Category Archives: Maintenance

Repairing Water Softeners and Automatic Filters

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We have always maintained an extensive parts and components list of items for the water treatment systems that we sell and support. Often times the breakdown of a component on a control valve is due to age and normal wear and is usually very easy to replace. In some cases, special tools are required for replacing seals and spacers for instance in the Fleck models 9000 and 2510, but for the most part, replacing parts on softener or filter control valves can be performed with common tools.

Repairing your softener or filter system yourself can save you a great deal of expense but it is important to consider other aspects of your softener/filter before repairing. First, consider the age of the system. For example, if your softener is 20+ years old and you have a control valve with worn piston and seals, you will also want to think about the softener’s media. Softener media can have a very long lifespan depending on the conditions of your water and how much water flows through it over the years, but after 20 years or even less, the media becomes worn out. Friction due to the hundreds of regeneration cycles through the years will wear the surface of the resin beads down making them in effective. At that point you should also consider the cost of replacing the resin media and the repair parts you need for your controller. Often times these costs will come close to the cost of an entire new softener.

Another example: You have a greensand filter which is only 5 years old but because of the high iron content of the water, the injector is clogged or wore out and the media is likely in need of changing as well. In this case, changing the injector and the media are less than half the cost of a new filter system, but a close examination of the seals and piston should be done at this time as well. All of these components can be replaced at far less than the cost of replacing the entire system.

We do not recommend repairing a very old system. While the media and parts can be a temporary fix, in the long run you save money and time by investing in a complete new system.

Reverse Osmosis Components

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While every reverse osmosis (RO) system we carry comes with an owner’s manual which states how often to replace the filters and membranes which the systems use to purify the product’s water, we are often asked how frequently these items should be replaced, so I thought this would be a good time to not only answer that question, but to explain the function of each filter.

The RO’s pre-filter is just that, it pre-filters the water coming into the RO system. It is designed to remove and particles in the water of 5 microns or larger, thus protecting the membrane. In at least a couple of the RO systems we carry, a combination carbon/sediment pre-filter is available. A carbon/sediment pre-filter is a good choice for your RO system if your water contains chlorine. Chlorine can damage a typical RO membrane so unless your water comes from your own private well, a carbon/sediment pre-filter is a good choice. Most manufacturer’s recommend changing this filter every 6 months.

Next is the carbon filter. These filters offer a 2nd layer of protection against chlorine but they also reduce other chemicals which can affect RO membrane performance. The manufacturer’s recommend changing these filters every 8 months.

Next is the RO membrane. In the case of the GE Merlin RO, there are actually two of these membranes. A membrane is technically not a filter at all. In the case of a filter, all water passes through it. An RO membrane does not allow anything but pure water to pass. It rejects contaminants and channels them down the drain. An RO membrane should be changed every 2 to 3 years, but if regular pre-filtration changes were neglected, then the membrane should be changed sooner as it is likely damaged.

Finally there is the carbon post-filter. Not all RO’s have a carbon post-filter. They are generally inline between the membrane and the tank/faucet. These post-filters contain activated carbon and remove any ‘plastic taste’ the water might contain after running through the RO system’s lines. This filter should be replaced every year or after any membrane replacement is performed.

Solving Well Water Problems

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Private wells can present quite a few problems for homeowners and businesses alike. All water out of an underground well contains some degree of hardness. But hardness is easily removed with a standard water softener. Most wells also produce water with some type of iron contamination. While iron in your water is not considered a health risk according to the US EPA under certain amounts, it can cause many problems with staining of plumbing and fixtures, laundry and often times produces an unpleasant odor. Water Value Company has an excellent iron elimination system available called The Terminator. Using 3 stages of water treatment, it injects oxygen into the water as the well pump runs. It then oxidizes and bleeds off excess air and sulfur gas, and finally filters out the oxidized iron through an automatic backwashing filter system. The Terminator system is very effective in removing high amounts of iron, manganese and hydrogen sulfide.

