Media
Replacement
Welcome
to the Water Answers Weekly for the week of June 30. This
week we will discuss reparing your existing water softener
or auto-backwashing filter.
Most
water treatment appliances should last over 10 years. I
receive many calls per day asking questions pertaining to
replacing the media inside the media tank. If your softener
or filter is several years old and just doesn't seem to
be working as well as it used to, chances are you will be
able to completely refresh your system by simply replacing
the media inside the media tank.
A
carbon filter using activated carbon to remove chlorine,
salt or just bad-tasting water will only last 1 to 3 years
depending on your usage volume and the condition of your
water. The same goes for a Birm filter. A softener should
last quite a long time because the resin beads used to remove
hardness do not deteriorate or erode like filter media tends
to do. After so many years of filtering, replacement of
the media is necessary.
Replacing
your system's media is not all that difficult. Your very
first concideration should be disposal of the old media.
Resin beads from softeners do not break down or disolve.
Aquarium
Pharmaceuticals recommends disposing of it as regular
trash. The Birm should also be treated with this method.
The activated carbon, while mostly depleted, can still be
used as a good fertilizer.
Now
that you have devised a method of disposal, it's time to
aquire replacement media. Water Value carries various quantities
of Ionac resins and filter media and so do most other water
treatment companys. The differences in manufacturer and
regular vs. fine-mesh resin is an issue for a future article.
To
remove the old media, you will need to turn off the water
supply to your softener or filter and disconnect your valve
from the power supply. You should have a bypass valve plumbed
in. If not, you will need to shut off the water supply to
the entire house. Remove the softener or filter from the
water pipes at the back of the control valve. Remove any
drain and/or brine lines. Secure the tank to a pole with
a strap or rope or have someone hold the tank for you as
you unscrew the control valve on the top of the media tank
to keep the tank from turning. Unscrew the control valve
by hand if at all possible being careful not to bend or
damage any parts of the valve or timer.
The
mineral tank will be full of water so it will be very heavy.
You should have help lifting and tipping it over. The resin,
water and distributor will all pour out. The distributor
is usually a 1-inch PVC tube used to draw water from the
bottom of the tank. Once all of the resin is out of the
tank, use a garden hose or sprayer to clean out the insides
of the tank.
Re-insert
the distributor tube making sure that it fits into the "dimple"
or depression on the bottom of the mineral tank. The top
of the distributor should be flush or 1/2" above the
top of the tank. Cap, block or tape the top of the distributor
so that when pouring your media into the tank, nothing gets
into the distributor tube.
Do
not over-fill your media tank. Most softeners and filters
only require two-thirds media capacity to filter or treat
your water. The rest of the space in the tank is used for
media expansion when backwashing or regenerating. Make sure
you find out how much media you will be replacing.
Now
it's time to re-attach the control valve. The top of the
distributor should line up with and slide into the hole
in the bottom of the valve. Again, have someone hold or
secure the mineral tank while you screw the control valve
back on. If you had a bypass valve or yolk, simply slide
the water pipes back into the valve, fasten and secure.
Slowly open the water supply line so that you can hear the
water flowing through the valve and into the tank. Let the
tank fill slowly before opening the water supply line all
of the way. Plug your valve back in and hook up the drain
line and brine connectors.
This
process should cost between $100 and $200 but it is much
less expensive than buying a new system. If your filter
serviced your home for 5 years, then you can expect this
new media to last that long as well. Changing the control
valve is even easier though more expensive. The control
valve is designed to last 20 years, however sometimes heavy
mineral deposits or unusually frequent operation (system
too small for number of occupants, water quality, etc.)
can ruin the pistons, flaps or cams in a valve. Getting
the exact same valve so that all of your plumbing will line
up is a plus. It is then a very simple matter of unscrewing
the old valve and screwing the new one on. Make certain
that whomever you are buying your water treatment equipment
from is not using custom made equipment. If they were ever
to go out of business, you would have a very hard time finding
replacement parts. Ask for "industry standard"
equipment such as Autotrol or Fleck brands. They have been
around for more than 30 years. There are also many companys
that will sell and service a custom control valve for years
only to stop producing it later on. Trying to find replacement
parts for one of those is impossible.
As
with any project, it is always best to hire a professional,
but if you are a do-it-yourselfer and have experience with
plumbing, this type of water softener or filter rebuild
is pretty easy. If you would like prices for the media you
will be replacing including valve prices, click
here.
