Water softener overflowing

I have an older model "Citation" watersoftener (maybe 25 yr old) that has newer internals that sit above the resin container. This morning I went down to the basement to find it overflowing - flooded the room it is in. It was on the purge cycle (I think that is the right term) when this happened. Have the unit bypassed for the time being - just using the water filters.

What would be the cause of this:-
Resin being plugged and needing replacement?
Level sensing device malfunctioning?

I am retired and on a fixed low income, so if I can get it working without too much expense, it would be a great help.

Thanks in advance for any help.

mariner

I believe the purge cycle is where the softner flushes the resin beads with salt brine from the salt tank, it should be plumbed to a drain, it's normally a small 3/8" piece of tubing. Or is the salt (brine) tank overflowing, if that is the case thene it's the level sensing float valve stuck open.

Rancher

Rancher said:

I believe the purge cycle is where the softner flushes the resin beads with salt brine from the salt tank, it should be plumbed to a drain, it's normally a small 3/8" piece of tubing. Or is the salt (brine) tank overflowing, if that is the case thene it's the level sensing float valve stuck open.

Rancher

Click to expand...

Thanks for the feed back - I suspected some sort of level sensing device.

Where abouts would this levelsensing float be located? I have no information on this unit. It does soften water well - tested it last year and the wter was less than 1/2 grain hardness. I am guessing, would the float be inside the plastic housing, where the small 3/8" tubing exits?

Anyone else have an idea that might help.

Thx in advance.

mariner

You didn't say where the leaking was; the salt tank or the resin tank/control valve (the part that plugs into the wall). Usually it is the salt tank that overflows. The usual cause is due to the unit not using the brine it is supposed to and adding water back into the tank. The cause of that is due to loose brine line fittings allowing air to be sucked instead heavy brine, a blocked injector or injector throat, a blocked injector screen or drain line (which is 1/2" tubing on real softeners).

Some floats shut off the water entering the salt tank and that extablishes the salt dose, others have a safety brine system where the float shuts off the water before it can overflow the tank.

Gary,

Thx for the reply.

The water was trickling out of two small holes that had held something in the past (I have only been in this house just eighteen months and have no literature on this at all) about three or four inches from the top of the tank. It looks like thoese holes supported the container that you put the resin cleaner (blue stuff) into. The softener is a "cabinet type" I believe - everything is in the one container. The controls sit on top of the resin chamber. There are two other small containers inside the tank - one for the cleaner and then there is a long closed tube about 3"diameter that has a 3/8"plastic tube going to the controller. Somewhere in there must be a level control or a leaking seal/O-ring. Is there a site where I can get a generic parts view. I think the controller is the old standard with the time on a big dial on LHS with red button. Two other dials on the RHS for number of occupants and gallons per hour (or similar).

Hope the above makes sense. It has only overflowed this one time and now seems to have settled down (finger and legs crossed).

Again, thanks for any and all help.

mariner

Gary Slusser said:

You didn't say where the leaking was; the salt tank or the resin tank/control valve (the part that plugs into the wall). Usually it is the salt tank that overflows. The usual cause is due to the unit not using the brine it is supposed to and adding water back into the tank. The cause of that is due to loose brine line fittings allowing air to be sucked instead heavy brine, a blocked injector or injector throat, a blocked injector screen or drain line (which is 1/2" tubing on real softeners).

Some floats shut off the water entering the salt tank and that extablishes the salt dose, others have a safety brine system where the float shuts off the water before it can overflow the tank.

Click to expand...

Then it's the salt tank/cabinet that is leaking but... the water level shouldn't be that high so you need to fix whatever is allowing it to get that high.

Goto www.kenmorewater.com and look at the animations there.