 2,000 gals, which is 1,800 gals, and divide it by 130 gals/day I get a regen around every 14 days, so why do they want me to do it every ten days? Even 130 G/day is probably more than we use inside ( i.e. needs to be softened) because we have been under an exceptional drought for the past two years and all of my exterior hose bibs for watering outside tap off of my supply before it gets to the softener.

Is there any reason I can’t change regen to 1,800 gals or 14 days, whichever is first, when setting up my controls? I would just really like a second opinion or some explanation of why I am incorrect in my thinking. Please advise, thanks.

Answer:  The acutal capacity of your water softener depends on your salt dosage setting – and this is adjustable depending on your program settings.  Using Purolite SST-60 resin, you would need to have your salt setting (using sodium chloride) at approximately 15 pounds per cubic foot  to obtain a full 32K capacity (using potassium chloride capacity would be slightly lower).  Check the salt setting on your control.  A more typical setting would be at 9 pounds per cubic foot, and this would yield a capacity of about 27,000 grains.  This is because the brining curve is logarithmic and not linear – in other words you need a substantial amount of salt to obtain full capacity – but you get a significant amount of capacity using a much lower dosage.  Doing this saves salt, especially when using expensive potassium chloride.

So in your case,  with 130 GPD x 19 GPG = 2470 GPD to be removed/27,000 grains = regeneration every 10 to 11 days, which is a normal setting.  You should have a regular regeneration in order to insure an acceptable water softener lifetime.  You can read more about this on our site at the “Selecting The correct sized water Softener” page.

Follow up question: I don’t see the Option for the Salt Setting in the Programming Manual for the WS1EE, so I have no idea what it is set at. What’s the point in getting a 32,000 grain capacity WS if it’s not set to function at full capacity?

Salty Water Issue

February 4, 2010 by lane · Leave a Comment

Hello.  I love the information!

We don’t know what to do.  We built our home and had our well water tested 14 years ago.  A good friend in the industry had a commercial water softener made “to order” for our water.  It is a Turbo Soft, Fleck Head with what we believe is a mixed bed of resin.  We have had the head replaced at least once, and service calls on the softner because it doesn’t regenerate.  The main problem right now is that it doesn’t seem to be finishing its process.  Every day, but mainly in the morning we are showering in the sea!  The water is so salty it is unbearable. A irony, briny gross experience.  We have had another service call out to fix the problem, but it comes right back in a few weeks.  We sent our water in to be tested, this is the result; Iron 3.90 mg/L   Hardness 440 mg/L    Tannin 0.45mg/L   Arsenic 2.83 ug/L

We don’t want to spend thousands on a new water softener.  (We can’t)  What would you suggest? Is it time to replace the unit?, How do you determine this? Is ordering over the internet less expensive because the products are cheap? Should we just replace the resin bed? What kind of resin do we buy? We are confused as what to do.  Where can we go or who can we talk to get answers without bias?  Our good friend is no longer in our area.

We’ve had Culligan, EcoWater, Atlantis, Commers all out to our home.  They all want to sell us their product, of course they price them for $3000 and up!!  This is not possible for us.  Thanks for your help.
Lane, NW Suburbs of Minneapolis

Answer: Hi Lane, there are a few things to discuss here:

There are a a number of possibilities, but we suspect that  the briny water is due to a fouled resin bed.  Over time, if elevated levels of iron are present in your water, they can deposit within your resin bed.  As more and more of the bed becomes fouled with iron, it is less able to properly rinse the excess sodium that has been drawn into the resin bed during regeneration.  Seems as if the softener is set to regenerate at night, and in the morning after the unit regenerates, you use some water, and find it to be salty.  You run the water for some time, and the problem dissipates because you have flushed the remaining salt from the bed by running you household water through it.  One way to check is to by-pass the softener and see if the water pressure dramatically improves.  If it does, try using a product like “Iron Out” that you can find at most home improvement stores.  There are instructions for adding this material to the brine solution to clean a fouled bed. We would recommend that you perform a “cleaning process” with Iron Out a few times “back-to-back”.

