Softener maintenance questions.

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14kbiz

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I just tested my water after a manual regeneration and got a reading of 7 grains/gal. I just bumped up the salt level by about 3-4 lbs and now I want to clean my brine tank and injector/screen.
Two questions...I have an Autotrol 255 valve with a 460i control. When I empty the brine tank I assume air will get back in thru the brine line and the float will sink. What do I need to do get the air out of the brine line?

And second, to remove injector and screen my manual says to "relieve pressure from the tank by opening the No. 5 valve". This No. 5 valve they speak of is nowhere in the manual. I did see a line of metal "tabs" just along side the cam. There are numbers and letters molded into the plastic, i.e. 4, 5 A, B. Would that No 5 be the valve to release the pressure? And if it is, what do I do, push it in, down?

And again, after I clean the parts and put the unit back in service, how do I restore the pressure?

It's only a year old so this is the first time I'm attempting anything with it. Feel free to offer more advise if I'm missing something.

Thanks
 

ditttohead

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Dont worry about valve number 5, just be sure to relieve the pressure from the system. Turn off the water ahead of the softener and open water in the house. Use extreme caution when removing components from the valve, be sure the pressure is relieved. Water pressure can create flying parts!

Dont worry about the air in the brine line. If you plan on cleaning the brine tank, remove the good clean salt on top into 5 gallon buckets and when you get to the dirty salt at the bottom, I would recommend disposing of that. Salt is very regional, local availability can sometimes be very dirty. Regular brine tank cleaning may be necessary. If your local rock salt is dirty, maybe consider going to pellets. Once the brine tank is clean, refill with salt and add 5 gallons of water to it and manually regenerate the system.

The brine line is not pressurized, a little air in it will not hurt anything.
 
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