Water softener regeneration cycle questions & answers:

FAQs about the duration or length of a water softener regeneration cycle, how to diagnose & fix problems with a water softner that runs too long or not long enough. Questions & answers about how much water does a water softener consume to regenerate its ability to remove minerals from the water supply?

This article series describes procedures for diagnosing and repairing water softener or water conditioner problems including water conditioner control settings and adjustment or repair, brine tank and brine tank float cleaning and repair, and the proper amount of water softening or conditioning that is needed.

Water Softener Regeneration Cycle FAQs

These questions and answers about how long a water softener regen or cycle time should be were posted originally

at WATER SOFTENER REGENERATION CYCLE DURATION - be sure to review that article.

On 2018-10-28 by (mod) - fix a Rainsoft water softener motor and water valve on Q2 series unit

Re-posting

Chain said:
I [saw] a video ... about how to fix the motor and the pump by a guy named Dee G. It’s a little rough video but it explained to be the exact same problem I have

a pin is broken that goes from the shaft to the gears and the pump won’t move up and down

I have gotten my motor off and gotten the broken pieces of pin out,

I have not replaced them yet and I’m getting ready to remove the white cap

That goes to the pump my pump does not go up and down like he explained in his video and he showed how to clean that up and get it working again.

The video is about How to fix a Rainsoft water softener motor and water valve on Q2 series unit.

At MANUALS for WATER SOFTENERS

readers can also find the actual instruction and repair manuals as well as contact information for RainSoft water softeners.

On 2018-10-25 by (mod) - oil leaking from a motor

Ugh! Take a close look - if the oil is from the motor the motor casing or seams the motor is shot.

On 2018-10-25 by Chain - Rainsoft computer is stuck at 2 in its cycle with zero minutes left

So the motor does seem to be running but I went to go look at it and the motor comes right off and it’s attached to what looks like a gearbox that is where the oil is leaking from the gearbox doesn’t seem to be doing anything when the motor is running so I’m wondering if the gearbox isn’t bad and if I go to my local store is it a motor attached are the gearbox or do I have to buy the gearbox separate

Also the gearboxes attached to what I assume is the pump assembly to big plastic wheels that term whatever is inside down below I cannot turn those manually anymore than just a little bit is that normal?

On 2018-10-25 by Chain

I turned it off and Re started it and the motor is running as soon as I plug it back in went through the sequence to set it back up and hit start cycle and enter

and I’m getting an error message the motor still running it looks like there’s a little oil underneath of it that was not there yesterday so I’m thinking the motor might be bad but the motor is bad why is it not starting the cycle is it stuck in midcycle? Could there be a computer issue also?

On 2018-10-25 by (mod) -

Chain

That sounds as if there is either a pump failure or a blockage in the tubing to the brine tank.

On 2018-10-25 by Chainstitch

My Rainsoft computer is stuck at 2 in its cycle with zero minutes left, so I hear the small motor running constantly but no water discharge or water filling brine tank, what should I be looking at to resolve this issue?

On 2018-08-25 by Russ - Rain Soft water softner: constant water leaking from under the retainer wall.

I tied/connected both my water softener and water conditioner outside discharge hoses as well as two rain down spouts to an outside underground drain line leading out to the edge of my property.

The water softener and conditioner discharge hose and two rain spout connection is under landscaping (mulch bed, bushes, numerous water sprinkler heads, etc) and within/behind a retainer wall.

I am seeing constant water leaking from under the retainer wall. As I start the long process of trying to identify the source, I am choosing first to target the water softener.

Question: if I place the softener (Rain Soft) in bypass mode, must I also unplug the softener? If I don’t unplug the water softener will I burn out any water pumps that might be trying to discharge any water (residual or otherwise?) since still plugged in?

If I do unplug the softener, will I have to pay Rain Soft there $115 service charge to come out and reset my softener regeneration setup or will it automatically continue the same after plugging it back in?

Same questions for the Rain Soft conditioner. Thanks!

On 2018-07-24 by (mod) - water softener stops softening

Moussa,

How old is the water softener. Most softener manuals give a limited life to the water softener treatment tank resin. If the resin has expired even regenerating the softener won't give more water softening time because the resin stops functioning as an ion exchanger.

It can no longer swap salt (sodium) ions for calcium ions so it can't remove hardness from your water.

However all is not lost. The softener resin can be replaced.

See WATER SOFTENER RESIN REPLACEMENT for details.

