9
TrOubleshOOTinG
PROBLEM
CAUSE
CORRECTION
1. Softener fails to regenerate.
A. Electrical service to unit has been interrupted.
A. Assure Permanent Electrical Service
(check fuse, plug, pull chain or switch).
B. Power failure.
B. Reset time of day.
C. Timer motor is defective.
C. Replace timer motor.
D. Timer is defective.
D. Replace powerhead.
2. Softener delivers hard water.
A. Bypass valve is open.
A. Close bypass valve.
B. No salt in brine tank.
B. Add salt to brine tank and maintain salt level
above water level.
C. Injectors or screen plugged.
C. Clean or replace injectors and screen.
D. Insufficient water flowing into brine tank.
D. Check brine tank fill time and clean brine
line flow control if plugged.
E. Hot water is hard and cold water is soft.
E. Softener capacity exceeded, flush hot water heater
and set up to regenerate more often.
F. Leak at distributor tube.
F. Replace distributor tube if cracked.
Check o-ring and tube pilot.
G. Internal valve leak.
G. Replace seals and spacer and/or piston.
3. Unit uses too much salt.
A. Improper salt setting.
A. Check salt usage and salt setting.
B. Excessive water in brine tank.
B. See problem No. 7.
4. Loss of water pressure.
A. Iron build-up in line to water conditioner.
A. Clean line to water conditioner. Install additional
filtering equipment ahead of the conditioner.
Use a resin cleaner with your salt.
B. Iron build-up in water conditioner.
B. Clean control valve. Increase frequency of regeneration
& use a resin cleaner with your salt. Install additional
filtering equipment ahead of the conditioner.
C. Inlet of control plugged due to foreign
C. Remove piston and clean control.
material broken loose from pipes by recent
work done on plumbing system.
D. Heavy iron build-up, resin will not clean up
D. Replace resin bed and install additional filtering
and deliver soft water.
equipment ahead of the conditioner.
5. Loss of resin through drain line.
A. Air in water system.
A. Assure that well system has proper air
elimination control. Check for dry well condition.
B. Distributor tube is defective.
B. Replace distributor tube.
C. Upper distributor is defective.
C. Replace upper distributor.
6. Iron in conditioned water.
A. Fouled resin bed.
A. Check backwash, brine draw and brine tank refill,
increase frequency of regeneration. If unit is
equipped with a low water piston, install a standard
piston. Use a resin cleaner with your salt. Install
additional filtering equipment ahead of softener.
7A. Excessive water in salt tank.
A. Plugged injector system.
A. Clean or replace injector and screen.
7B. Salt Water in Service Line
B. Plugged injector system.
B. Clean injector and replace screen
C. Foreign material in brine valve.
C. Clean or replace brine valve.
D. Foreign material in brine line flow
D. Clean brine line flow control.
control button. (BLFC)
E. Timer not cycling.
E. Check timer motor and replace if necessary.
Manually cycle control to make sure none of the
gears are stripped. Replace timer if necessary.
F. Brine tank salt problem.
F. Clean brine tank.
G. Plugged drain line flow control
G. Clean flow control
8. Softener fails to draw brine.
A. Drain line flow control is plugged.
A. Clean drain line flow control.
B. Injector is plugged.
B. Clean or replace injectors.
C. Injector screen plugged.
C. Replace screen.
D. Line pressure is too low.
D. Increase line pressure. Line pressure must be at
least 25 PSI at all times.
E. Internal control leak.
E. Change seals and spacers and/or piston assembly.
G. Salt tank has excess debris.
G. Clean salt tank.
9. Control cycles continuously.
A. Faulty timer mechanism.
A. Replace timer.
10. Drain flows continuously.
A. Foreign material in control.
A. Remove piston assembly and inspect bore.
Remove foreign material and check control in
various regeneration positions.
B. Internal control leak.
B. Replace seals and/or piston assembly.
C. Control valve jammed.
C. Replace timer. Check piston and seals and spacers.
D. Weak timer motor.
D. Replace timer motor.
E. Timer is jammed.
E. Replace timer.
11. Air in lines.
A. Defective air check.
A. Replace air check tube assembly.
GENERAL SERVICE HINTS FOR WATERMATE SERIES METER CONTROL
Problem: Softener delivers hard water
Cause could be that . . . Reserve capacity has been exceeded.
Correction: Check salt dosage requirements and reset program wheel to provide additional reserve.
Cause could be that . . . Program wheel is not rotating with meter output.
Correction: Pull cable out of meter cover and rotate manually. Program wheel must move without binding and clutch must give positive “clicks”
when program wheel strikes regeneration stop. If it does not, replace timer.
Cause could be that . . . Meter is not measuring flow.
Correction: Check output by observing rotation of small gear on front of timer (Note - Program wheel must not be against regeneration stop for
this check).
Each tooth to tooth is approximately 30 gallons. If not performing properly, replace meter.
Note: Make sure cable is inserted properly into both the meter dome and back of timer.