But often times well water will not only contain iron and odor, but bacteria also. Bacteria can be killed with UV filter lamps and chlorinators, but BWI (Better Water Industries) has come out with an ingenious all-in-one device for treating not only bacteria, but iron, sulfur, sulfate reducing bacteria, black manganese, algae, tannins, arsenic and even low pH. It is the Sentry I Open-Air System and it even increases low level well water output. Sentry I Open-Air System

While being ideal for removing very high levels of iron and sulfur gas from your water, the other benefits of this open-air system coupled with a standard water softener downline of the appliance makes for nearly perfect water right out of your tap, no matter how difficult your well water problem may be. The simple design of this open-air system means easy installation. It comes pre-wired and plumbed with a 1-inch inlet valve, adjustable air-draw for oxidation, safety floats, dry pellet chlorinator, submersible pump, and bladder tank. Water enters the Sentry I Open-Air system and is injected with air for oxidation, chlorine for oxidation and disinfection, holding tank and a booster pump to provide higher water pressure to your faucets than a standard well system can.

So if you need to solve multiple problems with your well water and require a simple to use, low maintenance water treatment equipment solution, the Sentry I Open-Air System is the right choice.

Brine Tank Overflow

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A widely common problem people have with their water softeners is too much water going back to the brine tank after regeneration. This can happen with a 15 year old softener or a brand new one. There is likely only one cause; a leak somewhere. Finding that leak is the trick. So if you’ve searched and found this article, you have a problem with your softener’s brine tank over filling. Therefore, you do not want to have to read through the mechanics of the brine system of your water softener, you just want to fix it. So I will try to get right to the point here.

First of all, if your water softener is brand new, the leak is not caused by your brand new control valve. Do not bother to call whomever you purchased it from and demand a warranty replacement. You will still have the same problem with a brand new controller. The leak is likely in the line leading from the control valve to the brine tank. There are only two fittings in this line, so check both of those. Even the plastic fitting inside the brine tank’s brine well needs to be “wrench tight” not finger tight.

If your water softener is older, say 2 or 3 years, then it’s likely you need to clean the brine injector assembly and the air-check at the bottom of the brine tank’s brine well. The brine well is a large diameter tube that runs down the inside of the brine tank. The air-check will be in the bottom of that. If you have an Autotrol model 255 control valve, you will not have an air-check in the brine tank, but there will be a brine pickup there which should be checked and cleaned of any debris if necessary.

The air-check is simply a plastic ball in the bottom of a serrated tube. The ball closes off the backflow of brine water out of the brine tank. In other words, the control valve does not “know” when the brine tank is empty. This air-check mechanism takes care of sealing off flow from the brine tank. If it does not seat properly, there will be a vacuum leak. The service manuals of all makes and models of water softeners we carry deal directly with cleaning of these air-checks and brine injectors. After making sure the brine line is not leaking, the air-check and brine injector are the next items to focus your attention. They should be clean of any brine or debris buildup.

Finally, all water softeners sold by Water Value come with a safety overflow float assembly. If yours has a leak where the brine pickup tube connects to the safety float shutoff, you will eventually end up with an overfilled brine tank. If the safety shutoff valve itself is leaking, you will also end up with an overflowing brine tank. Check that pickup tube and float assembly for leaks. A very easy way to do this is to activated your safety shutoff valve when the water softener is in brine refill mode. Simply pull up on the float assembly rod to activate the shutoff. If you see water dripping out, then you have a shutoff valve leak.

If a control valve has a brine draw cycle time of 8 minutes, and there is a vacuum leak somewhere in the brining system, that 8 minutes might not be long enough to draw all of the brine water out of the tank and into the softener’s resin bed for regeneration, leaving some brine in the brine tank. Then when the control valve reaches its final brine refill cycle, it will run for 8 minutes to replace the water it initially drew up out of the brine tank. If the brine tank still has water inside because of the vacuum leak, too much water will be sent to the brine tank. This is what causes brine tank overflow. It’s also possible that it could take several regenerations over several weeks time to realize this condition.

The preventive maintenance section that comes with these softener systems’ service manuals explains how to clean your specific brine valve and air-check. Do this brine system cleaning once per year, and you should never have brine tank overflow problems again.

Water Softener Salt

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We are often asked which type of softener salt to use for our water softener systems. There are a few different types which we will address here. Also, people want to know how much salt to put into the tank and how long it will last.

For the type of salt to use, we generally refer to the manufacturer’s recommendation of “pellet-style salt”. This is what is printed in most of the service manuals for these softener systems. However, we have discovered that these pellets do not always perform properly in tropical climates. The pellets tend to melt and form a salt-bridge or dome at the bottom of the brine tank. Rock salt seems to be the answer to this problem. It would also be a good idea to consider block salt when the softener is located in one of these hot/humid locations.Bag of water softener salt.