On 2018-07-29 by Moussa - water softener only works for a few minutes then needs another regen

hi. my water softener works perfectly and l use manual generation but softens water for just about 5 to 10 minuites at most and l have to regenerate again.

l use 10% brine solution re 1 hour back wash 30 minuites regenerate 1 hour and rinse 5 minuites

l use purolite resin. my brine tank is 100 lts so l use 15kgs of ordinary salt. my resin tank is 400 lts and there is 200 lts of resin in it. it is about 6.5 ft high.. please can somebody help.

hi. my softener softens water for just 7 to 20 minuites and gradually the water starts getting hard. the brine tank is 100 lts and the resin tank is 500 lts. can you help please.

On 2018-07-24 by (mod) - quantity of water flushed during regeneration

It is normal for a water softener to flush a lot of water during regeneration, but sending it down a driveway is in my view a really bad idea.

Proper disposal of that wastewater depends on regulations where you live (country and city), and whether your home is on a public sewer or private septic. But most jurisdictions prohibit dumping of graywater onto the ground surface. (Not to mention that salty wastewater may not be so good for your plants or lawn).

On 2018-07-24 by Bea

Our new home has a water softener and a megaflo installed in the loft. During the regeneration a large amount of water is flushed out from an external pipe (ending up on our driveway) . is that normal and if so is that the best way to set it up?

On 2018-06-15 by (mod) - Kenmore water softner recharge twice ?

Perhaps a bad timer, or one set improperly, particularly if you rule out a manual re-gen.

On 2018-06-14 by Mike

Why would a Kenmore water softner recharge twice ? Once at 2:00 and again at 4:00

On 2018-06-11 by (mod) - Fleck 5600 water filter.

Forgive me but I'm baffled by the explanation that you report. It might be good to get advice from a third party on site.

When a water softener is doing a regen cycle the softener is completely on bypass and is not feeding the house watet supply plumbing.

Perhaps I'm missing something in the explanation but it just doesn't add up for me.

On 2018-06-10 by Fred

I have an Fleck 5600 water filter. Everything seems to work fine. Except once a week when it goes thru the regeneration cycle. I get really dirty looking water.

They say its because I have used the bathroom during the regen cyacle. That is true, I do take lots of bathroom breaks. However i went as far as putting a programmble electronic shutoff valve that shut the water off at that time -didnt make any difference.

They told me that i needed a second tank. However what i do is run the sprinkler for 15-30 minutes and it seems to clear it up. which tells me the unit isnt flushing the resin long enough. Do they make a programmablr head that I can control the length of time the rinse cycle runs and it doesnt have to be fleck.

On 2018-05-25 by (mod) - A water softener's regen cycle is driven by a clock

Melissa:

How frustrating.

A water softener's regen cycle is driven by a clock, or on more-sophisticated models by a sensor that senses the water hardness and determines that a regen cycle is needed.

The control head steps the softener through a series of procedures to create brine (pump water into the brine tank), flush minerals from the softener's exchange tank (pump brine water through the softener and out to a drain) etc.

I would not expect a plumbing leak elsewhere in your system to be causing the softener to regenerate continuously.

She hasn't done so, I'd ask the repair tech to

- review the softener settings

- check the softener connections to the brine tank and to the house drain

- check the position of the bypass valve

- set the softener to perform an automatic regen cycle while the tech is on-site

- watch the softener go through each of its steps to look for exactly when the problem is occurring

such as watching water enter the brine tank, create brine, pump back through the softener, and any other flush cycles that your system uses .

Given your investment so far and considering that the tech may have to spend 3 hours on site to watch the cycles complete, I'd ask the company to stop billing you for repeated and unsuccessful service calls; you could point out that it's losing money for both of you for them to have to keep coming back to fix an incomplete repair.

When the softener checks out ok ask the tech to set the regen cycle time to an acceptable hour (often 2AM)

I do not recommend abandoning a softener when a building has hard water - that will lead to other still-more-costly plumbing problems such as clogged pipes and clogged water heater

On 2018-05-25 by Melissa Snow

yes they came out for the fourth time yesterday and replaced the entire control module for $659. What happens last night? It starts regenerating again continuously. It’s still doing it now and the repair guy is coming again for the fifth time between 1-3 today.

So if it’s not the water softener itself and it doesn’t seem to be a leak in my house (we looked at the water meter), could it be something else weird like maybe a leak in the pipes OUTSIDE of my house that’s somehow causing this? Can you think of anything else unusual that may be causing this? Could it be something unrelated to the control module, like in the resin tanks or the connections to them and the brine tank? It’s maddening. Really maddening.

