CAI Water Softener Systems | Filters | Ultraviolet Sterilization
Water softeners, water filters, catalyst systems
We thought it was cycling, but it just keeps running.
Answer: The Kinetico water softener system uses a proprietary non-electric design, and we are not familiar with the internal workings of the Kinetico mechanical control. There are some water softener dealers that can provide limited service, but replacement parts are only available from Kinetico, and your best bet may be to contact Kinetico directly for service. It seems likely that you will require a part to resolve this problem.
I’ve got a private well with water pH of 7.5. The water is hard (cannot remember the exact value) so I installed a water softener which works very satisfactorily.
Before installing the water softener I had an immersion heating element failure so I put it down to the build-up of hardness on the element. I installed the softener and have since had to replace 2 further immersion elements. The heating elements failed due to a short circuit between the element and body of the element. When I examined the elements they seemed to have signs of slight pitting due to corrosion. I have a stainless steel storage tank with the recommended element for a stainless steel tank. I cannot understand why the elements are failing.
The only other evidence of corrosion I have seen in the house is on a chrome radiator in one of the bathrooms. The radiator is located adjacent to a walk in shower and is exposed to water splashing from the shower. The heating elements in the dish washer and the washing machine seem fine so this makes it harder to understand the reason for the problems with the immersion heating elements. This is a relatively new house. We are in it approx. 9 months so I’m not sure if this is the reason we have not yet seen any issues with the dishwasher and washing heating elements. Any ideas ?
Answer: Since your pH is fine, and you mention that your had a higher level of hardness prior to installation of a water softener, it is not likely a problem due to aggressive water. There are a few other possibilities here, and one strong possibility would be an elevated level of dissolved oxygen in your water. This would have to be confirmed with an on-site water analysis, and probably not worth the expense. We would recommend that you instead simply replace your existing element with one made of Inconel. These elements are expensive ($40 to $50), but it will be far cheaper overall than replacing standard elements so frequently.
One other thing you can check is to be sure that your water heater is properly grounded, not likely the problem here, but possible. The corrosion you are seeing on the radiator is probably just normal exterior rusting that occurs as water splashes onto the radiator – probably unrelated.
Hi there. What would cause my tank to overfill?? I just bought a new house 2 weeks ago and it came with a water softener and I know NOTHING about it. I just happend to go downstairs and heard water. My tank is overflowing?? The dial said “refilling” but obviously it filled to much. What would cause this? I turned the dial until it said “in service” to make the water stop – is that bad??
Answer: The problem is that your water softener is not drawing brine (salt) solution into the resin bed during regeneration. Fresh water refill is part of a regeneration process, and water was placed into the tank with each regeneration. If water is not also drawn out during regeneration (as seems to be the case here), then the water level will rise.
It is difficult to determine what exactly caused this problem without some additional investigation. It could be a problem with the control valve, like a plugged venturi injector, or screen assembly. It may be a fouled or damaged resin bed. It may also be a crimp in the drain line that is causing a restriction to flow. Check your manual to find the location of the injector and screen, and clean them as per the instructions found there. Also check to make sure the drain line is flowing free with no obstructions.
If this is a newer water softener installation, then you may have a simple air leak in the brine line. Instructions on how to resolve an air leak problem can be found in this blog – just go to the “Archives” section (right side column) and click on “September 2007”. The post is titled “Brine tank question”. You’ll find suggestions on how to repair the problem there, but let us know if you have any other questions.
We are installing very large water softeners to provide makeup to our water systems in the plant, and are wondering if there are adverse effects to using existing water makeup piping from the softener to the tanks that are copper. We do not intend on running a dangerously low PH, so are there other factors to consider making this decision?
Answer: No need to replace the piping, you will be fine. Actually, water processed with the water softeners will act to remove any existing build-up (scale also called hardness) from the piping. Softened water contains has a lower level of magnesium and calcium, and any of this material that has built-up on the piping will slowly dissolve back into the softened water.
Attention: Technical, I purchased this water softener in Ireland. I have a problem with my water softener (Autotrol 255 logix). It is not drawing up enough brine out of the brine tank with the result that it is not softening the water fully. It was working fine up until recently. I noticed that the salt wasn’t been used as much as normal.
