Whirlpool WHES20, WHES30 manual Troubleshooting Guide, Problem Cause Solution

Troubleshooting Guide

Need help troubleshooting? Call 1-866-986-3223, Monday - Friday, 8 am to 9 pm, EST.

Tools Needed For Most Repairs: 5/16 Hex Driver, Phillips Screwdriver, Needle---nose Pliers

PROBLEM		CAUSE		SOLUTION
No Soft Water	1.	No salt in the storage tank.	a.	Refill with salt.
			b. Use Recharge feature.
No Soft Water Timer	1.	Transformer unplugged at wall outlet, or power cable	a. Check for loss of power and correct. Reset electronic controls
Display Blank		disconnected from back of electronic board, transformer		and use the Recharge feature.
		defective.
	2.	Fuse blown, circuit breaker popped, or circuit switched off.	a. Replace fuse, reset circuit breaker, or switch circuit on use the
		(See page 24 “Power Outage Memory”).		Recharge feature.
	3.	Electronic control board defective.	a. Replace Electronic Control Board (PWA). *
No Soft Water Salt Level	1.	Salt in storage tank bridged.	a. Refer to “Breaking a Salt Bridge” section to break.
Not Dropping	2.	Manual bypass valve(s) in bypass position.	a. Move stem in single valve bypass to service.
No Soft Water, Salt	1.	Dirty, plugged or damaged nozzle & venturi.	a. Take apart, clean and inspect nozzle and venturi, see
Storage Tank Full Of				“Cleaning the Nozzle and Venturi” section.
Water	2.	Valve drain hose plugged.	a. Hose must not have any kinks, sharp bends or any water flow
				blockage, see “Valve Drain Requirements” section.
	3.	Low or high system water pressure (low pressure may disrupt	a. If pressure is low, increase well pump output to a minimum 20
		brine draw during recharge, high pressures may cause inner		psi. Add a pressure reducing valve in the supply pipe to the
		valve parts failure).		softener, if daytime pressure is over 100 psi. Contact a licensed
				plumber.
	4.	Brine valve float dirty or defective.	a. Clean or replace Brine Valve Float assembly. *
	5.	Leak between valve and resin tank assembly.	a. Replace o---rings between resin tank and valve. See water
				softener components.
Water Hard Sometimes	1.	Time setting wrong.	a. Check and change time setting.
	2.	Incorrect water hardness setting.	a. Refer to “Set Water Hardness Number” section to set correctly.
	3.	Incorrect model code programmed.	a. Refer to “Program The Water Softener” section to set correctly.
	4.	Hot water being used when softener is regenerating.	a. Avoid using hot water while the softener is regenerating as the
				water heater will fill with hard water.
	5.	Possible increase in water hardness.	a. Test the raw water for hardness and iron and program the
				water softener accordingly, see “Set Water Hardness Number”
				section to set.
	6.	Leaking faucet or toilet valve. Excessive water usage.	a. A small leak will waste hundreds of gallons of water in a few
				days. Fix all leaks and always fully close faucets.
Iron In Water	1.	Clear water iron in water supply.	a. Test the raw water for hardness and iron and program the
				water softener accordingly see “Set Water Hardness Number”
				section to set.
	2.	Iron in soft water.	a. Clean resin bed with Resin Bed Cleaner. Follow instructions on
				package.
	3.	Bacterial or organic bound iron.	a. Cannot be treated by water softener.
Motor Stalled Or Clicking	1.	Motor defective or inner valve defect causing high torque on	a.	Replace rotor/seal kit.*
		motor.	b. Replace motor & switch. See water softener components.
Error Code E1, E3, or E4	1.	Wiring Harness or Connection to Position Switch.	a. Replace wiring harness or connection to position switch. See
appears				water softener components.
	2.	Switch.	a. Replace switch. See water softener components.
	3.	Valve Defect Causing High Torque.	a.	Replace rotor/seal kit.*
	4.	Motor Inoperative.	a.	Replace motor. *
Error Code E5 appears	1.	Electronic Control.	a.	Replace Electronic Control Board (PWA). *

Assistance from customer service may be needed with the following problems and solutions.

PROBLEM		CAUSE		SOLUTION
Water Running To The	1.	Inner valve defect causing leak.	a.	Replace seals and rotor.
Drain (While Unit Is In The
Soft Water Cycle)
Resin In Household	1.	Crack in distributor or riser tube.	a.	Replace distributor or riser tube.
Plumbing, Resin Tank
Leaking
Salt Storage Tank Leaking	1.	Crack in brine tank.	a.	Replace salt storage tank.

* Instructions included.

Procedure for removing error code from faceplate:

1.Unplug transformer from outlet.

2.Correct defect.

3.Plug in transformer.

4.Wait for 6 minutes. The error code will return if the defect was not corrected.

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