15
System Components
Components
The control valve consists of the following components:
• Drive Assembly
• Drive Cap Assembly, Main Piston and Regenerant Piston
• Spacer Stack Assembly
• Injector Cap, Screen, Injector Plug and Injector
• Refill Flow Control Assembly or Refill Port Plug
• Drain Line Flow Control and Fitting Assembly
• Water Meter or Meter Plug
• Installation Fitting Assemblies
• Bypass Valve (optional)
Drive Assembly
The drive assembly consists of the following parts:
• Drive Bracket
• Printed Circuit (PC) Board
• Motor
• Drive Gears
• Drive Gear Cover
The drive bracket holds the PC board, the motor, the drive gears,
and the drive gear cover in place.
The PC board receives and retains information, displays the
information, determines when to regenerate, and initiates
regeneration. The display shows different types of information in the
initial system setup (for softeners or filters), installer displays/settings,
diagnostics, and valve history or user displays/settings.
The two-prong jack on the PC board connects wires to the direct
current (DC) motor. The motor is held in place on the drive bracket
by a spring-loaded clip and a small bulge in the plastic, which fits
in one of the slots on the motor housing. The motor turns drive
gears that drive the piston to cycle positions for backwashing,
regeneration, rinsing, refill, or service. The motor is fully reversible
(turns both ways) and changes direction of rotation to change the
direction of piston motion. The motor is easily replaced if necessary.
There are three drive gears held in place by the drive gear cover. All
three drive gears are the same size. A reflective coating is applied
to the gears. As the center drive gear turns, a light shines on the
coating and a light sensing diode determines if a light pulse was
returned. The PC board counts the pulses and determines when to
stop driving the motor.
Drive Cap Assembly with Main Piston and
Regenerant Piston
The drive gears turn the main gear of the drive cap assembly, which
moves the piston. The screw-driven, horizontally moving piston
stops at specific positions to direct the flow of water to backwash,
regenerate, rinse, or refill. The PC board determines the position
of the piston by counting pulses produced when the piston is
moved. An optical sensor looking at one of the reduction drive gears
generates these pulses. Each cycle position is defined by a number
of pulses. The counter is zeroed each time the valve goes to the
service position. The PC board finds the service position by noting
the increase in current delivered to the motor when the mechanical
stop at the service position is reached. This method of controlling
piston position allows for greater flexibility and requires no switches
or cams.
One of two main pistons is always used.
• The down flow piston which is used when the control valve
is applied as a down flow softener, regenerating filter, or non-
regenerating filter.
• The up flow piston, which is used when the control valve is applied
as an up flow softener.
If the control valve is used as a softener or a regenerating filter, a
generant piston must be attached to the main piston. If the control
valve is to be used on a system that does not require a regenerant to
be added the regenerant, the piston must be removed.
Spacer Stack Assembly
The spacer stack assembly provides the necessary flow passage
for water during the different cycles. The all-plastic spacer stack
assembly (patent pending) is a one-piece design, which allows the
stack to be removed by using the fingers.
The exterior of the stack is sealed against the body bore with self-
lubricating EPDM O-rings while the interior surface is sealed against
the piston using slippery self-cleaning directional (one-way) silicone
lip seals. The lip seals are red or clear in color and have a special
slippery coating so that the piston does not need to be coated or
lubricated.
Injector
The screen, injector, and/or injector plug(s) are installed under the
injector cap in an easy to access location on top of the valve. The
injector cap contains four slots so no water accumulates in the cap.
The injector cap is designed to be hand tightened.
Under the injector cap there is an easy to clean removable screen to
prevent fouling of the injector. There are two holes under the injector
cap labeled DN and UP. The holes are filled with a plug or an injector.
The plug (#KC113010-IZ) prevents water from traveling a certain
pathway. The injector lets water pass through the pathway. The self-
priming injector increases the velocity of the water, creating a zone of
negative pressure that draws in the concentrated liquid regenerant,
such as sodium chloride (brine), potassium permanganate, sodium
hydroxide, and hydrochloric acid. The regenerant blends with the
stream of water which passes through the media to regenerate the
bed.
The injector provides a consistent regenerant-water mixture ratio
over the entire operating pressure range of the control valve. The
injector provides good performance in a variety of applications
which may involve elevated drain lines and long regenerant draw
lengths. Injectors are chosen by knowing the type, amount, and
regenerant flow rate for a particular type of media. The color-coded
injectors give different regenerant draw, slow rinse, and total flow
rates over the pressure range. See Table 1 for color codes.