And it’s only 14 years old. The guys have said it should last at least 25 years.

I’m tempted to shut the darn thing off and live with hard water (its pretty hard at 18). Since I've already wasted $659 on the new control module, $160 on the original service call, and an additional $100 or so on an increased water bill, I’m reluctant to just get a new water softener unit.

I worry that this is somehow not related to the unit at all and that I’ll spend another few thousand for a new unit only to find it doesn’t solve the problem.

On 2018-05-24 by (mod) - Having a horrible problem with my water softener.

That sounds frustrating. I don't think that I can be smarter than your on site Water Conditioner repair people.

It sounds like they replaced the control head on top of the water softener.

But I don't have a clear picture of what's working or not working.

Why don't you call the manager of the repair company and make sure that he is sending a senior, experienced technician.

On 2018-05-24 by Melissa Snow

Having a horrible problem with my water softener. In Feb I noticed my water wasn’t getting soft anymore so called the water softener repair guys out.

The guy found a seal or valve that was broken and replaced it. He also changed the little dial (with the numbers on it) so that it would, I believe, regenerate more often tho my understanding is that i have on demand system.

I noticed that the softener was regenerating continuously after he made these repairs and my water bill was quadruple what it normally was when I got the bill two months later. Had them out to repair a second time. He said a valve was stuck open or something like that. He left and all seemed good until about 9-10 days later I noticed that it was regenerating continuously again. Had them out to repair a third time. He didn’t find any reason for the problem but replaced the dial with the numbers on it (from one with “5” to one with “3”).

All was good for another 9-10 days and then it started regenerating continuously again. It has been regenerating for about 36 hours now. They are coming out for the fourth time tomorrow.

There is no water leak; we checked for that. The guy from the third visit mentioned that on a couple of occasions with other customers they weren’t able to figure out what the problem was and ended up replacing the entire mechanical component with all of the mechanical parts in it (not sure of the name of this component, but he said it’s about $500, and it’s the top part of the water softener, on top of the brine tank).

I have a kinetco sysyem and it’s about 15 years old. Any ideas?

On 2018-04-05 by (mod) -

If the sound has always been there then it may be normal and you can try insulating the tank - that won't hurt a thing as long as you don't cover any controls or valves.

On 2018-04-05 by TR

The sound occurs during the normal regeneration process. It comes from the tank.

On 2018-04-04 21:18:20.463964 by (mod) -

TR
Thanks for an interesting question. Let's start by identifying just where the noise is being generated: at the control head, at water pipes, drain line, brine tank, or in the water softener treatment tank itself. I'd follow that with a question of whether or not the noise is normal operation sound or an indicator of a problem that needs repair.

On 2018-04-04 by TR

Can you insulate a water sotener to minimize noise during the regeneration cycle?

On 2018-03-19 by (mod) - salt build up on my coffee maker.

TG

Most likely you're seeing scale from high mineral content in your water supply. As your coffee maker boils water scale is driven out of solution and accumulates as a deposit. That means you have "hard" water and may need a water softener.

Or if you already have a water softener it's not working or not properly adjusted.

On 2018-03-19 by TGBTC

I have salt build up on my coffee maker. Why is this happening? Thanks!

On 2018-02-12 by (mod) -

FIrst let's put the softener in BYPASS mode. If water pressure is good in that mode and bad when the softener is in the loop then there is a debris clogged comonent in the softener, perhaps the resin basket at the bottom of the down tube or even a clog in the control head. Those are things your softener repairperson can fix once you've given her a call, but first I'd check for a debris-clogged strainer at the softener inlet or outlet.

On 2018-02-09 by Laura

I put salt in my water softener and ran thur the regeneration. Now i have very low water pressure and after flushing the toilet or running the water for a minute i have no water. What should i do to fix thw issue.

On 2018-02-09 by (mod) - fixa leak in the AP tank - where's that? Water Technologies 300 HD-AP

[Click to enlarge any image]

Cheryl

An AP tank primer for water treatment equipment

There is no standard water softener part called an AP tank that would be found on all water softeners, but several manufacturers do refer to an AP tank in their product description as I will explain.

Water Technologies Clearon-model dual tank system that treats water for high iron and sulphur content uses an AP tank.

That company refers to an AP-tank that is, most likely so called because it uses air pressure or AP. Here is how the company describes the unit

The 300 HD-AP requires no chemicals for its operation. It consists of two components:

(1) AP tank with air compressor

and

(2) filter tank.

The first item serves to oxidize and precipitate iron and sulfur so that the filter can later remove them.