If this helps, you might consider adding something that we offer called a Res-Up drip feeder to you water softener brine tank.  This is a better solution for on-going maintenance of your softener to keep the bed free of iron deposits.  You simply pour the Res-Up solution into a small drip feeder tank that attaches to the inside of your brine tank, and it automatically drips solution into the brine, and aids in removing iron during the regeneration process. All of this said, if this does not seem to work, then you might be better off replacing the resin bed or the entire unit.

Regarding purchasing on the internet vs. traditional means, we’ll try to be impartial here, as we are both an internet and brick-&-mortar based company, so we can see both points of view. You don’t need to spend thousands on a new softener – you will note that internet prices are substantially lower than prices offered by some of the companies you mention above.  There are many reasons for this.  Sometime, an internet based company will offer low quality resin, cheap brine tank design, etc., to get the price down – these are not quality systems, and the old adage “you get what you pay for” applies in this case.  However, you can also find very high quality “commercial” softeners on the web.  Just take a close look at the site look & feel – if it seems like the site is poorly designed, it’s probably a low cost one – and this sometimes reflects on the seller and the quality of product.  Also, review the softener design. A good quality softener will have the type of resin used well advertised, and the product is normally loaded with features.  Common indicators of lower quality systems are square brine tanks, generic “high capacity” resin, and not a lot of details about the softener itself.  Any good company answers the phone (or get’s immediately right back to you), and you should also consider the level of after sale product support offered.

Although some brick & mortar companies really charge far too much – almost taking advantage of the customer – not all do.  Keep in mind that they are providing equipment installation service, and internet based companies generally do not. They have higher overheads to contend with, like salary for installers, tool and vehicle cost, insurance cost, and more.  This requires charging more for the system – but if you are familiar with basic household plumbing techniques, or know of a good plumber in your area, then you can save a considerable amount of money with no compromise in quality by purchasing on the internet.

If you want us to recommend replacement resin, we need to know the size of your existing resin tank (diameter and height from the floor to the point at which the valve threads into it).  You likely have a mixed bed design, that contains both cation exchange resin for water softening, and anion exchange tannin specific resin.  If you want us to recommend a replacement system, we need to know the number of residents in your home, and the diameter of your piping (normally 3/4, 1.0 or 1.25 inch).  Hope this helps!

Alkalinity Issue

January 29, 2010 by melissa.graham · Leave a Comment

We recently put in a water softner.  Our water was tested and everything came out good with the exception of the Alkalinity, which is 0, causing us to now have dry skin.  How do you fix this problem?  Thanks for the help.

Answer:  Very odd analysis – unless you have a commercial water softener that is completely removing all hardness (not a residential design) it is very unlikely that your alkalinity is actually zero – low maybe – but not zero.  What is your pH level?  Dry skin may be due to a reduced pH.

Kinetico model 30 problem (follow-up)

January 14, 2010 by michael_pedde · Leave a Comment

Thank you for the response! I appreciate your advice! Before I order your suggested resin & gravel do you know where I can get a schematic for the kenetico model 30.  I’ve tried there web site but have been unable to locate or download any detailed drawings of the system.  Aside from the information you provided me earlier are there any other special considerations I should know about before disassembling & reassembling the water softener components? Thanks again for your advice.

Michael 

Answer:  Sorry, we don’t know where you might get one – and we don’t have one available – possibly try calling a kinetico dealer?

Kinetico model 30 problems

January 14, 2010 by michael_pedde · Leave a Comment

Hello, I’m requesting information on how I can fix my Kinetico model 30 twin tank water softener. Several months ago I bypassed it because I believe it became completely plugged/glugged from my sisters attempt to change the carbon/charcoal filters that we use in conjunction with the water softener to help remove the rotten egg odor of the water. We purchased this property with an existing well and pump house that from my building experience could have been designed and installed with better care and forethought.

Unfortunately the system has two filter cartridges installed before the water softener that accommodates both a sediment filter and charcoal filter for which I’ll be removing the charcoal filter and repositioning it after the water softener. My sister unfortunately installed two low quality point of use charcoal filters in both and they both broke down in a couple days from the volume of water that runs thru our system daily and deposited charcoal sediment in all the lines from the pump house to the house and it’s my belief that it also has overwhelmed the softeners ability to clean/purge hence rendering it inoperable. I would like to know how I can repair the water softener myself to get it working again. If you have any advice it would be greatly appreciated. If you have a service/repair manual that could be purchased that would be helpful as well. I see that you sell a lot of the materials required to repair water softeners. I’m very interested in purchasing the required materials if you have the ability to send them to me and inform me how install them.

