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Does my system need gravel?
Most standard softeners do not require gravel, though fine mesh (Iron Pro) systems or very
large systems will. If your system requires gravel it will already be in the tank on loaded and
partially loaded systems. If you believe your system should have gravel and you have an
unloaded system without separate gravel you can contact us to see if you need it.
Attach the Control Head
I don’t see my pilot O-ring, what do I do?
It is VERY unlikely that the pilot O-ring is missing. It is seated very securely up inside the pilot
hole, inside a groove, so it can be hard to see. You should be able to feel it as a slight bump up
inside the pilot, if it was missing there would be a significant gap where it was supposed to
be.
I have read or seen that I shouldn’t install the top distributor basket, is that true?
The top distributor basket is used to help prevent resin from getting up into the control head
and into your pipes, it also keeps the resin from going down the drain during water or air
surges. While systems that are installed correctly and functioning properly will not have is-
sues, the top basket is included as a safety measure to prevent problems and it is recommend-
ed to use it if present. Those who recommend leaving it off usually do so to prevent buildup
on that basket that can lead to flow restrictions (more common in high iron waters), but it is
usually easier to clean or replace a top basket periodically than cleaning out clogged fixtures
if something does go wrong.
Prepare and Connect Brine Tank
I have one or two white plastic caps in my brine tank, what are they for?
These are caps for the brine well. The one on the top helps prevent salt from falling down into
the brine well and messing with the float assembly. If you have a second one it can be used
on the bottom, but it doesn’t really serve purpose and can be saved as a spare if you prefer.
What kind of salt should I use?
Any salt made for water softeners should be fine. We recommend the pelleted softener salt
as it tends to have fewer issues with solidifying and bridging. If you have iron in the water, a
softener salt that has an iron cleaning additive will help extend the life of the resin.
My brine tank is overfilling, what do I do?
Since the brine tank has a float designed to stop the tank from overfilling, the most common
cause of overfilling is the brine line not being securely connected to the float mechanism. If
you have the quick connect style, make sure it is pushed in all the way, when you first push it
in it will stop, but if you push a little harder it will lock in and seal. On the compression style,
make sure the tubing is pushed fully into the fitting BEFORE tightening the nut, and make
sure the nut is threaded correctly and not crooked. You can run a manual regeneration and
watch the brine tank during the brine draw cycle (BD on digital valves) to ensure the water
is being drawn out of the tank, and during the brine fill (BF on digital) watch to see if water
is coming out around the fitting. If water is NOT being drawn out during the brine draw cycle
and water is leaking around the fitting, it is not sealing correctly.
I don’t have anything to connect my brine tank overflow to, is that a problem?