The typical was softener media resin requires brine to exchange the hardness ions attached to the media beads. The hardness ions are released from the media beads when rinsed with brine. Both the brine and released calcium/lime are then rinsed down the drain by the softener’s control valve.

Brine is simply salt saturated water. Water will dissolve salt that it comes into contact with until it is saturated and becomes brine. This is why the salt level in your softener’s brine tank should always remain above the water line. Following this requirement ensures that the water in the bottom of the brine tank is always saturated with salt. If the level of the salt pellets or block sink below the level of the brine tank’s water line, the solution may be too weak to perform a proper and efficient regeneration of the softener’s resin media.

Which brings us to the next subject, how much salt do you use? As stated above, you should put into your softener’s brine tank enough salt to bring the salt level up above the top of the water. This is the minimum amount. Beyond that, you can fill, or even over fill the brine tank with salt. It does not matter, just so long as the minimum amount is in that tank. So for people that can spare the floor space and do not want to hassle with lugging around 40-pound bags of salt too often, a larger brine tank is the way to go. You can choose various brine tank sizes on the same page that you would order your softener from as an option. By default, some of our larger softener systems already come with a large brine tank.

For small to medium residential systems we select a 15x17x36 rectangular brine tank, but you can also select an 18×30 or 18×40 round brine tank. Some of the larger softeners also have a 24×41 round commercial brine tank available. Commercial brine tanks do not come with a brine grid as they are not necessary

In so far as how long a 40-pound bag of salt will last in your softener, there are several variables to consider which make it very difficult to predict. First is the amount of hardness or compensated hardness in your water. Generally speaking, 15 pounds of brine is required for every cubic foot of softener media to regenerate. This amount can vary a lot. For example, we currently have several softener systems that are serviced by us in our local area which are operating on 20 grains per gallon of hardness with no iron present. So it would seem that a 32,000 grain softener (1-cu/ft capacity) would require 15 pounds of brine solution for each regeneration. But this is not the case. Usually 8 to 12 pounds will do. The water pressure, temperature and flow rate also become factors. There are also a few of the newer control valves out there that are more “salt stingy” than some of the older mechanical ones.

Which softener salt do you use? Unless you are in the tropical climate mentioned above, use what the manufacturer recommends, which is softener salt pellets. Which brand? The least expensive brand in your area. We are fortunate here in Michigan. Softener salt is reasonably price, but I have heard of other locations in the US where the cost of a 40-pound bag of salt is as much at $4 higher than normal. We do not carry softener salt on our web site. It would not make much sense to distribute such a heavy item. Once the cost of shipping is added to a bag or more of salt, it would become more costly than even the higher priced locations.

So how much salt is there left in the water after the softener regenerates? How much sodium will you be consuming when using a water softener? The Mayo Clinic has the answer to that one. Basically, the answer is very little. Bag of potassium chloride.But if you want to completely eliminate sodium produced by softened water completely, then potassium chloride is the choice for you. Potassium chloride costs about $1 more per 40-pound bag here in Michigan, but it is just as effective as salt (sodium chloride) at regenerating your water softener’s media bed. Keep in mind that often times untreated water may already have sodium in it and softening your water with potassium chloride will not reduce that pre-existing amount.

Softener and Backwashing Filter Control Valve Replacement

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The main component of your water softener or auto-backwashing filter system is the control valve. It initiates and controls the regeneration and/or backwashing of the water treatment media. The media requires regeneration or backwashing to remove any contaminants it was designed to filter out of the water. In the case of softener resin media, the control valve regenerates it by exchanging the hardness ions trapped by the resin with sodium ions and rinses the hardness down the drain. For filter media, the controller backwashes it to remove any trapped particles and to refresh the media bed which prevents water channels from forming. Water channeling would drastically reduce the filter media’s effectiveness.

Over time, control valve components can wear out or break down. While the professional grade controllers we offer are less likely to malfunction, standard consumer style controllers often do fail. Replacing parts on these controllers is usually quite simple, but over time can become economically impractical. This would be a good time to consider replacement of the entire control valve. But before you do, there are some points to consider.

First of all, you should have some experience with water treatment equipment before you begin a project such as this. Either you installed your water softener/filter yourself, or you are an experienced “do-it-yourselfer”. The manufacturers of the Fleck, Autotrol and Clack control valves we carry and support recommend a professionally trained service person do the job. There are other considerations as well. The water’s flow direction on the old controller you are replacing might be opposite of the new controller you are considering. If that is the case, your water pipes will need to be re-plumbed.

