trouble with Culligan Mark 2 water softener
Brent
water
softener is at least 10 yrs old since it was here when I moved into this
house 10 yrs
ago.
One day recently I noticed that the water was hard. I checked all the
obvious
things--salt in the brine tank, plugged in, clock actually running, tube
between
brine tank and Mark 2 controller unobstructed. These were OK. So I forced a
regeneration cycle with the little lever inside of the Mark 2 control. The
regeneration started. But the sounds generated during the regeneration were
nothing
like the sounds I had always heard before. Normally this water softener
would make
some gawdawful sounds--I suppose those indicated its transitions between
phases in
the regeneration cycle. But now there is just a steady sound from beginning
to end
of the cycle with no audible transitions.
I decided to open up the control to see if there was anything obviously
wrong. I
completely disassembled and inspected the valve on the right (looking at the
control
from the front). Nothing was broken and no debris obstructing anything. I
opened up
the left valve--couldn't disassemble it as completely--but no broken parts
or debris
seen. I found two solenoids in the control that seem to direct water passage
thru the
two valves--verified that the solenoids were functional when 120vac was
applied to each.
I reassembled everything and started another regeneration cycle. Still no
soft
water--and still no transition sounds from beginning to end of the cycle.
During this last attempted regeneration I did observe some debris in the
laundry tub into which
this water softener drains. There were some fine black particles mixed with
a few
small copper-looking flecks. Don't know if that matters. I suppose by
opening
things up, I dislodged the stuff that appeared in the tub. Inside the
valves, there
were some rubber parts that might have deteriorated but none of the rubber
parts
looked that bad. Somewhere I read that the resin beads include copper, so
maybe
that's the source of the copper-looking flecks??
Next I plan to remove the Mark 2 controller and look inside the resin tank
next. I'm
not sure what to expect.
Anyway, just wondering if anyone experienced in these things can identify
the problem
from the symptoms. Any ideas welcome. I'd like to salvage this old water
softener
back to life if the fix is simple enough.
thanks,
Brent
Clark W. Griswold, Jr.
>There were some fine black particles mixed with a few
>small copper-looking flecks. Don't know if that matters. I suppose by
>opening things up, I dislodged the stuff that appeared in the tub. Inside the
>valves, there were some rubber parts that might have deteriorated but none of the rubber
>parts looked that bad.
I recently rebuilt the venturi on a 10 year old softener. I was amazed at how
small the actual water passage was and how some very small pitting in the gasket
totally killed the ability of the venturi to operate correctly.
I'd suggest you see if you can buy a new venturi/gasket kit and replace those
parts. Pay particular attention to order of assembly. If a gasket or button is
installed upside down, the system will not work...
Brent
venturi--small cylindrical piece of plastic no bigger than the end of my
little finger--tiny constricted passage thru the middle--o-ring around
it--located near the tube connection to the brine tank). Everything about it
seemed fine. No pitting or other damage. O-ring was fine.
I called the nearest Culligan dealer and they were happy to sell me parts.
So I drove over there and ended up talking to their guy who repairs these
things. He said this model was 20 or 25 years old. He said the most likely
failure point on this model was the two little rubber diaphragms controlled
by two solenoids. But then he checked with someone else and that person said
the most likely failure point was another component/assembly about the size
of a golf ball built up with a spring inside, a rubber diaphragm, and a
couple of other rubber parts. But there was nothing obviously wrong with any
of the parts. At this point I figured I could just start replacing parts,
starting with the cheapest part, and stop replacing parts when it begins to
work. Lots of screwing around. So I asked about a complete rebuild. With
parts and labor we were talking about $80 or $90.
I concluded that this would just be throwing good money after bad. I really
wanted a demand-type control anyway--not a timer-type control which this old
Culligan unit is. So I decided to just live with the hard water while I shop
for a new demand-type system.
"Clark W. Griswold, Jr." <73115.10...@compuserve.com> wrote in message
news:6aqiovs413ik21i85...@4ax.com...
Clark W. Griswold, Jr.
>I really
>wanted a demand-type control anyway--not a timer-type control which this old
>Culligan unit is. So I decided to just live with the hard water while I shop
>for a new demand-type system.
Didn't realize you had one of the older timer based systems. I agree - demand is
the way to go...
Gary Slusser
"Brent" <noad...@noaddress.com> wrote
I agree with their diagnosis and your choice to replace the softener,
it's earned retirement.
You would have no problem installing your new softener. You should allow
me to give you a quote. If you know what you want, I carry the entire
Fleck Controls and Clack lines and most of the Autotrol line of
controls. I'd need current water analysis data and the number of people
using the water to properly size a unit. Email works.
Gary
Quality Water Associates