Installation Instructions - water source Water Softener Operating Manual

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2. Installation Instructions

A water softener is no more difficult than a dishwasher or washing
machine to install. However, it is advisable for the installation to be
carried out by either a plumber or a competent D.I.Y. person.
Firstly, determine where the water enters the house (usually under
the Kitchen Sink).
Secondly, check to see that the water softerer will fit the space
available. Remember to leave sufficient space for connections to be
made at the back. In some kitchens it may be necessary to remove
part of the cupboard base to ensure sufficient head-room. In other
cases it may make more sense to locate the Water Softener in an
outside cabinet to maintain the space under the sink.
As the ion exchange process used to soften water results in a slight
increase in the sodium level of the water, it is often suggested to
provide a lower sodium source of water for infant feeds, aquaria, etc.
Irish law & EU directives do not set regulations for low sodium pipe
feeds within private households. Softened water is often half of the
200 mg/L sodium EU limit.
There are a number of ways to achieve this:
1. Fit a Reverse Osmosis unit teed off a treated water line. This has
the benefit of giving a soft water feed (free of Limescale) with
low sodium and excludes virtually all undesireable contaminants,
such as: fluoride, chlorine, aluminium, viruses, cysts (such as
cryptosporidium), phosphates, pesticides, heavy metals and
many more to 99.9 %.
2. Fit an extra tap to the sink with either filtered or unfiltered raw
water. This water has not been treated and as such has only
background Sodium levels.
3. Leave the cold tap at the kitchen sink untreated.
Once the above decisions have been made it is time to familliarise
yourself with the hoses and fittings required to complete the
installation.
The Water Softener has been designed to operate at between 1.7 and
5 Bar pressure. If your pressure falls outside these parameters it may
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be necessary to fit a booster pump or a Pressure Reduction Valve to
prevent damage to the unit. The temperature range of the appliance
is 0*C and 49*C.
The Installation
The rising main is usually found under the sink. Once the stop-cock
has been shut, open the cold water tap at the kitchen sink. This will
release the pressure in the line. At this point, the pipe can be cut to
allow fitment of the non-return valve and the "T" complete with shut-
off valve. The next stage is to fit the by-pass valve and the outlet "T"
for the return flow.
The two washing machine valves provide the threaded connections
for the washing machine hoses, which in turn connect to the inlet and
outlet ports of the valve. The drain line also has a 3/4" bsp thread to
allow a third washing machine hose to take the flow to drain.
The overflow fitting must be connected to a hose dropping straight
down and passing through the wall. This hose should always be visible
to identify any discharge which would require a service call.
Connect the power supply and turn on.
With the machine powered-up, press the "Regen" button, or in the
case of a T.C. Valve, press the "up" and "down" buttons and hold until
you hear the motor.
When the motor stops, open the inlet valve slowly to allow the softener
to fill. At this point the softener is running to drain. This allows the
resin to wash out any colour that may be there.
The motor will engage again after a set period and move on to the
next stage. When it stops, "toggle" it to the next stage by pressing the
"Regen" button in the case of a metered unit, or by pressing the "up"
arrow on the T.C. Unit. Continue this until the "C4" ( T.C. ) or "Rinse"
appears on the screen.
Leave the unit to "Rinse" and "Fill", approximately 8 minutes in total.
Now you can see the water level and fill with salt. When you fill with
salt the water will be displaced and will appear to be higher in the
cabinet.
W a t e r S o f t e n e r O p e r a t i n g M a n u a l