WATER SOFTNER DIAGNOSTIC

[Ellenyark]

CAN ANYBODY HELP? TRYING TO MANUAL TEST SOFTNER,NOT WORKING PROPERLY. IT SAYS TO CHECK IF "TURBINE IS BINDING? DOES ANYBODY KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS? THANKS

[Lyle Tuttle]

It means that you must have a "demand type", metered unit. The little turbine in the on-board water meter. You must have hard water, and it is trying to see why....so it wants to know if that little turbine is free- spinning or is it clogged with some foreign matter.

The turbine meter tells the unit when it is time to regerate....if it is bound up, ie, can't turn, then it can't measure the water used, and therefore will NEVERA TELL THE SYSTEM TO REGEN.

The result: Hard Water!!

lyle tuttle,

[e-mail] (Ellenyark) wrote in news: [e-mail]:

[Gary Slusser]

"Ellenyark" wrote

Manual test? If you're looking to get into the turbine, you're troubleshooting and tearing into the control valve trying to repair it.

As Lyle said, the turbine is a water driven wheel in the outlet of the unit; usually between the valve body and by-pass valve. You usually have to remove the by-pass valve if the meter is not a mechanical type. If you have an electronic timer, the metering turbine is a module inside the outlet of the control; before the by-pass valve.

Electronic timers usually show an indicator light flashing when water is being used. If your light isn't flashing, then the turbine isn't spinning OR the cable is not making contact in its connection to the pickup; that's where the turbine is. That/either prevents the timer from counting down the gallons used and that prevents regeneration, which allows hard water into the plumbing.

Gary Quality Water Associates

[Mike Hartigan]

Mine is an older unit with a mechanical timer (6 days seems adequate, judging by the 'slimy' feel of the showers. It's been doing it's job for 13+ years with no attention other than rinsing the brine tank annually. On the few occasions that it has run out of salt, the 'slimy' feel was conspicuously missing from my showers (it's amazing how I've grown to like that), so clearly it was not softening the water. Is the converse true? In other words, is the mere presence of 'slimy' showers enough to tell me that it's working? Or does that just mean that there's salt in the water?

[Gary Slusser]

PROPERLY.

judging by the 'slimy'

attention other than

how I've grown to like

true? In other words, is

working? Or does that just

Now dammit Mike, you should say... 'that soft slippery smooth feelin wives and girlfriends love'.....:) but yes, when it's not there the unit isn't providing softened water. Softened water doesn't have salt in it, a softener only adds sodium to the water. And for those that think salt and slimy, put some salt in your water and wash your hands in it and see if you feel soft slippery smooth or sticky. Mike I've been trying to edgacate these folks for years and now look at what you've gone'n done!

If you have a mechanical timer, then you don't have a turbine. What is the unit doing or not doing? It sounds like it doesn't have one of them automatic salt adders for the salt tank. I can draw one up if you'll fund the R&D. Or we can assign the wife the salt reproduction duties.

Gary Quality Water Associates

[Stormin Mormonn]

PLEASE HAVE CAPS LOCK KEY REPAIRED SOONEST

END

[Mike Hartigan]

Yeah, I know. When I said 'salt', I meant 'sodium'. Someone here (it may have been you) explained it all before, so I know things like when it feels as if you can't rinse, it's not that the natural oils that hard water rips from from your skin are left there by the softened water, it's that you can't rinse! (ok, maybe I'm overstating it, but you get the idea)

I'm not detecting any change from when it was new. Call me a skeptic, but 13 years seems like a long time for a beast like this to function with virtually zero maintenance. My question is - is the mere presence of the 'slimy' feeling enough to assure me that the unit is, indeed, working? Perhaps not at peak efficiency, but at least working?

"salt reproduction duties" ????

[Gary Slusser]

but 13 years seems

assure me that the unit

As long as you have the feeling, the softener is working and not allowing more than 1 gpg hardness to get through. I've seen many Fleck control valves last service free for up to 20 years. Some backwashed or regenerated every other night.

Gary Quality Water Associates