When And How To Regenerate Or Backwash; Softener And Softener/ Purifier Regeneration; Unit Capacity Chart For Commandomatic Models; Semi-Automatic Unit Regeneration - Waterco Commandomatic Owner's Manual

WHEN AND HOW TO REGENERATE OR BACKWASH

Please note that regeneration refers to softeners/ purifiers and backwashing refers to filters.

SOFTENER AND SOFTENER/ PURIFIER REGENERATION

It is advisable to regenerate your water softener/ purifier on a regular basis. The frequency of regeneration will
vary according to the amount of water being used and its hardness. Find out the approximate hardness of the
water supply in question, this can usually be obtained from the local Water Authority.
A calculation can be made to estimate usage, to enable a regeneration schedule to be prepared. Each person will
use approximately 125 litres of water per day. An automatic washing machine and/or dishwasher each counts
as an additional user.
Therefore, a family of five with a dishwasher and washing machine will use approximately 7 X 125 litres of water
per day – total 875 litres. 875 litres per day X 7 days = 6,125 litres per week.
The following chart details the capacity of each unit. To find the frequency of regeneration, divide the capacity of
the unit by the calculated daily usage rate.

UNIT CAPACITY CHART FOR COMMANDOMATIC MODELS

HARDNESS CAPACITY W7 CAPACITY WPS4
Mg/ L Unit (Litres)
10 97500
25 39000
50 19500
75 13000
100 9750
125 7800
140 6964
150 6500
175 5571
200 4875
225 4333
250 3900
275 3545
300 3250
325 3000
350 2786
375 2600
400 2438
425 2294
450 2167
475 2052
500 1950
From the chart above, it can be seen if a W7 is used, the unit requires regeneration every 8 days if the water
hardness is 140 mg/ L. (i.e. 6964 ÷ 875 litres/ day = 8 days) If the larger S14 softener is used, the unit only requires
regeneration every 16 days. (I.e. 13928 ÷ 875 litres/ day = 16 days).
The chosen unit should offer the most convenient regeneration period to suit the user whether it be Semi-
Automatic or Fully Automatic.
CAPACITY S14 CAPACITY PS9
(Litres) (Litres) (Litres)
65000 195000 130000
26000 78000 52000
13000 39000 26000
8667 26000 17334
6500 19500 13000
5200 15600 10400
4642 13928 9284
4334 13000 8668
3714 11142 7428
3250 9750 6500
2889 8666 5778
2600 7800 5200
2364 7090 4728
2167 6500 4334
2000 6000 4000
1857 5572 3714
1733 5200 3466
1623 4876 3246
1529 4588 3058
1444 4334 2888
1368 4101 2736
1300 3900 2600
SEMI-AUTOMATIC REGENERATION
Normal regeneration time is 60 minutes; However, it may need to be extended up to 90
minutes in areas where the water pressure is low.
For Semi-Automatic Regeneration simply turn the dial on the Commandomatic timer, the
unit will automatically return to normal operation after the regeneration is completed.
Salt
Be sure to use Commandomatic salt (approximately 1/4" pellets), as it is specially
selected large granule salt, graded for maximum efficiency and packed in 25kg moisture
proof bags. This will prevent " bridging ", as would occur if fine salt were used. Your brine
tank holds 50kg – or 2 bags of salt. When salt level drops to approx. half the depth of the
brine tank, add another bag of salt.
Salt Usage
COMMANDOMATIC UNIT
W7(A)
S14(A)
WPS4(A)
WPS9(A)

FILTER BACKWASH

Back wash time is approximately 15 – 20 minutes. Frequency is dependent on the amount of sediment in the
water. As a rough guide:
Bad water, backwash should be carried out every second day
Average water, backwash should be carried out once a week.
Semi-Automatic Backwash
To backwash sediment and carbon filters simply turn the timer the dial on the Commandomatic timer to the 15
minute mark, the unit will automatically return to normal operation after the backwash is completed.
Fully-Automatic Backwash – refer to Commandomatic Automatic Controller (Page: 9).
Check the wastewater at drains to ensure that backwash is complete i.e. the backwash water is clean
after 15 minutes.
Backwash water from filters can be run into gardens. If drain line is longer than three metres use a
20mm diametre hose.
Mixed media and carbon filters must be regularly backwashed and rinsed to help prevent
contamination from bacteria growths. Maintenance is customer's responsibility.
NOTE:
All units have automatic by-pass, which enables water to be used inside the house during regeneration.
If the pressure is low the unit may take longer than the recommended backwash time.
The salt used for regeneration passes through the resin bed and out to the drain. It is not strong enough to harm a
septic tank and will not affect the bacterial action, which takes place.
These units are not designed for the removal of micro organisms and may result in the accumulation of micro
organisms. It is therefore important that filters are used on microbiologically safe water and that flushing
and maintenance protocols are strictly adhered to.
I pg 07
Waterco Commandomatic
SALT USAGE PER REGENERATION (kg)
4.5
7
4.5
7