Thank you for your time! Respectfully submitted, Michael

Answer: If your water softener’s resin bed is fouled, you should be easily able to replace the resin and return the softener to normal operation. The Kinetico model 30 contains two 15,000 grain (1/2 ft3) resin tanks, resin is available for $130.00 per ft3 on our site, and you will need 1/2 bag for each tank.  You’ll also need distributor gravel, around 10 pounds of gravel per tank.  Take a look at the post just below called “Loss of water pressure due to water softener filter”. This will give you an overview on how to replace the resin and gravel.  You can use a wet/dry shop vacuum to remove the spent resin, and the gravel goes on the bottom, with resin placed on the top of the gravel. Please note that the instructions below are not specific for your Kinetico system, but should be similar.  Just be cautious when performing this procedure to ensure that all water pressure is relieved from the system before you begin.

Eco Water System Series 2000

January 14, 2010 by Jim Spooner · Leave a Comment

I have an ECO Water System 2000 that will not stop its regeneration process. I have unplugged the DC transformer for the unit, bypassed the unit and it continues to run the back wash cycle. I have a well system and the constant back wash cycle cause my well pump to continue to run. I have turned off the main water line from my well hoping that this would stop the cycle from the water softener it did sort of. I thought that if I left the main water valve off for a 1/2 hour or so that it would stop the water softeners process but it has not, every time I turn the main water back on the water softener start drawing water. Without main water I cannot flush toilet, take showers etc. Is there any way to stop the (Satan–the water softener) from drawing water?

Answer: Your softener seems to have failed during the regeneration process at a stage when water is running to drain.  This probably means the motor drive has failed, or another mechanism has become jammed, and the water softener will not advance back into service position. Normally, the way to stop water from running to drain in this situation is to simply by-pass the unit.  You mention that you already have done this, and it may be that your by-pass valve is also defective.  Make sure that you are by-passing the unit correctly.  If we recall properly, your unit uses a “slider” type by-pass, and with the slider pushed “IN” the unit is by-passed, and pulled “OUT” it would be in normal service.  If you have the unit plumbed in with three ball valves instead of a the Eco Water by-pass, be sure that both the inlet and outlet valves are fully closed, and the valve between these is in the open position.

If you have already done as described above, then the by-pass system is defective.  As this unit does not have any way for manual regeneration control, to put it back into service position, you would need to take it apart to gain access to the internal mechanism and force rotor/disc back into service position.  We are not familiar with the procedure to do this, and we would recommend that you consult an ECO Water dealer for instructions or assistance.  Doing this may stop the flow of water to drain, but do not reconnect the electrical supply, as you want to be sure that the unit does not again advance into regeneration, and cause the same problem to reoccur.

The only other way to reestablish the water supply to the house in the short-term is to turn off the water supply, and either repair/replace the by-pass system, or physically remove the water softener and re-plumb.  It may or may not be cost effective to repair the unit, and if you decide to purchase a new softener, you might take a look at some of the units we offer at our site on the metered water softener page.

Loss of water pressure due to water softener filter(s)

January 11, 2010 by steve · Leave a Comment

I’m new here, please help.

I ran across this website when searching for helps with my water pressure problem. The problem was noted 2 days ago and confirmed yesterday with my 5.2 yrs old Advanced Water Products water softener system model 6700. Yesterday, I closed off the bypass valve on the system and found that the water pressure going back up. I called the company and they told me that the filter is clogged due to high chlorine water in our area, San Ramon CA, and should have the whole tank replaced. They will give me a discount and replace the whole tank (just the tank) for $700 + 10yrs warranty on parts & labor. $700 is a lot for us, but, what should I do? Is there a way to do-it-myself?

