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Is my water softner working right?

14 years ago

The water softener has not been used in about 7 months. Its been in by pass mode (I think). I had my water checked and its hardness is a 20. I got the water softener up and running and after the first recharge I had my water checked the next day. It was now a 17. The plumbing company I went to told me that it should be soft after one recharge and that it is broken and I should buy a system from them that neutralizes and softens my water for $1900. Are they rushing me into something or do you think that the water softener needs a few recharges before it drops it to zero?

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Comments (3)

User
14 years ago
What brand and model is the softener?
Why was it sitting in bypass for 7 months... something wrong?
Well water or municipal water system?
Just 20g hardness, no iron?
possum512
Original Author
14 years ago
Its a Sears Kenmore Ultrasoft 280. It was sitting for 7 months due to neglect and personal issues. We have a well system. They tested our water and had .2 iron once and 0.0 the next.
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Once the softener is installed, add 2.5 gallons cold water to the brine tank. Add a couple of bags of salt. Enter the master programming mode on the valve controller and set as follows: 1. DF - GAL 2. VT - St1b 3. CT - Fd 4. NT - 1 5. TS - U1 6. C - 26 7. H - 19 8. RS - SF 9. SF - 20 RC - 0 DO - 8 RT - 2:00 (or other time when you are unlikely to use water for a couple of hours) BD - 60 BW - 10 RR - 10 BF - Find your BLFC sticker (look at the attached pic - the sticker is inside the red circle) If it is 0.25 GPM then set BF at 10. If 0.5 GPM set at 5, if 1.0 gpm, set at 3. Ensure all days are ON, unless you have a specific day of the week when you need the softener to NOT regen. CD doesn't matter unless you set a day to OFF in step 14 FM - t0.7 should not be available Once the valve is programmed, step out of master programming mode and set the clock to the correct time. Manually place the softener in regen. Allow the backwash to finish, then manually step through the other steps. Leave each one on just long enough to verify it is working. Allow the fast rinse to run for about 5 minutes - you will have added just a bit of brine during the brief time it was in the brine draw step and you will want to flush that out. Step into service mode and enjoy your soft water.
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Comments (8)
It would be helpful to know the full analysis of your water before making recommendations. Hardness, pH, iron, tds, sulfur, sulfates, sediment, etc. Assuming manganese/iron is your only problem, there are several options, including oxidation/filtration, greensand and pyrolox. Of those, I prefer pyrolox because it will allow you to treat your water without handling any chemicals and is relatively small and easy to install, no more difficult than a common softener. You can google pyrolox and find a lot of good information about how it works. Cost is between $500 and $1000 depending upon the size of unit you need. A softener, while it can remove manganese, is generally not designed to do so and will experience a shortened life-span if used for that purpose. Chemical oxidation followed by filtration is generally much more expensive to install, with extra equipment to maintain, and requires the homeowner to handle chemicals. You may still want to have a softener installed, if your water is hard. A softener would be installed after the manganese removal system.
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Comments (1)
Your water heater will heat whatever water you put through it. For the rest of your concerns, start by getting your water tested so you know what dealing with. You sound as if you're not quite sure right now. Maybe start by asking municipal supplier what they're delivering and take it from there. Softeners just soften whether with potassium or salt. Reverse osmosis may be a candidate for drinking water line and frig,, but nothing more. Magnets don't do anything. You'll probably want to put your irrigation outlets on an entirely different line so you're only treating household supply.
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Comments (1)
Since you just got it installed - call the installer.
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User
14 years ago
Sears softeners don't really excel at hard well water and if there was iron and no routine maintenance the resin may be fouled. You also might have a salt bridge at the bottom of the brine tank which is a PITA cause with a Sears softener the resin tank is in the brine tank.

First, avoid plumbers... unless they are very experienced in water treatment.

Have your water retested for hardness, iron, manganese and nitrates and bacteria. Make sure the softener is set correctly for the water conditions

Here's what you can do... clean out all the salt in the brine tank. With the brine tank dry add 3 gallons of water and add salt till the water is covered. Go to the supermarket and get some iron out or Super Iron out and use as directed.

After regeneration is finished there will be water in the brine tank. Add 2 gallons of water and add salt to cover the water. Wait 2 hours and start a manual regeneration.When that's done add 3 gallons of water and add salt to cover. With no water use wait 2 hours and start a manual regeneration. When that is done your resin will be returned to it's maximum hardness removal capability depending on the resin's condition. If the water is now 0 hardness after the softener you'll and you have iron you need to use iron out every month.

Personally, I'd call a local independent water treatment professional and get an quote on what they recommend to treat your water cause the Sears is on it's last leg.

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