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How Your Water Softener Works
FAST RINSE: Backwash is followed by a fast flow of
water down through the resin tank. The fast flow packs
the resin bed and gets it ready for return to service.
See Fig. 40.
After fast rinse, the softener returns to service. Hard water
goes into the resin tank where the resin bed again takes
out the hardness minerals. Soft water goes to the house
soft water pipes.
SOFT WATER SERVICE AND REGENERATION
AUTOMATIC BYPASS
During the brining, brine rinse and backwash cycles of
regeneration, HARD water goes through the softener
valve and to the house pipes. If a faucet is opened, hard
water is there for your needs. However, you should not
use hot water, if possible, because the water heater will
refill with hard water. The softener, as factory pro-
grammed, regenerates from 2:00 AM to about 4:20 AM, a
time when not much water is used.
If you start your day prior to 4 AM, you may need to
change the recharge starting time. Set the recharge time
to 12:00 AM or 1:00 AM. Then regeneration will start and
end that much earlier and your water heater will not refill
with hard water if a hot faucet is opened.
ELECTRONICS
Two main parts of the softener’s electronics are:
a WATER METER, and a COMPUTER.
• WATER METER The water meter is in the softener valve
outlet. As water flows through the meter, it sends electric
pulses to the computer. The computer changes the puls-
es to a measure in gallons of water.
• COMPUTER The computer is part of the faceplate timer
circuit board. It is programmed to know the softener’s
capacity (how many grains of hardness minerals it will
take out of the water before a regeneration is needed).
When starting the softener, you set it for the grains per
gallon (gpg) hardness of the water.
To find a regeneration pattern best for your needs, the
computer uses:
(1) water usage from the meter
(2) hardness setting
(3) softener capacity
(4) time since the last regeneration.
The computer always adjusts this pattern to your water
using habits. It works toward providing you with soft
water for the longest time and at the most efficient salt
usage.
Softening capacity is used as hard water goes through
the softener and hardness minerals are removed. When
the computer determines that only enough capacity
remains to provide soft water up to the next regenera-
tion starting time (2:00 AM, or as otherwise set) it will
schedule a regeneration. When the regeneration
begins, RECHARGE NOW flashes in the display during
the regeneration.
Drain
WATER FLOW THROUGH
THE SOFTENER
IN FAST RINSE
Soft Water
OUT
Hard Water
IN
FIG. 40
Questions? Call The Kenmore Water Line 1-800-426-9345