I observed a regeneration cycle today and when it was in the “regenerant draw cycle” (C2) It was drawing up Brine very slowly. As it was drawing up the Brine there was a very small amount of liquid coming from the drain line. The salt was set at low so I increased it to the medium setting and this had the effect of increasing the length of the “C2″ cycle.
The air check is full of water and the ball is at the top and there is no indication of air in the line. I removed the line from the Brine tank and it is clean and not blocked in any way. This system is less than one year old.
Early last week I installed a P.H. correction unit directly upstream of the water softener. Would this have any effect on the operation of the softener ? Your help would be appreciated.
Answer: There are a few possibilities as to why your unit is not drawing brine. Did the problem with brine draw occur at about the same time as you installed the pH neutralizer? If so, did you notice an substantial reduction in water pressure? The reasons for asking these questions is that it is possible the water softener bed may have become plugged with calcite media, and not allowing sufficient flow through the unit for a vacuum to be created (necessary for brine draw). Common reasons for this problem to occur are below:
1) Plugged or damaged injector. Your injector may be plugged, or the O-rings on the injector may be damaged. Remove/inspect and re-install. Clean out the injector hole if necessary. On the other side of the control is the cap/screen assembly - remove and clean if required.
2) There may be an obstruction to the backwash flow in the control or drain line. If the backwash flow is not sufficient, water cannot move through the control fast enough to cause a vacuum. You can check the internal backwash flow control (same side of the control as your cap/screen, but found towards the rear). Remove the cap, clean if necessary and reinstall – careful, there may be a flow control ball beneath the cap – if present, clean & reinstall it. Also, check the drain line for crimping or other obstruction to normal flow.
3) As mentioned above, the resin bed is possibly fouled with calcite for the neutralizer, or maybe iron deposits and/or damaged due to exposure to high level of chlorine. This would be preventing full flow through the unit, and prevent brine draw from happening. You can by-pass the unit temporarily to see if you note substantially improved flow with the unit out-of-service. If so, your bed may be plugged, and require replacement. Remove the valve, and inspect the bed for condition – it should be relatively clean and free-flowing when disturbed.
4) Low water pressure. If your well pressure is unusually low (less than 30 psi for an extended period of time), increase the well pressure. Ideal is a pressure swing of 40-60, but 30-50 is sometimes used also, and acceptable.
5) Problem with an air leak in the brine line. As you mention that the unit had been is service for some time, it is not likely that this is your problem, but you can read the document reviewing this issue called “Resolving An Air Leak” on our site.
Be sure to by-pass and release the pressure on the water softener before working on the unit.
I recently purchased my water softener from www.caitechnologies.com and I understand that after the water softening process there are more of some things and less of others…
Can watering my lawn with soft water be damaging to my grass and flowers?
Answer: Softened water is not damaging to grass or plants. The reason for the concern is somewhat anecdotal, but not based on any real science. Plants require water to develop and thrive, however, owners of water softeners were concerned that the small amount of added salt, and low levels of magnesium & calcium in the water may inhibit plant growth. In reality, there are only very low levels of salt added to softened water (about 7 mg/l per grain of hardness), and this extremely low level is not a factor in plant development. For a real life comparison, consider plant growth at any residence located near a beach – sea spray is extremely high in sodium concentration, and in this case plants would have a significantly higher exposure to salt – but there is no ill effect. The other consideration is the low level of magnesium and calcium in softened water. Plants requiring these nutrients obtain the majority of what they need from the soil, and not irrigation water. In addition, professional hydroponic growers frequently use water prepared by the process of reverse osmosis – this process removes a much higher level of the contaminants then a water softener would – and plants still thrive.
The other option is (as one of our posters mentions in the comment below) to by-pass the irrigation system or outside hose bib so that it is not supplied with softened water. However, the main reason for doing this is to conserve salt. Since plants do not care one way or the other whether the water is softened, it is not necessary to waste salt by softening the large volume of water used for lawn and garden watering – better to by-pass.
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