intermittant softner

[beatrixkiddo]

My softner is a 'Eliminator'. We've had it for about 6 1/2 years. The company we bought it from is out of business now. I need help with changing softness output levels. The softness is intermittant. We have soft water one day, but not the next. I know our water is really hard; around 30grainules of calcium the salesman told us. We use 4 bags of salt a month so it should be working. Does anyone here have a manual for this or know about how to troubleshoot it?

[greg-cws]

Is that a large chrome-jacketed tank with a control valve that has a red LED readout ?

[ion_avenger]

If its the R&M eliminator, it will be a 13x54 tank to Autotrol 155 / 255 on top.

[beatrixkiddo]

I got it from USWater Specialties.The tank is BIG and chrome. The top clock has a big red button, a flat black button and red numbers. - Does that help ?

[greg-cws]

Definitely an Autotrol 255.
After 6.5 years, you can expect an attrition loss of 18% - 30%, so your system is capable of making less soft water per regeneration than it thinks it can.

At 30 grains of hardness, this symptom makes complete sense.
Think of it like a bad gas gauge on a car - you hit empty while the gauge still says you have gas.

HAve you ever had a tune-up done on your system to se what condition your resin is in ?

[beatrixkiddo]

Should I call a plumber, or can water softner company do this ?



Definitely an Autotrol 255.
After 6.5 years, you can expect an attrition loss of 18% - 30%, so your system is capable of making less soft water per regeneration than it thinks it can.

At 30 grains of hardness, this symptom makes complete sense.
Think of it like a bad gas gauge on a car - you hit empty while the gauge still says you have gas.

HAve you ever had a tune-up done on your system to se what condition your resin is in ?

[greg-cws]

Any well-trained water specialist can perform a tune-up. A Tune-up should include at least the following:-

1. Test influent & effluent water for hardness, chlorine, pH, TDS
2. Check brine tank for evidence of bacterial contamination
3. Check system control assembly for proper mechanical function
4. Determine resin attrition staus - computer analysis or microscope
5. Reprogram system to accomodate for normal annual resin attrition
6. Update software/firmware as necessary
7. Add performance enhancer like Pur-Gard
8. Disinfect brine tank
9. Confirm operation of bypass
10. Test leak-protection device/s

I would expect to pay no more than $150 for an annual tune-up service & I think it's worth every penny to ensure that your water is always as good as it should be.

Since you bought from US Water Specialties, I presume you live somewhere in the Intermountain West, so I'll add a shameless plug for our dealer network. :D Most of our dealers are trained & equipped to perform annual tune-up services. Visit www.fixmysoftener.com or call 1-800-454-3429 to find a dealer close to you.

If you're outside the Intermountain West, PM me & I'll try to refer you to someone good.

[alexthelion]

Did the tune-up fix your problems ?



Should I call a plumber, or can water softner company do this ?

[beatrixkiddo]

The tune-up was a great help !
The young man that came to my house was clean and punctual.
He went through everything and showed me that the softner was wearing out through attrition like you guys said it might. He said the attrition makes it not put out all the softness that it should he sold me resins to fix that and reprogrammed the system. Our water is super soft now. Total cost of the trip was $445, which included the resins and the tune-up with the pure-guard feeder he added to my system to clean and disinfect it.