Maybe a stupid question... lubricating piston??

[Nicholas Brown]

Hi,
I have a 1997 brass valve Rainsoft water softener (Model AM818T-SS)

It stopped regenerating

I found that the main piston was jammed.

I freed it and can remove it.

When putting it back (will get some new o'rings) should the O rings be lubricated with silicon? Won't the water movement just wash away any lubricant?
Thanks in advance

Nick

 

[Reach4]

O-rings should be lubricated very lightly with silicone grease.

https://www.danco.com/product/0-5-oz-silicone-faucet-grease/ Danco 88693 is a small tube that may be available locally. A little goes a long way. For bigger containers, the Molykote #7 (AKA Dow Corning 7) Release Compound release compound would be good for pistons and o-rings. I now have a tube of that and a tube of Molykote 111. The release compound would be good for both o-rings or pistons. The thicker 111 grease I will still use on seals and o-rings that don't move, and I have it.

It doesn't wash away, but I don't know how long it stays. Even for o-rings that do not experience movement in use, it is good. It helps the rubber flow into the micro crannies during install.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Nicholas Brown]

Thank You - I'll get some. Molykote is accessible here in the UK

 

[Reach4]

Thank You - I'll get some. Molykote is accessible here in the UK

I use nitrile gloves. The silicone grease is not irritating to the skin, but it does not wash off either. It rubs off, but the gloves are cheap and handy.

 

[Nicholas Brown]

I have some and will use - thanks...

New problem just arrived - maybe the cause of the failure. It's using brine on the rinse cycle!

I think it's probably the O rings?

Thanks again
Nick

 

[Reach4]

New problem just arrived - maybe the cause of the failure. It's using brine on the rinse cycle!

I have not tried to analyze the manual.

In softeners there is a cycle, usually called brine draw. The brine should be drawn out in about the first 25% of that cycle. At that point, the air check valve closes because the brine is exhausted. Then the cycle continues, and that constitutes the slow rinse. In that part, the brine gets rinsed out with a slow laminar flow.

Then there is a fast rinse that follows the brining and the slow rinse. I suspect, but am not sure, that what you call the rinse may be the fast rinse. But if it is the slow rinse, that would suggest that the brine is being drawn too slowly.

 

[Nicholas Brown]

At 2am I was still pondering this, and finally worked it out grrrr . Then I got up for work and saw your message which confirmed my suspicion... I hadn't realised that the Brine is supposed to get exhausted and so had been topping it up whilst watching the regen cycle run so there was still brine to be drawn during the slow rinse.

Maybe it's all good now and I have a working system I'll do some more tests tonight.

Thanks again for your help - on my part it just goes to show that a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing!

Nick


(And thanks to the moderator who gave me an Avatar - I like it)