Culligan Mark 89 float adjustment

**ScottyB** · 10-24-2011, 05:10 PM

The use and care guide for my Culligan Mark 89 states that if you change the salt usage dial you must also adjust the brine valve float. My water is too soft and without being scientific about it I'd like to reduce the salt usage. If I lower the salt usage dial a little (from 7 to 4 or5) is it imperative that I also adjust the float to reduce the softness of my water? There is virtually no information available on how to adjust the float. Thanks, Scott

**rjh2o** · 10-24-2011, 05:58 PM

Your water can't be "TOO SOFT". It's either soft or it's hard period. There are now ways to adjust for degrees of soft water. If you adjust the system to a lower salt dosage it then has to regenerate more frequently. Every softener has a certain "capacity". It may be 20k, 30k, 45, 60, etc. The salt dosage depends on the total capacity, water chemistry and water usage. Your Culligan MK 89 is a 30k capacity softener and lowering the salt dose will only cause the hardness and iron to build up on the resin thereby causing all the hardness and iron to bleed through softener in very short time. So you will NOT being doing yourself any good by lowering the salt dose.
RJ

**Gary Slusser** · 10-26-2011, 06:43 AM

The K of capacity of every softener in the world is adjustable... note his manual talks about adjusting the salt dose? Why would they do that if my comment was false? You adjust it by using more or less salt. Any "30K" (meaning it has 1.0 cuft of resin) softener is using 15 lbs of salt/regeneration or it is not getting 30K.

To find the salt efficiency, you do the same as figuring fuel mileage; 30,000/15lbs = a salt efficiency of 2000 grains per lb.

Setting the salt dose lower, say to 6 lbs gets 20K (you find those figures on resin resin manufacturers' spec sheets for the resin being used. And 20,000/6 = a salt efficiency of 3333 grains/lb. So the volume of resin should be sufficient to provide the higher salt efficiency to cover the K of capacity needed for a regeneration of once every 7-8 days.

And then there is the constant SFR size of the softener, which is dictated only by the volume of resin in the tank. The constant SFR (gpm) must be higher than the peak demand flow rate (gpm) of the house.

The constant SFR is what is used to size all softeners or filters; sad to say, most dealers do not do that, they talk "30K" or "45K" etc. but never get into SFR or how to figure the most efficient salt use for the softener. And IMO far too many are like used car salesmen.

The reason Culligan says to adjust the float is because the float when raised by the 'extra' brine water shuts off flow preventing anymore water to flow into the salt tank. That is to prevent water overflow onto the floor or they are using the float to set the salt dose (3lbs/gallon of brine refill water).

**LLigetfa** · 10-26-2011, 10:08 AM

It's like putting less gas in the tank of your car. You won't get better gas mileage because of it. You will simply run out of gas sooner.

**Gary Slusser** · 10-27-2011, 08:45 AM

Originally Posted by LLigetfa

It's like putting less gas in the tank of your car. You won't get better gas mileage because of it. You will simply run out of gas sooner.

Not really, new regular resin has 30K of regenerated capacity available right out of the bag and say you use 20K and regenerate, the capacity goes back up to 30K. A gas in your car analogy would be to fill the tank and use 3/4 of the tank and the refill to full. You didn't waste or lose the use of the 1/4 tank that was still there. BTW, less gas = less weight and that = higher fuel efficiency; albeit ya probably won't be able to measure any higher fuel mileage unless you have a large tank like my motor home... And 20K @ 6lbs gets higher salt efficiency than having to use 15lbs/cuft to get 30K; a 9 lb per regeneration savings.

**rjh2o** · 10-27-2011, 06:03 PM

I am sorry to say you are all missing the point of the poster "His water is TOO soft" and he wants to make it not so soft. Efficiencies, salt dose, capacity have no relevance in this question. As stated earlier the water is either "soft" or "hard" there is no in between or degrees of soft water to set the system at.
RJ

**LLigetfa** · 10-27-2011, 06:11 PM

If the OP wants water to be less soft, he need only to plumb it to the hot water tank. That way he will get 100% soft water to the dishwasher and a blend of hard and soft for warm water.

That said, it's not anything I would do.

**Gary Slusser** · 10-28-2011, 06:16 PM

I wouldn't soften just the hot water, or want any hardness in my water but...

If I were to want some hardness, I'd add a 1/4" line between the inlet and outlet plumbing to/from the softener with a 1/4" valve in the line and add some hard water to the softened water and adjust as desired.

As to wanting to use less salt, follow the above info about capacity and salt efficiency settings.