The water flows down through the mineral bed of the filter and out the service lines.

The collected precipitates must be regularly removed from the filter by reversing the flow of water through the filter running to drain.

Called “backwashing” and lasting 10 minutes, the process expands the mineral freeing the iron, sulfur, manganese and turbidity, which are washed out of the filter to the drain.

It is important that the correct amount of water is available for the Backwash Cycle.

You can see Water Technologies 300 HD-AP Series Two Tank Iron / Sulfur Treatment Manual [PDF] Clearion Water Technologies, 710 Orange Street, Ashland, Ohio 44805 USA Tel: 855-250-6357 Web: clearionwater.com - retrieved 2018/02/08, original source: http://clearionwater.com/upload/documents/300%20HD-AP%20Valve,%20Installation%20and%20Operation.pdf

Similarly WaterSoft's description of that company's Nitrate/Sulfate water treatment system also uses an AP tank as one of the pair of treatment tanks in the installation, a "Provectr™ AP Tank (polyglass)" I attach, above, that company's schematic showing the AP tank.

SO you should be able to look at your water treatment system and you will probably see two tanks, one of which may be fiberglass and may be cracked or leaking.

That's not field repairable, it needs to be replaced - if the damage is to the tank itself and not a leaky fitting or pipe.

Cheryl

Continuing, the schematic I post below shows the location of an AP tank in the water treatment system whose manual and manufacturer I cited to you in my prior post mentioning Water Technologies Clearon model dual tank water treatment system.

Naturally the exact layout of your water treatment system will be different but from this sketch you can identify the major parts of the system. The AP tank is shown connected to the air compressor and both are found in the center of the drawing.

On 2018-02-08 by Cheryl - the AP tank is leaking.

Company said the AP tank is leaking. Where is the AP tank in a water softener? We didn’t call them they just showed up at my moms house and asked to inspect. And they quoted $2,100 to fix. I would like to know what this is before we decide on spending that amount of money. Thanks

On 2018-01-05 by (mod) -

Sounds as if your coffee machi e needs de-scaling

On 2018-01-05 by nicholas

i have regenerated my water sftener but my coffee machine still showing me to regenerate what can i do beacuse the sreen only show reg softener

On 2017-11-04 by Jim

Just put in the new water softener, regenerating now, water will not come through faucet is this normal or did I do something wrong?

On 2017-10-15 by Dan C

The water softener works when a manual cycle is started only it will not start by the timer setting

On 2018-10-28 by (mod) - where to find the manuals or instructions for a RainSoft water softener

The video is about How to fix a Rainsoft water softener motor and water valve on Q2 series unit.

At MANUALS for WATER SOFTENERS https://inspectapedia.com/plumbing/Water_Softener_Manuals.php#R

readers can also find the actual instruction and repair manuals as well as contact information for RainSoft water softeners.

On 2018-10-28 Chain said:

I [saw] a video ... about how to fix the motor and the pump by a guy named Dee G. It’s a little rough video but it explained to be the exact same problem I have

a pin is broken that goes from the shaft to the gears and the pump won’t move up and down

I have gotten my motor off and gotten the broken pieces of pin out,

I have not replaced them yet and I’m getting ready to remove the white cap

That goes to the pump my pump does not go up and down like he explained in his video and he showed how to clean that up and get it working again.

On 2018-10-25 1 by (mod) - if the oil is from the motor the motor casing or seams

Ugh! Take a close look - if the oil is from the motor the motor casing or seams the motor is shot.

On 2018-10-25 by Chain

So the motor does seem to be running but I went to go look at it and the motor comes right off and it’s attached to what looks like a gearbox that is where the oil is leaking from the gearbox doesn’t seem to be doing anything when the motor is running

so I’m wondering if the gearbox isn’t bad and if I go to my local store is it a motor attached are the gearbox or do I have to buy the gearbox separate.

Also the gearboxes attached to what I assume is the pump assembly to big plastic wheels that term whatever is inside down below I cannot turn those manually anymore than just a little bit is that normal?

I turned it off and Re started it and the motor is running as soon as I plug it back in went through the sequence to set it back up and hit start cycle and enter and

I’m getting an error message the motor still running it looks like there’s a little oil underneath of it that was not there yesterday so I’m thinking the motor might be bad but the motor is bad why is it not starting the cycle is it stuck in midcycle? Could there be a computer issue also?

On 2018-10-25 by (mod) - pump failure or a blockage in the tubing to the brine tank.

