Automatic Bypass; Electronics - Kenmore ULTRASOFT 425 Owner's Manual

[i!i !! _; _ !! _; _ !i SECTION 2
HOW YOUR WATER SOFTENER WORKS
B. SOFT WATER SERVICE and REGENERATION
[] FAST RINSE: Backwash is followed by a fast
flow of water down through the resin tank. The fast
flow packs the resin bed and gets it ready for return
to service (FIG. 9).
After fast rinse, the softener returns to service. Hard
water goes into the resin tank where the resin bed
again takes out the hardness minerals. Soft water
goes to the house soft water pipes.
Water Flow Through the
Softener in Fast Rinse
soft water hard water
ooT !'"
drain
AUTOMATIC BYPASS
During the brining, brine rinse and backwash cycles
of regeneration, HARD water goes through the soft-
ener valve and to the house pipes. If a faucet is
opened, hard water is there for your needs. Howev-
er, you should not use hot water, if possible, because
the water heater will refill with hard water. The soft-
ener, as factory programmed, regenerates from 2:00
AM to about 4:30 AM, a time when not much water
is used.
If you get up early in the morning and you can hear
the softener regenerating, change the recharge start-
ing time. Set the recharge time to 12:00 AM or 1:00
AM (page 1- 4). Then regeneration will start and end
that much earlier and your water heater will not re-
fill with hard water if a hot faucet is opened.
ELECTRONICS
Two main parts of the softener's electronics are
a WATER METER, and _ a COMPUTER.
WATER METER-- The water meter is in the soft-
ener valve outlet. As water flows through the meter,
it sends electric pulses to the computer. The com-
puter changes the pulses to a measure in gallons of
water.
COMPUTER --The computer is part of the face-
plate timer circuit board. It is programmed to know
the softener's capacity (how many grains of hard-
ness minerals it will take out of the water before a re-
generation is needed). When starting the softener,
page 1-4, you set it for the grains per gallon (gpg)
hardness of the water.
To find a regeneration pattern best for your needs,
the computer uses: (1) water usage from the meter,
(2) hardness setting, (3) softener capacity, and (4)
time since the last regeneration. The computer al-
ways adjusts this pattern to your water using hab-
its. It works toward providing you with soft water
for the longest time and at the most efficient salt
usage.
Softening capacity is used as hard water goes
through the softener and hardness minerals are re-
moved. When the computer determines that only
enough capacity remains to provide soft water up to
the next regeneration starting time (2:00 AM, or as
otherwise set) it will schedule a regeneration. When
the regeneration begins, *RECHARGE or RE-
CHARGE TIME REMAINING flashes during the 2
hour regeneration.
* Note:
If the CLEAN feature is set to ON, a cleaning back-
wash (CLEAN and Blczvsh or Rinse flashes in the dis-
play, along with the minutes of the clean cycle re-
maining), precedes the recharge.
2-6
Problems, Questions? Call 1- 800- 426- 9345 Kenmore Water Line