Water Softeners and Air Filtration Systems - Kinetico Ultra Kinetic I information.

We have been living in our house almost 2 years and other than put salt in when I see the level is down, I have never done anything to my Kinetico water softener. This is the first time we have ever had a softener and I'm not sure what kind of maintenance should be performed.

The only reason I am looking at it at all is my water pressure throughout my home is down(I think). I just replaced my pressure tank(leaking bladder) and my water heater(18 years old). The home was built in 1988 and I assume the softener was installed then.

I pulled back the black plastic shied that has the timer in it and saw the 2 tanks. I don't have a manual with this unit so I don't know how to check for proper operation. What should I look for as far as maintenance?

Also I noticed when my salt get's low and I can see the metal plate near the bottom that some of the "melted" salt looks greyish or dirty. Is this normal?

Is there somewhere I can go to get a manual for this thing?

Thanks and sorry for so many questions. ST.

First of all, you don't have a non-electric Kinetico softener. It sounds more like a twin tank with a Fleck 9000/9100 valve. If it is brass it is the 9000 model.

A Kinetico has no pop-off cover. It may have been sold by a Kinetico dealer and have a sticker somewhere on it.

The salt 'mush' you see on the bottom is an accumulation of salt crystallization and should be cleaned out. Find a suitable container to wash it out into. This accumulation may affect brine levels and regeneration effectiveness.

Some salts are of a higher quality than others. Use as good a salt as you can find; avoid rock salt. Some may need a resin cleaner if high amounts of iron are present.

Do a google search for a manual once you have determined the actual make of the valve.

Andy

I just realized you may have 50C model Kinetico. This is a cabinet model where the twin tanks are inside the brine drum. If the cover you are speaking of is for the salt (brine) drum, then you would have a Kinetico. But there is no timer.

If this is the case, then no maintenance is ever required. Do you have a pre-filter?

Andy

Thanks for the reply Andy.

Yes, my plastic cover over the entire unit says Kinetico Ultra Kinetic I on it and I have the 2 black tanks inside the tan colored housing.

I got a little worried so I broke down and stopped by my local Kinetico dealer today. Really nice people. The guy I talked to remember installing the unit in my house 16 years ago and knew the people I bought the house from. I have been reading on these forums about the expensive rebuilds for these units. He told me:

a total rebuild would cost about $400.
if my water felt good to me then not to mess with anything.
make sure I change my prefilter regularly.
no real maintenance is required.
make sure I use good salt. I have been using the Cargill brand from
Home Depot but I think I will switch to what they sell.

He also said a pressure drop across the softner of 15psi is normal. I did not know that.

I guess I didn't really mean a timer as much as the mechanical device to determine when to backwash the resin. That sits just under the main lid in the black plastic shield.

I feel better after talking with him. I think I am doing OK. I still think I need to clean out my tank and I'm not sure how to do that.

Thanks again Andy. You guys here at DIYforums are great!

ST.

The best way to clean out your salt tank with a cabinet model is to wait until the salt level has gone down, suck it out with a shop vac, rinse with a water hose, and repeat until it's clean.....keep in mind that with an Ultra that has original parts, the unit had bladders inside the resin tanks.....these bladders sometimes failed, allowing resin into the home....check with your dealer to make sure that over the 14 year life, the bladders have have been removed :coffee:

Southerntester,

No Problem, you're welcome.

One of the nicest things about the unit you have is the instruction: MAINTAIN SALT LEVEL. That can't be more user friendly, can it?

Unless your well water changes, which can happen but not often, there is no need to change that disk or salt settings. Just let it go.

But if you were to have it rebuilt, $400 is not a bad price as new fine mesh resin and valve work is all it would take and you have essentially a new softener. But water tests should indicate whether or not that is necessary.

Yes, use a quality salt. Avoid rock and solar salts; no sense in using a quality prefilter only to reintroduce dirt back into the machine. Unless you have high iron, there is no need for salt with special resin cleaners on a regualr basis.

Monitor your prefilter. Change it when you notice pressure loss across the filter. Some put pressure gauges on either side of the filter and monitor it that way. What are your pressure tank settings? Some adjustments can be made to improve output pressure.

Pressure is effected by anything the water has to pass through including valves, elbows, filters, and even a straight length of pipe or any elevation it must rise to. Pipe size changes can also make a big difference.

Always use a quality filter around the 20-micron rating. How often do you need to change it?

Well, 16 years is a pretty good sign that your machine is doing OK and a service company and personnel that have been around is also a good sign. It's nice to know that you can rely on someone with personal contact.

I think that machine has paid for itself time and again. BTW, what condition are your sinks, faucets and other plumbing fixtures in? Do you see extensive corrosion, pitting or scaling?

Take care,
Andy