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Water softener controls showing adjustment pins (C) Daniel FriedmanWater Softener Manual Regeneration
How to start an extra regen cycle

  • POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about water softener controls, adjustments, timers, salt dose setting, regeneration frequency setting

Water Softener Operating & Maintenance Instructions:

How to set & adjust a water softener or water conditioner.

Here we provide an owner's guide to water softener controls, what they are, what they do, how to set them - for water softener or water conditioner maintenance, including water softener adjustment of the regeneration or backwash cycle frequency and the water softener salt dose.

We explain the salt dose, regen cycle, hardness setting, and brine tank float level adjustment. We also discuss setting the water softener timer or clock.

InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.

- Daniel Friedman, Publisher/Editor/Author - See WHO ARE WE?

Manual Regeneration Cycle Control for a Water Softener

Master Water Conditioner No. 155 control head (C) InspectApedia.com DGA manual regeneration of a water softener, causing it to back-wash and then re-charge the salt treatment of the resin in the treatment tank, may be necessary if there has been a period of heavy usage, such as when there are extra occupants in the building or when you've been running extra loads of laundry.

Photo: control head for the Master 155 Series Water Conditioner. Photos & MANUALS of this Master Water Softener were provided courtesy of InspectApedia reader Dean Grantham (October 2017).

[Click to enlarge any image]

We also use a manual regeneration cycle when restoring a water softener to service after it has been off for cleaning or because it was winterized for a time.

Details of how to clean and sanitize a water softener, including when and where to put bleach or other disinfectant and how to then use the regen cycle are

at WATER SOFTENER CLEANING & SANITIZING

Sometimes we run a manual regeneration cycle simply to convince ourselves that the softener regeneration process is working.

How can you cause the water softener to perform a regeneration cycle manually?

Find the manual regeneration control or button or dial and press it or turn it to "regen" as we detail in the manual regen control examples given below.

All water softeners that have any controls whatsoever will include a procedure for forcing a manual regeneration cycle.

To find the right manual regen control for your water softener

see WATER SOFTENER CONTROLS & OPERATION or even better, take a look at the user's guide or manual for your water softener brand and model.

If you don't have the manual for your water softener there are free manual downloads as well as manufacturer-contact information

at WATER SOFTENER MANUALS

Manual Regeneration on Older Water Softener Control Heads

For water softener control heads similar to the one shown above, you simply press in the red knob and turn it past "Service' over to "Purge" - that's the start of a manual regeneration cycle.

You'll see the dial move slowly past at least four regeneration cycle steps: purge, brine refill, brine & rinse cycle, backwash, then back to "service".

The details of just what's going on at each of these regeneration cycle steps are explained and illustrated

at WATER SOFTENER OPERATING CYCLES

Manual Regeneration Dial on Newer Mechanical Water Softener Control Heads

Water softener control dial and timer (C) Daniel Friedman at InspectApedia.com

On the newer electro-mechanical water softener control head shown above, instructions printed on the face of the control advise:

"For manual regen turn knob clockwise to REGEN position". These poorly-designed instructions don't show us where the "REGEN" position will appear. Probably in the small window at the bottom center of the photo - we're researching this and will clarify here.

Manual Regeneration on a newer Electronic Control Head Water Softener

Manual regeneration on a Hellenbrand H100 water softener (C) DanieL Friedman at InspectApedia.com

Many modern electronic control head water softeners such as the Hellenbrand American Aqua H-100 softener above include a button marked "REGEN" right on the control head. On this control the regeneration button is at the right end of the row of buttons at the bottom of the display.

The company provides these water softener manual regeneration instructions:

To initiate a manual regeneration immediately, press and hold the “REGEN” button for three seconds. The system will begin to regenerate immediately.

The request cannot be cancelled. You must cycle all the way through the cycles to make it stop. PLEASE NOTE: This will reset the meter.  

To initiate a manual regeneration at the preset delayed regeneration time, press and release “REGEN”. The words “REGEN TODAY” will flash on the display to indicate that the system will regenerate at the preset delayed regeneration time.

If you pressed the “REGEN” button in error, pressing the button again will cancel the request.

- See the American Aqua Hellenbrand H-100 manual

at WATER SOFTENER MANUALS

Watch out: If the salt keeper [brine tank] does not contain salt, fill with salt and wait at least two hours before regenerating.

That wait time is needed to give time to dissolve salt into the brine tank water - to create brine needed for regeneration.

For the Fleck water softener electronic control head shown below, the right-button with the circle of arrows is the manual regen cycle button. Press and hold this button to start a regeneration cycle.

Water softener control buttons showing manual regen button (C) Daniel Friedman at InspectApedia.com

This water softener is discussed in detail at WATER SOFTENER RESIN REPLACEMENT

Manual Regeneration on a Kinetico Water Softener

Kinetico-water-softener-control (C) InspectApedia.com Kinetico-water-softener-control (C) InspectApedia.comUsing a #2 Phillips screwdriver, push down firmly on the softener valve screw [circled in green in our illustration] and slowly turn clockwise until the actuator has advanced the indicator dot to the “BRINE” position [green arrow].

You should hear at least five “clicks” while turning the screw before the indicator dot reaches the “BRINE” position.

At this point you should hear water begin to run through the system. If you do not hear water running through the system, the indicator dot has not been advanced far enough.

Repeat the procedure for manual regeneration after the water flow stops (11 to 90 minutes, depending on the model) to be sure both resin tanks are regenerated.

