Culligan Medialst 10x54, Help with settings and maintenance

[ThomasL]

Just bought a house 6 months ago with a Culligan Medialst 10x54. We did not move in right away and no water as being used, except for the furnace humidifier. For some reason, the system was using a lot of salt and I had to keep add more salt into the container into the brine tank. I was using the green bags of Morton salt - Morton Clean and Protect Plus Rust Defense Water Softener Pellets (40 lb.) The bag says one bag should last 1 to 2 months for two people. Why was the system using a bag every two weeks when no one was living there? fyi i never topped off the brine tank up with salt. Since then we have moved in and the water does not feel that soft. I have a relative with a water softener and when I use their shower, the water always feels slippery like the soap never comes off. FYI our water supply is Chicago muni water.

The water softener was installed 08/2011. I am learning about the settings but hopefully this helps. I also ordered test strips but I don’t think that will tell me much.

Regeneration interval dAY 03
Salt Dosage Sltp 6.0
backwash time buu 12
Brine Draw br60
CAPG 870


Some stats
number 14days -59
Number days since last 1
Number of regenerations 745 - is this correct if unit was install in 08/2011

I purchased some RESCARE to put in brine tank well and did a manual regeneration.

Any other suggestions on what the settings should be or make the water feel soft?
Thanks

 

[Old]

Your softener has a 3 day override. It is regenerating (and using salt) every 3 days regardless of water use.

Your softener may have come from the factory as a time clock model (no water meter) or as a "soft-minder" (metered) model. If the meter cable gets unplugged from the circuit board the controller will automatically change the settings back to factory default (the settings you described above are the defaults). Do you have a grey cable plugged in to the left side of the bypass valve? See these pictures, your bypass may be different depending on the version you have.

If you do not have the grey cable then you have the time clock model. It will regenerate on a set number of days regardless of water use. If you DO have the cable then it may be unplugged from the circuit board. See what you have and report back.

The water not feeling soft could be due to a few different things. First thing I notice is the salt setting is too low for the size of the softener. I would recommend you change the salt setting to 12. Other problems you could have are bad/missing/worn out resin or a leaking seal in the seal/spacer stack. Typically (but not always) with a bad seal you will have water running out the drain line constantly.

These medalist units are not all that great. If it is a time clock unit or if it needs any major work I would replace it with a fleck or clack metered softener.

Here is a link to the service manual, this is very hard to find (Culligan does not post it for public view). Scroll to the bottom of the page to download. https://manualzz.com/doc/700278/culligan-medallist-series-specifications

 

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[ThomasL]

Thanks for the response and link to manual. I have the grey cable and it is attached on both ends. I thought it was always 3 days or number of gallons that triggered a regen. Correct?

My guess is the resin is getting bad from the chlorine. I will increase the salt and try the rescare cleaner again.

1. If I have to replace the resin, are they all the same of is there a type/brand you would recommend? Please include link of where to buy.
2. If I bite the bullet and want to buy a new one, can you recommend a water softener? I was looking at the pelican since they have a whole house water filter and fluoride filter systems. I don't think I want a water conditioner/salt-free system. I just noticed that Fleck and Clack are specific brands. What about the Pelican?

Your input is appreciated.

 

[Bannerman]

I thought it was always 3 days or number of gallons that triggered a regen. Correct?

No. With a metered system, regeneration is to occur when the capacity programmed has been consumed. Depending on the amount of hardness in the water and water use anticipated, softeners are oftened sized so they will regenerate not more than 1X per week, but could be as few as 1X per month.

A 10" X 54" tank will usually contain 1.5 cubic feet of softening resin media. We will need to know the water hardness at your location and the amount of water your family usually consumes so we may assist you to program the appropriate settings. If the city indicates a hardness amount, that will be an average from all water sources, which may not be the amount at your location.

Resin that has been damaged by chlorine will often cause a flow restriction through the softener. You might measure how long to fill a 5 gallon pail using the bath tub fill spout, then perform the same test with the softener bypassed to determine the difference.

After 9 years continuous contact with chlorinated water, the resin is unlikely to be perfect, but perhaps there may be a few more years available if the settings utilized are corrected.

 

[ThomasL]

How can I test the water hardness? Please post link to a test kit that would be reliable.

 

[Bannerman]

Hach 5B Total Hardness Test kit is most recommended. It has a long shelf life and can be used for periodically testing the incoming water each season to determine if there are changes, and also to test the softened water to verify the effectiveness of the softener.

 

[ThomasL]

I had my water tested and they said it was 120 ppm. Is that ok with water softener?

 

[Reach4]

I had my water tested and they said it was 120 ppm. Is that ok with water softener?

Yes. That is 7 grains of hardness. I would have expected about 7.5 grains with Lake Michigan water.

FYI our water supply is Chicago muni water.

There should be no iron in the muni water. Rust Defense salt not needed.

If you change resin, or get a new softener, get 10% crosslinked resin.

 

[ThomasL]

I bought some 10% resin. I removed the control head but I am having trouble removing the manifold (tube that goes does). There is still a filter at the top of the tank. Does that screw off?

 

[Bannerman]

The upper basket is normally attached to the control valve and so the basket will pullout when the valve is removed from the tank. You are likely going to need needle nose pliers or 2 straight blade screwdrivers wedged into the basket to attempt to wiggle the basket back and forth while pulling upward. You may need to replace the upper basket as it may become damaged during the removal process and because there does not seem to be a method remaining to attach it to the control valve.

The riser tube will usually pull straight up. Perhaps pulling up the tube will also lift the upper basket. There will be some resistance pulling up the tube as the lower basket will be attached which is buried at the bottom of the resin column, and there is also often a layer of gravel at the bottom of the tank.

 

[ThomasL]

Actually the screw driver helped. The basket is actually threaded and turning counterclockwise lets it come out. Replace media and gravel and waiting a couple days to see if water feels soft. I am guessing that is how long it will take to have the hot water in the tank tank replaced with water from new resin.