Kinetico Softener 50 resin replacement

[Ace Hunter]

I have a Kinetico Softener 50 system that is about 15 years old and I believe the resin is dead and needs to be changed. I have watched a few how-to videos on youtube but I am still left with a few questions that I am hoping someone here can help me with. I am a pretty handy DIY person but I have never tackled resin replacement before. I went through troubleshooting steps based on other videos and have determined to the best of my ability that the resin is just not doing its job. The unit regenerates just fine and uses salt but the water is not soft and I am noticing hard water stains on appliances, the sink sprayer plugging up with deposits, etc. It just isn't soft like it used to be. I know Kinetico information is closely guarded, but here goes.

My unit has two tanks on it with each being 18" tall and 8" in diameter ... a pretty small system. I did order a 1 cubic foot bag of 8% crosslinked standard resin and a funnel. If my math is correct, each tank would require .3 cubic feet of resin. Is this correct?

My other question is, and this may sound dumb, but does the resin go in both tanks or just the tank with the head unit on it? This wasn't clear in any of the videos I watched, even for two tank systems. They just unscrewed the head from the tank, filled it and called it good without really addressing whether you do the same for the second tank as well. If it only goes in the tank that has the head unit, I overbought.

If anyone has any guidance, I'd appreciate it. I will be undertaking this project in a week when my delivery arrives. It all makes sense from the tutorials I watched but I just wanted to verify I have the amount of resin correct and whether both tanks get it.

 

[Reach4]

My other question is, and this may sound dumb, but does the resin go in both tanks

Both.

My unit has two tanks on it with each being 18" tall and 8" in diameter ... a pretty small system. I did order a 1 cubic foot bag of 8% crosslinked standard resin and a funnel. If my math is correct, each tank would require .3 cubic feet of resin. Is this correct?

See https://view.publitas.com/impact-water-products/2018-catalog-final/page/138

If I looked at the right place, it says you would put about 0.23 cuft of resin into each tank. Normally you only fill to about 2/3 full, which is called 50% freeboard. That space is to allow expansion during backwash.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Ace Hunter]

Thanks for the quick response. I think I am on the right track now. Out of curiosity, I called around to a few water places in town to see what their prices were for resin. Most of them had to order it and prices ranged from $175-$400/cf. A few places wouldn't sell it without having a service call to have them rebed the softener themselves.

Hoping things go smoothly.

 

[Ace Hunter]

I just wanted to post a little update in case anyone else is doing this. Just less than .5 cubic feet was the correct amount for my 16,000 grain unit. (Thanks, @Reach4) If you are attempting this, you absolutely will need a ratchet strap to strap the tank to a pole so you can keep the tank from spinning while you try to unscrew the head. They are on there amazingly tight from the factory. The old resin was dark orange and looked tired to me which I suspect is due to chlorination over the years. I filled both tanks with .23cf each and it was pretty close to 2/3 full. I took the opportunity to flush out my water heater at the same time and the result is good, soft water again.

I would say I have about $75 in the whole job which includes resin, resin funnel, and a Harbor Freight ratchet strap. I am betting I saved $500. I did pick up a TDS tester so I can see what it is now versus after a few regenerations so I can see if that part of my Kinetico system is still working correctly.

 

[Ace Hunter]

I created a video covering this topic in case it helps anyone.

Updated 8/27/2020
This is the second try video after putting in the correct amount of resin per this thread (Ryan) and a Kinetico tech support specialist. Thanks to everyone who helped me understand this process.

 

[Bannerman]

I did pick up a TDS tester so I can see what it is now versus after a few regeneration

A softener does not remove TDS so a TDS tester will not indicate how well a softener is performing.

To determine hardness removal, you will require a Total Hardness Test Kit. A Hach 5B test kit is most recommended for testing the hardness level of both the raw water and the softened water.

 

[Ace Hunter]

Ah, good to know. Thanks.

 

[Reach4]

I did pick up a TDS tester so I can see what it is now versus after a few regenerations so I can see if that part of my Kinetico system is still working correctly.

A softener will not reduce TDS. It may increase TDS a bit.

Get a Hach 5-B test for hardness.

Was the old resin mushy?

 

[Ace Hunter]

Was the old resin mushy?

It seemed like the last half of the tank was clumpy when I was dumping it. Honestly, I didn't know what it should look like. I assumed the clumpy parts were beads that were destroyed by chlorine.

 

[Bannerman]

Resin should feel firm, similar to grains of sand when squeezed between your index finger and thumb. Resin damaged by chlorine will typically feel mushy.

When the water is chlorinated, 10% cross-link resin is recommended. While constant chlorine exposure will degrade any resin, 10% will better tolerate chlorine compared to standard 8% resin.

There are plenty of inexpensive resins sold online which are less than 8% cross-link.

 

[Ryan Symons]

A K50 had what they call a packed bed. Each tank requires .4 cu ft of resin. To achieve this you must fill the tank, tap tank on the floor, fill, tap ect until no more will fit. At the factory they actually use a vibrating pad under the tank.

 

[Reach4]

A K50 had what they call a packed bed. Each tank requires .4 cu ft of resin. To achieve this you must fill the tank, tap tank on the floor, fill, tap ect until no more will fit. At the factory they actually use a vibrating pad under the tank.

With a packed bed, do they bother with a backwash?

 

[Ryan Symons]

With a packed bed, do they bother with a backwash?

They do but very ineffective. If stuff gets in it doesn't like to come back out. Their packed bed units are intended for city water but still tend to be problematic.

 

[Ace Hunter]

@Ryan Symons is packed bed specific to just the Model 50? There doesn't seem to be a lot of information on this unit. I guess I can always order more resin if that's the case. Not a big deal. I appreciate the heads up.

 

[Ryan Symons]

@Ryan Symons is packed bed specific to just the Model 50? There doesn't seem to be a lot of information on this unit. I guess I can always order more resin if that's the case. Not a big deal. I appreciate the heads up.

Several of their smaller models and some of their "quad" models are packed bed. Other quad models are not packed but are overfilled (resin comes up to where the dome starts) compared to the norm.

 

[Ace Hunter]

Well, I was able to correct the amount of resin in each tank and I am happy to report that my water is testing very nicely now. My area typically sees 15.5 gpg for hardness and mine is testing out at 2 gpg give or take. I didn't want to feel like I was showering in baby oil so this seems to be the right balance for me. I updated my video so hopefully, that will help someone out. I really appreciate the input everyone gave and it is nice to know that people who know more than I do are willing to share.

 

[BasilFawlty]

Ace Hunter your video is a Godsend! I just ordered 1Cf of 8% cross Linked resin (I hope it is the right stuff). That should be more than enough if each tank takes .4cf. My softener had stopped using salt, so the first thing I did was clean the brine tank and float/ valve assembly. (Had a good deal of caked salt at the bottom of the brine tank). Anyway, that didn't fix the issue, so I took the head off (than God for YouTube videos). What I discovered was one of the big main valves on the level 4 section was actually broken! (Thankfully I found a couple good used ones on Ebay). Also, the smaller control valve that sits in the middle of level 4 piece was also damaged (ok, I damaged it). I've ordered a newer version of that valve that is spring loaded and is supposed to be better than the original, we shall see). Then, if that wasn't bad enough I lost one of the two little check valve balls (Ebay to the rescue again).

Anyway, since my softner is more than 15 years old, I figured aas long as I have it this far apart, I might as well replace the resin - I'm sure mine is spent.

 

[Reach4]

If city water, or other chlorinated water, you want 10% crosslinked resin.