[Click to enlarge any image]

Water Softener Manuals Giving Manual Regen Control Instructions

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Reader Comments, Questions & Answers About The Article Above

Below you will find questions and answers previously posted on this page at its page bottom reader comment box.

Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

RE-posting comment by reader Larry:

AUTHOR:Larry (no email)

COMMENT:CSI model ms48t Question how to manually regenerate?

Moderator Reply:

Larry,

You can find the instruction manual for your water softener at

CSI SIGNATURE SERIES WATER SOFTNER MANUAL [PDF]

But I see why you ask: on p. 14 the manual says

Extra Regeneration - If soft water demands are unusually heavy, an extra regeneration can be initiated manually: (semi-colon normally means something follows but in this case nothing does.)

and then offers not a shred of information on how to do so other than re-programming the regeneration timer.

MANUAL REGEN CYCLE - HOW TO on a CIS Softener Series 1

Press and hold the SET-CHANGE button (the lower button on your CSI softener control head) until you see the digitial display change to a simple "0000" - telling you that you've set the number of gallons until next regen to zero - meaning - regen is needed.

If you stop here, (lift your finger off of the control button) in a moment the display will change to a time (hh:mm) showing when the next regeneration is scheduled, and the softener will run a regen cycle according to that time settingsalready in the control.

If you want the regen cycle to start immediately then press and hold the SET-CHANGE button a second time, holding it until the display changes to a "1" - telling you the softener is beginning STEP 1 of a REGEN cycle.

Stop there and let the softener run through its cycles.

Stopping there the softener should start the regeneration whole process.

If that does not work on your CSI softener then I'm sorry but we're left with saying it's better to give the company a call than to make up a guess and steer you wrong. Contact:

CSI WATER TREATMENT SYSTEMS
710 Orange St, Ashland, OH 44805
PH 419-281-6829 l FAX 419-281-2375
www.csiwater.com

Other CSI Softener manuals are at WATER CONDITIONER / SOFTENER MANUALS inspectapedia.com/plumbing/Water_Softener_Manuals.php

For other readers, see also the instructions above on this page to start a manual regen cycle on your softener.

On 2020-09-22 - by (mod) - how do we know when the softener regeneration cycle is over?

how do we know when the softener regeneration cycle is over?

Jery

Thank you for a helpful question on manually-started softener regen cycles:

Once you start a manual REGEN cycle, the water softener, if it's working properly, will run through all of the regen cycle steps programmed by the control head without you having to do a thing;

Just how long that takes varies by softener model and programming, and can take an hour or more.

You will know that the regen cycle is finished by

1. observing that the softener has fallen silent - no more sound of water running into or out of the brine tank nor out of the softener drain system

2. observing the position of the softener controls or the data in its electronic display that will give its status

On 2020-09-22 by Jery

@richard,

How do you know its finished

On 2020-09-22 by Gerald sikorsky

Once i turn dial to regen. Then what how long do i leave it there. How do i know ots finished

On 2019-10-27 - by (mod) -

That should work but if it doesn't it may be that the control is not working or is not plugged-in.

On 2019-10-26 by richard

the control meter says to start manual regeneration, just turn the dial to REGEN and that's it.

Is anything else required to start regeneration ?


Water softener control using dial & pins (C) InspectApedia & CLB 2013 details pendingOn 2017-04-12 9 by (mod) : pin positions for a Culligan N-8 Water Softener control / Timer

Shar

On a Culligan N8-Water Softener timer/control, pushing a pin "IN" will cause a recharge or regeneration cycle to occur while pulling a pin OUT will cause the cycle to be skipped.

Also if you search InspectApedia for WATER SOFTENER MANUALS (use the search box just above or at page top) you'll find a link to the instructions for the Culligan N8 timer/control at our website - as free download

On 2017-04-11 by shar

I have an n8 culligan water softener do the skipper pins need to be in or out to soften

On 2016-05-15 by (mod) - which way to pull out or push in the skipper pins on an Autotroltpe softener control

Bob: check that the pins are pushed in our pulled out (as needed) to activate or not activate a regen cycle.

Sometimes people mix up which direction (in or out) turns a regen cycle on or off - that may vary by model.

On an Autotrol type control these are called "Skipper Pins" and you pull them all OUT - away from the control, then push IN the pin you want to set the regeneration day(s).

see

On 2016-05-15 by Bob

Sorry to post again but I forgot to mention the Pull out Push in pins on that right hand dial.

They seem to trip the automatic regeneration cycle as the timer dial rotates under clock control. I can't seem to find a manual that mentions those?

On 2016-03-05 3 by (mod) - position of the Autotrol Timer Locking Pin

OK Gino,

The page top water conditioner control is described in the Autotrol manual [PDF] whose link is given in

AUTOTROL WATER SOFTENER MANUALS

There you'll see that the metal pin you see near theleft- bottom of the control is a TIMER LOCKING PIN. In normal water softener operation this pin should be in the horizontal position.

On 2016-03-04 by Gino

It is the same control as in the photo at the top of this page - and again, the 4th and 5th one down - you can see the "lever" pin at the bottom of the photos below the control knob. It shows horiz, facing left.

Below the red knob on control panel is what looks like a lever, but is actually a pin - attempting to activate a manual regen I pulled it out and it wont go back in...anyone know what it is and what to do? Tank full of salt, transformer warm, but softener no longer working?


...

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