Thank you in advance for any helps, Steve

Answer: Steve, if you are reasonably familiar with basic plumbing techniques, this is an easy do-it-yourself job that only requires replacement of the resin.  First you need to determine how much resin you need.  Cation exchange resin is available from our site in 1 cubic foot bags for $130.00 delivered. Depending on the design of your softener, you may or may not have gravel located in the bottom of the tank to function as a distributor bed.  If your unit contains a turbulator, there will not be any gravel in the tank.  All other designs using standard risers will use gravel.  Gravel is available in 50 pound bags for $60.00 delivered. Although there are other resin tank sizes used in water softener applications, the common sizes are:

24,000 grain (7 or 8 inch dia x 44” height tank) = 3/4 ft3, 10 pounds gravel
32,000 grain (8 or 9 inch dia tank x 44” height) = 1.0 ft3, 12 pounds gravel
48,000 grain (10 inch dia x 54” height tank) = 1.5 ft3, 15 pounds gravel
64,000 grain (12 inch dia x 52” height tank) = 2.0 ft3, 20 pounds gravel

First remove any water pressure from the softener.  This is normally accomplished by manually placing the valve into backwash to relieve the water pressure after the softener has been by-passed (with the 6700 down-flow valve, after by-passing the water softener, just initiate an automatic regeneration – the first stage is backwash). Once the pressure has been removed, the valve can be removed.  Disconnect it from the by-pass valve or yoke by removing the two stainless clips securing this to the control.  Now the control can be unscrewed from the tank.  Once the control is removed, use a wet/dry shop vacuum to remove the spent resin and gravel from the tank.  Clean the tank well, and place the required amount of gravel (if necessary) in the bottom as outlined above, and the correct amount of resin on top of it.  DO NOT OVERFILL! There will be empty space in the tank after refilling with fresh media – this space is called “freeboard” and required for proper operation.  Reattach the control and by-pass, and slowly allow water to reenter the tank.  Once the tank is filled, again place the control into backwash, and allow it to go through a complete cycle.  When it returns to service position, you should again be “ready-to-go”.

Technetic 1000 Water Softener

January 2, 2010 by steve1 · Leave a Comment

I have a technetic 1000 water softener that has gone into programming mode by pressing two buttons on accident during normal programming. Now the unit doesn’t track water usage and I have to manually regenerate. I was wondering if anyone is familiar with this brand softener and can help walk me through the program mode in order to put the unit back into normal operation. The clock display shows a split colon between the hours and minutes where before it went into this mode, the clock mode showed a normal colon between the hours and minutes.

Thanks, Steve.

Answer: The Technetic 1000 was discontinued years ago – we never sold this product, and may not be much help with this one – if we recall correctly, pressing the “Enter” and “Time Set” button simultaneously for 5 seconds gets you into a master programming mode.  This may allow you to reset the control, but you will then have to reprogram. The manufacturer of your control (Autotrol) joined with Pentair Corporation recently, and you might try to find a local dealer that is more familiar with these controls at http://www.pentairwaterdealer.com.

Kinetico Repair

December 16, 2009 by TomA · Leave a Comment

I have a Kinetico system from 1994. It has not been giving soft water for about a year now. I’m sure it needs resin, however I would like to make sure it is otherwise functioning before investing in it.
Can you tell me where to begin?

Answer: There are quite a few possible causes of your softener’s performance issues – and breakdown of the resin, or fouling of the resin bed resin is certainly a possibility – but not the only one.  We are assuming that the cause is not due to an air-leak, as this problem normally occurs only during installation or when you are moving the water softener.  So, before you invest in replacement resin, manually regenerate the unit, and see if the water level in the brine tank slowly recedes.  If it does, then this indicates a functioning softener, and replacing the resin may be the next thing to try.  If it does not, check the injector and injector screen to see if these are plugged.  If they are, clean them well with fresh water, and reinstall.  At the same time, remove all of the salt from the brine tank, clean it out with a water wash, and inspect the brine valve to be sure that there are no obvious areas of agglomerated salt plugging the assembly. See if this resolves the problem.  If not, the next thing to do is to re-bed the resin tanks with new resin.

sodium in water

December 12, 2009 by elbush · Leave a Comment

How much sodium does a water softener introduce into the water?  Our water was tested at 12 gpg, 0 iron, pH 7.3, TDS 154ppm.  We bought a TurboSoft 56MT from Ferguson Enterprises 2 yrs. ago, have not used it yet as we’re not in new house yet.  I’m on a salt-restricted diet so if sodium is present in excess, would installing an under-the-sink reverse osmosis system help for drinking water and ‘fridge icemaker?  What is a safe level of sodium in water?