Another consideration is the size of the riser tube or “distributor” that runs down the length of the media tank. The majority of the control valves we have available come default with a 1.05-inch diameter opening to accept a 1.05-inch diameter distributor tube, but some older models used to be set up with 13/16-inch distributors. The newer 1.05-inch control valves will not seal properly over those. And the newer Fleck 7000 accepts a 32mm distributor tube which will not work with a standard 1.05-inch distributor without and adapter.

If you purchase a new control valve from us, you will need to know the diameter of your media tank. This information allows the manufacturer to configure the control valve for your softener or filter. Also, control valves come in basically two configurations: softener or filter. Softener control valves can be metered or “on demand” while filter control valve should not. Filter control valves are designed to schedule backwashing over a user-defined period of days rather than the amount of water that flows through the tank like a softener does. There are a few good reasons for this, but the main one is that filter media is of a different consistency than softener media. It needs to be backwashed on a regular basis to avoid water channeling. Some filter control valves also use “brine” injectors while others do not. All softener control valves require a brine injector system.

There are a few nation wide water treatment companies out there that produce tanks and control valves that do not conform to industry standards. For a standard residential water treatment application, the threads on the media tank are 2.5 inches in diameter by 8 threads per inch. All of the residential control valves we carry use these dimensions. Larger commercial controllers are designed for 4-inch tank openings. Some of the national companies will use a different style of thread to prevent industry standard control valves from being used on their equipment. For residential applications, make sure your media tank’s threads are 2.5 by 8.

Removing The Old Control Valve

Hopefully, your water treatment system will have some sort of water bypass system in place, either a bypass valve or a 3-valve shutoff. If not, you will need to shut the water off for the entire house in order to disconnect the control valve from the pipes. Pressure inside the control valve and media tank can be released after the water is shut off or bypassed by manually initiating a regeneration or backwash. See your water treatment systems instruction manual for the proper method. Once water pressure is released from the system, you can disconnect the water pipes and unscrew the control valve from the media tank. Be careful when removing the control valve that you are replacing. The distributor tube that runs up the center of the media tank is held in place with at least one o-ring inside the control valve and there is nothing holding it down inside the media tank except for the media. If this distributor tube is pulled out from the bottom of the media tank, it can prove very difficult to get it back down in there. When lifting the control valve from the top of the media tank, rock it back and forth to help the internal o-ring release the riser tube.

Attaching The New Control Valve

Check the top of the riser tube to ensure there are no cracks or damage which could lead to leaks, then make sure the top of the tank itself is clear of media debris. Even a small particle can prevent the control valve o-ring from sealing properly, resulting in a leak. Place the new control valve over the media tank with the distributor tube centered into the receptacle in the bottom of the  valve. It should slide right in. Then screw the control valve down tight but do not use a wrench or other tool. The control valve’s o-ring will seal very well when it is hand-tightened.
If you purchased the exact same controller you are replacing, then chances are the pipes and drain line will already be set to connect. Otherwise, you may need to use a different drain line fitting and possibly redo your water pipes.

Your control valve will now need setup. If it is an electronic control valve such as the Fleck 7000 or Fleck SE, Autotrol LOGIX or Clack WS-1, you will need to program it for your particular water situation. Softener control valves will need to know how much compensated hardness is in the water for example. You can migrate the settings from your old controller as well. In either case, you will need to refer to the service manual for your control valve for programming or setup instructions.

Because tanks have such a long lifespan, you basically now have a new water treatment system with warranty. Often times this can be achieved at nearly half the cost of a whole new softener and up to 30% less than a whole new backwashing filter system.

When To Change Your Softener or Filter Media

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How long does softener media last? When should the auto-backwashing filter media be changed? Not even the manufacturer of the media knows for sure and with very good reason. First, do you know how much water has passed through your 2001 softener? Any idea how much chlorine it has been exposed to? How about your iron filter media? Has your greensand filter been regenerating often enough or not? The fine coating on manganese greensand media can wear off, but after how long? How many regenerations will occur before it needs replacing?

