Kenmore 625.38825 owner manual Regeneration, Softener in Fill, Softener in Service

[i:ii:ii:ii:_i:i:ii:_I SECTION 2 I_i:ii:ii:ii:_i:i:ii:_] HOW YOUR WATER SOFTENER WORKS

B. SOFT WATER SERVICE and REGENERATION

SERVICE

When the softener is giving you soft water, it is

called "Service". During service, hard water comes from the house main water pipe into the softener.

Inside the softener resin tank is a bed made up of

thousands of tiny, plastic resin beads (FIG. 5). As

hard water passes through the bed, each bead at-

tracts and holds the hardness minerals. This is

called ion-exchanging. It is much like a magnet at-

tracting and holding metals. Water without the

hardness minerals (soft water) flows out of the soft-

ener and into the house soft water pipes.After a pe- riod of time, the resin beads hold all of the hardness

minerals they can, and cleaning with salt brine is

needed. This cleaning is called regeneration or re-

charge. Regeneration is started at 2:00 a.m. by the

electronic timer (see page 2-6). It takes place in 5 stages or cycles. These are:

REGENERATION

[] FILL: Salt, dissolved in water, is called brine.

Brine is needed to clean the hardness minerals from the resin beads. To make the brine, water flows into the salt storage area during the fill stage as shown

in FIG. 6. Fill cycle length depends on how much soft water making capacity you have used since the

last regeneration. As you use more water, fill time

increases so more brine is made. The greater

amount of brine cleans more hardness minerals from the resin bed.

Water Flow Through

the Softener in Fill

soft water hard water

OUT IN

[] FILL [] BACKWASH

[] BRINING [] FAST RINSE

[] BRINE RINSE

Note:

If the Clean feature is set to ON, additional back- wash and fast rinse cycles occur before the fill cycle.

Water Flow Through

the Softener in Service

soft water hard water

OUT IN

salt storage tank (salt

not shown) _'_

brine valve

\	resin tank
	resin bed

salt storage

tank

brine valve

\

fill water

2-4