Chain

That sounds as if there is either a pump failure or a blockage in the tubing to the brine tank.

On 2018-10-25 by Chainstitch

My Rainsoft computer is stuck at 2 in its cycle with zero minutes left, so I hear the small motor running constantly but no water discharge or water filling brine tank, what should I be looking at to resolve this issue?

On 2018-08-25 by Russ

I tied/connected both my water softener and water conditioner outside discharge hoses as well as two rain down spouts to an outside underground drain line leading out to the edge of my property. The water softener and conditioner discharge hose and two rain spout connection is under landscaping (mulch bed, bushes, numerous water sprinkler heads, etc) and within/behind a retainer wall. I am seeing constant water leaking from under the retainer wall.

As I start the long process of trying to identify the source, I am choosing first to target the water softener. Question: if I place the softener (Rain Soft) in bypass mode, must I also unplug the softener?

If I don’t unplug the water softener will I burn out any water pumps that might be trying to discharge any water (residual or otherwise?) since still plugged in?

If I do unplug the softener, will I have to pay Rain Soft there $115 service charge to come out and reset my softener regeneration setup or will it automatically continue the same after plugging it back in? Same questions for the Rain Soft conditioner. Thanks!

On 2018-07-24 by (mod) -

Thank you Conflicting, for taking the time to comment and critique.

You're absolutely-right. I recently updated the details of water softener cycles in the second link, changing the older material to reflect the more-complex and greater number of steps in most modern water softener regeneration processes.

The original articles and the times on this page reflect older, simpler units.

I have reviewed and updated the water conditioner regen cycle time above on this page. You may need to wait a few hours or clear your browser cache to see the updated page.

I appreciate the point - we can use all the editing help we can get.

On 2018-07-24 by Conflicting Information

On this webpage (https://inspectapedia.com/plumbing/Water_Softener_Cycle_Time.php) you list the cycles times.

However, on this webpage (https://inspectapedia.com/plumbing/Water_Softener_Operation.php ou list the steps that take place in order.

The sequence is different between the two pages making it difficult to determine which is correct.

Please fix one of these or you could even combine them by putting the times on the operations page and removing the time page.

On 2018-05-31 by (mod) -

Look for a clogged brine tube or a sticking brine tank float/control

On 2018-05-29 by Anonymous

@Anonymous,
I mean the brine slow is not working again? Any idea? Anyone help me?

On 2018-05-29 by Anonymous

Hi, im wondering why slow rinse and brine is not working? The backwash, fast rinse, and brine refill is working. When I set the head at slow rinse and brine the waters flows out the brine line? I already replace the frp head three times and still, on the first day it is working. But on the second, the slow rinse and brine do work again.

On 2018-05-01 by (mod) -

I am doubtful that a normal owner wants to tackle taking apart the control head; I think that if other house water pressure and flow rates are normal, and if nothing in house water pressure/flow changes when the softener is put in bypass mode, the after trying re-setting the controls and trying a manual regen cycle has no effect, your service technician would look for

- confirming that water enters the brine tank properly at the start of a regen cycle
then

- a blockage or damage in the control head
or

- a clogged or damaged strainer at the bottom end of the pickup tube in the resin tank

On 2018-05-01 by Christine

water flows very slowly out of the discharge hose during the regen. cycle. No, the hose is not kinked or other wise obstructed.
It used to be a full flow. Any suggestions?

On 2018-02-24 by (mod) -

Jim

Yes please attach some photos of the position of the control as well as the control head and labeling on your water softener. Do I attach a photo use the picture frame icon to the right of a comment button.

On 2018-02-21 by Jim

I believe my EcoWater 3000 R20 softener has gotten out of the correct cycle. When it finishes a recharge cycle the "B" code is just above the drive motor shaft. I thought the "S" code should be showing at this position. I can send a photo if necessary. Where should the rotation be when the recharge cycle is finished?

On 2017-12-19 by (mod) -

Phil, typically a water softener regeneration cycle duration is 85-90 minutes (using a Culligan system as an example). So if your softner runs more than an hour and a half a control is stuck or has failed.

On 2017-12-19 by phil

another hour of running and another 100 gal of water down the drain..

On 2017-12-19 by phil

softener running time per regeneration?
softner now running for over 4 hours.

...

Continue reading  at WATER SOFTENER REGENERATION CYCLE DURATION or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• WATER SOFTENER REGENERATION CYCLE FREQUENCY
• WATER SOFTENER ADJUSTMENT & CONTROLS

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WATER SOFTENER REGEN CYCLE FAQs-2 at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

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