Answer: The amount of sodium a water softener adds depends your water hardness.  Water softeners remove calcium and magnesium from hard water and replace them with sodium. The higher the concentration of calcium and magnesium, the more sodium is donated to the water. Approximately 7 to 8 mg/l of sodium is added to your water for every grain per gallon hardness.  With 12 GPG hardness, you can expect approximately 80 to 100 mg/l sodium added to your water. However, the sodium level would still be very low, and according to a doctor that is a hypertension specialist at the Mayo Clinic, “the amount of sodium in softened water that was originally very hard shouldn’t be cause for concern.”

Still, for people on a low-sodium diet that are concerned with consuming any extra sodium, you can consider using potassium chloride rather than sodium chloride.  We always recommend that you use sodium chloride or potassium chloride purified for use in water softeners (available at many supermarkets, plumbing supply and hardware stores).  Non-sodium potassium chloride is commonly available and sold under the brand names Morton KCL, K-Life, Softouch and Nature’s Own.

As you mention, you can also install a reverse osmosis system to remove all sodium from drinking and cooking water. And it is very common to use the RO system to feed both a tap at the kitchen sink and the fridge as well.  You can take a look at some of the units we offer on our reverse osmosis page.

Nuisance bacteria

November 5, 2009 by emsowinski · Leave a Comment

Since we moved into our house 2 months ago, we have been trying to find a solution to the nuisance bacteria we seem to have, which is resulting in a strong, sulfer-ish smell in the kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room.  We have already replaced the sacrificial anode in the hot water heater with a zinc anode rod, then we removed the rod altogether.  Each time, the smell has left, but only temporarily.  My question is this:  would an iron filter remove the iron that is leading to the baceria build-up, thereby removing the smell?  If so, is there a brand or type that you would recommend?  Thank you!

Answer: If your problem is due to the presence of a nuisance bacteria (like iron or sulfur bacteria), then chlorine injection is the best solution.  The chlorine first kills the bacteria present on the outside of the iron or sulfur particle, and then with the bacteria destroyed, the chlorine oxidizes the iron or sulfur into a precipitate. If you decide to go this route, your should also install an automatic backwashing carbon filter downstream of the chlorine injection system.  The carbon filter will remove the injected chlorine from your water, and also filter out any precipitate formed during the chlorine oxidation process. To see if this is the cause of your problem, just remove the lid from any toilet tank, and check for the presence of a slimy growth on the sides of the tank.  Sometimes you may also see an oil like sheen on the top of the water.
If the tank seems to be free of this material, (sometimes just a black stain may be present), your problem may instead be due to the presence of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in the water.

In this case, you can consider removing this odor with a system like our Iron-Pro.  This is a non-chemical automatic filter that incorporates oxidation by air and a polishing carbon bed to remove the sulfur from your water.  You should not use this system if sulfur forming bacteria is present, as the carbon bed in this filter will lose its effectiveness over time due to fouling from the sticky bacteria.

A liquid chlorine injection system meters chlorine 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 adds chlorine solution into the static mixer (which aids in the uniform mixing process) and enters the retention tank where the disinfection/oxidation process occurs.   You typically use a starting mix of 1/2 gallon household chlorine bleach to the 15 gallon chemical solution tank, and 4 oz. per gallon of soda ash to start.  You then vary the pump feed rate until you obtain the desired residual chlorine concentration (about 0.5 ppm free chlorine) – typically a setting of 50% works well.  You can obtain a chlorine test kit locally from most plumbing supply stores (and many pool supplies) – they are very inexpensive.

After the chlorine injection system, you should install a backwashing carbon filter.  Consider our model CF15-M, a 1.5 ft3 automatic backwashing carbon filter (Autotrol 263/440i valve and control).  This filter has a 20 micron filtration efficiency, and should be installed after your pressure tank to remove the injected chlorine, and also polish any residual hydrogen sulfide (H2S – sulfur).

The other system we discussed for removing hydrogen sulfide,  called the Sulfur Pro (also called the Sulfur Breaker), uses a specially designed control valve with a filter tank partially filled with Centaur carbon media.  The unit keeps 1/2 of the tank filled with air at all times, and the iron & sulfur in your water is oxidized by the air, and also in the 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 sulfur and iron.

You can visit our site to find additional information on both of these systems.