Softener Media: Let’s start with softener media. Specifically, cation softener media used for exchanging chloride ions with calcium ions. While cation softener resin media can also remove iron to an extent, we’ll focus on hardness removal only. How long before this media needs replacing? Softener resin media is basically very small plastic beads which is described as “polystyrene 8% cross linked with Divinylbenzene”. In other words, small plastic beads. As most of us know, plastic does not deteriorate very much over hundreds of years. Plastic is one of the largest problems we have with landfills at this time. It does not go away. The same thing occurs with water softener resin media; it lasts a very long time. But there are other factors involved with the performance of this media. First and foremost is friction. During the regeneration process that every ion exchange softener goes through, friction is created. If your softener’s media bed is set to regenerate every other day, that’s a great deal of backwashing friction created over the years. There is also the possibility of the presence of chlorine. Chlorine can eat away at the smooth surface of these resin beads. And finally, there is the possibility of the presence of iron. Iron will adhere to these spherical beads and often times cannot be removed as efficiently as calcium is. Once your resin beads are coated with fine iron, they are nearly useless. If you are using your softener to remove iron, you can expect to replace your resin bed much more frequently than water without iron.Ion exchange water softener media.

So when do you replace your softener’s media? When a simple hardness test strip consistently shows the presence of hardness downstream of the softener. Unless your softener is exposed to very high iron or chlorine, periodic testing for the presence of hardness should not start for 5-years after installation date. I have personally found softeners over 20 years old that were still removing hardness. If you are removing iron with your softener or exposing it to chlorine, I would start testing 1 to 2 years after installation, just to be sure.

Automatic Backwashing Filter Media: Depending on the media, this can be even more difficult to predict when to replace than softener media. Activated carbon media is porous and can not only trap contaminants in the water, it can also alter the chemical makeup of chlorine and organic chemical contaminants. As mentioned above, manganese greensand filter media has a fine coating on the media’s granules which trap iron particles. Sediment removal media such as Filter Ag can trap and hold fine silt or sand until backwashing occurs. Calcite is a type of water treatment media which slowly dissolves when low pH water passes through it.

Activated Carbon: There are literally dozens of different activated carbon filter systems out there. Some carbon media is designed to remove tannins (rotted, dissolved vegetation) from water. Other carbons are more suited to rendering chlorine inert, while others are designed to remove hydrogen sulfide. It is the manufacturing method and source material (coconut shell, wood, coal) that make up each carbon’s unique characteristics. Often called the “Taste & Odor Removal Media”, activated carbon in all its forms, makes your water taste much better than without. So how often should it be replaced? When the chlorine, VOCs or hydrogen sulfide you are removing with it starts bleeding through even after a recent backwash cycle has occurred. Test for chlorine or VOCs with a water test strip and check for the hydrogen sulfide with smell or taste.

Manganese Greensand Iron Treatment Media: Manganese greensand media removes iron and typically uses potassium permanganate as a regenerating oxidizer. As mentioned above, it has a thin coating of material on the granules which iron adheres to and hydrogen sulfide is oxidized. This media wears out when the thin coating wears off. The manufacturer does not suggest when this might happen. Simply test for the presence of iron in your water with a simple test strip shortly after and just before a scheduled regeneration takes place. You can try increasing the potassium permanganate dose per regeneration (see your owner’s manual for instruction) to get more performance out of the media, but this also increases operating costs. When iron begins bleeding through the filter media, it’s time to consider changing the bed.Automatic backwashing filter media.

Calcite: Calcite filter media is used to neutralize acidic water. Water with low pH (6.8 down to 5.5) can be passed through Calcite filter media to increase the pH level to a more neutral state of 7.0 – 7.4. As acidic water passes through the filter’s tank, the Calcite media dissolves. If left unchecked, the media will eventually dissolve away to nothing. Calcite media usually does not need replacement, rather it needs to be replenished every so often. That is why Calcite filters sold by us have a “dome-hole” at the top of the tank so that the control valve does not need to be removed just to add media. Calcite filters regenerate on a schedule to keep the media bed from becoming “caked-up” or channeled by water flow, but some Calcite filters may use a simple in-and-out head on them for the water to flow through. When using this type of filter configuration, it is possible for the media to “cake-up” and need replacing. This is a good reason for using a filter with an auto-backwashing control valve.

There are several other media types available for treating water problems, but the ones listed here are the most popular. Basically, once your softener/filter stops removing the contaminant in your water that it is designed to treat, that is a good indication it’s time to replace the media.