Kinetico Softener-50 HELP!!

**golfslave** · 02-21-2009, 01:08 PM

Hello all, first post here. I just got a house that has a Kinetico Water softener and RO system installed. The softener has a label that says "Softener-50" on top. It's two tanks, about 20" tall and a box with salt in it. It had been on "bypass" and I switched it to run through the system to see if it worked. When I went inside and used the water, the water ran a yellow-green color and sandy. I realized through some other searches that this is probably the resin media from the system. Couple of questions:

1) is that resin stuff harmful to the plumbing (other than clogging the screens on the faucets)

2) What would cause that resin to come out in the first place? I assume something has broken.

3) How much would that thing that broke cost to fix and where would I get parts if I can do it myself (I'm handy) (Phx, AZ area)

THANK you in advance for any help!!

hj · 02-21-2009, 01:26 PM

1) is that resin stuff harmful to the plumbing (other than clogging the screens on the faucets)

That usually is enough. Is the sand gold colored and feels like ball bearings or slippery?

2) What would cause that resin to come out in the first place? I assume something has broken.

That is the reason.

3) How much would that thing that broke cost to fix and where would I get parts if I can do it myself (I'm handy) (Phx, AZ area)

Kinetico softeners mean Kinetico repair men, (usually expensive repair men). As far as I know they do not sell parts to ANYONE. That is probably the reason it was on bypass.

**Gary Slusser** · 02-21-2009, 04:51 PM

golfslave, resin in appliance and fixture valves etc. can be a nasty expensive problem.

The only causes are that the softener is plumbed backwards or the distributor tube is cracked or busted. A top basket can't cause it unless the softener is upflow service which is rare but possible with some Kinetico softeners.

The usually only one local Kinetico dealer will not sell parts to the softener owner, they want to charge an expensive service call and premium prices for their parts. They won't help you troubleshoot the problem unless they are there looking at it and then not very clearly. There is next to no information about troubleshooting or fixing their products on the internet and the bit there is isn't very good. That is all by design, the company is protecting their dealers' income and helping them charge exorbitant prices for both the equipment and the service.

It is very easy to replace a distributor tube and resin and wouldn't take more than 45 minutes with your very short skinny tanks. Any local dealer should be able to make you a distributor tube if you would take the old one with the bottom basket on it into them, that's if they will. A distributor tube shouldn't be more than $10-20. They can also sell you new resin but, you really need to know the cause of the resin getting out before putting any money into this softener. So take the valve off and the tank adapter off the other tank and pull the distributor tubes out and see what you finThe

RO prefilter cartridge will prevent resin form getting to the membrane.

Thanks for the PM.

**golfslave** · 02-21-2009, 04:54 PM

Originally Posted by Andy CWS

The resin won't harm the pipes. Some might get into the water heater, icemaker, toilet tank, dishwasher, etc.

Is the system on city or well water? Is there a prefilter? If resins are coming out they are either broken up and passing through the upper basket or the basket is cracked and needs replacing.

The updated models of the older 50s are much improved and more easily repaired. What color are the tanks?

Resins that sit for a long time can cause water to turn color a little, especially if there is iron in the water. Letting it run and putting it into a regeneration will help clean up the system.

I know many Kinetico dealers that sell parts to customers. It just doesn't happen very often because the customers don't know what they need. If you tear it apart and need help, let me know.

The dealer in Phoenix is one of the biggest. Since you inherited it, a service charge to get it running may be worth it. It is a very efficient model.

What color are the filters and tank on the RO?

Andy Christensen, CWS-II

Sent you a PM

Thanks Andy!

City Water

No pre-filter that I could see, though the water is not too bad here, just hard.

Black Tanks, Dial on top looks orange

Yeah, I already left a message for the local person in Chandler (Maricopa Water somthinorother) and hopefully they call on Monday. I was going to have the service call anyway, just so they can teach me about both systems, as well as service them properly. Hopefully I'll get a guy that's not afraid to let me look on.