Need help with Water-Right conditioner
Hi all: I have a Water-Right ASC2-1044 softener, installed new 6 years ago. It has worked flawlessly since then, although I think I have a problem with it now. I bought it from Culligan after they recommended it for my iron problem. They also installed it. I had major neck surgery the end of October, so I filled the tank with salt just before that. It normally uses 10 lbs. salt per regeneration, which happens every 7 days. But it doesn't seem to be using any salt at all. It appears to regenerate ok, and the indicator light is green when finished, and I haven't noticed any change in the water. If it wasn't working properly, I would think the iron would be back in (which is very noticeable when smelled or drank) and the feel on my skin from the hardness would also be noticeable. Ideas? Sounds to me the injector is plugged up. It will need to be removed and cleaned. Thanks for the reply. Where is the injector? Also, considering everything in my original post, why is it still removing the iron and hardness? ---------------------------------------------------------- EDIT: Hmm, I found a valve blowup on their website. Looks pretty simple, two screws remove a small plastic cover, and the injector and screen are right underneath that. After a web search I cannot find any specific repair info on my system, but general info on cleaning injectors says that there is water pressure there that has to be neutralized before you take it apart. How does one do this? Have you checked for a salt bridge in the salt tank? The Sanitizer from WaterRight is set up to test the brine in the water 5 minutes into the brine draw , it that is not right a yellow light will come on.. I dug down into the salt and there was water about 6 below the surface, and I dug into the brine another 6 or more, in two different spots, and it seemed ok. I'm assuming that if something is amiss the yellow light will stay on after the regeneration is finished, correct? It happens at 3:00 in the morning so I never see it til the next day and it is always green. The yellow light could be from one of two things. A.. the injector behind the black plate on the left side of the valve from the front , just behind where the line from the salt/brine tank hooks on to the valve. If that is plugged then it will not draw the brine, if at the base of it where it goes into the gray plastic body is plugged that too will stop it from pulling the brine. B... if the chlorine generator is loaded up on the two metal probes, then it will not make the chlorine and a yellow light will show up. C... chlorine generator could be bad... or the male female connection could be bad. But there is no yellow light, it's green indicating all is well. Put the unit into a draw cycle. Disconnect the brine line from the valve and check for a suction. If you have no suction, check the injector. Put the unit on bypass and relieve the pressure. Remove the 2 screws holding the injector cap on and then remove the injector throat and nozzle. Hold them up to a light source and look through the center hole. If there is any debris in it, you will be able to see it. Ok, I'm at this forum because I'm a toolmaker, not a plumber, so you'll have to speak in do it yourselfer language. Thanks! Put the unit into a draw cycle. I don't know what a draw cycle is. The only reference I have to work from is the owner's manual, and the listed cycles (positions) are: service, backwash, brine rinse, slow rinse, rapid rinse, and brine tank fill. Some of the positions only last for 8 minutes, so once I cycle through til I get to whatever the draw cycle is, should I pull the plug so it stays there? Disconnect the brine line from the valve and check for a suction. If you have no suction, check the injector. Put the unit on bypass and relieve the pressure. How do I relieve the pressure? Remove the 2 screws holding the injector cap on and then remove the injector throat and nozzle. Hold them up to a light source and look through the center hole. If there is any debris in it, you will be able to see it. This all makes sense, thanks to a video I found on You tube. Thanks for your reply! Is this a meter or day pattern in cleaning? Is there a digital clock? Is there a meter between the bypass and the valve body? If there is no yellow light then the brine draw is not the problem. Either the gallons have been moved really high, the default days is out to around 20 days or the meter has been unplugged. Or if it is the 12 day wheel all of the pins are in and some need to be moved back out. Is this a meter or day pattern in cleaning? I don't know what that means. Is there a digital clock? Yes. Is there a meter between the bypass and the valve body? I don't think so, but not sure what you mean by a meter. If there is no yellow light then the brine draw is not the problem. Interesting. Either the gallons have been moved really high, the default days is out to around 20 days or the meter has been unplugged. It is regenerating every 7 days as scheduled. Everything seems normal, including my water, EXCEPT it is not using any salt as far as I can tell. As I mentioned in my original post, I filled the brine tank around the 3rd week in October, around 15 weeks ago. At 10 lbs. per week, it should have used 150 lbs. by now. It should need refilling, but it has a long ways to go although I haven't actually measured it. Or if it is the 12 day wheel all of the pins are in and some need to be moved back out. Everything is digital/electronic. I just checked the settings, everything is as it should be: regenerates in 7 days or 550 gallons. These settings have been the same since it was installed. Maybe I'm losing my mind and it IS using salt. But I've never gone 4 months without having to refill it. If you have the same manual that I have, then each of the items that I have talked about are listed on different pages in parts break down. If the system that you have is digital as you say it is, when water is running and the meter is counting down to the next cycle there should be a flashing dot in the upper right hand corner of the display. If there is no flashing dot, either the meter is not counting or the bypass is in a way that the water is not passing through the valve and then the media and then back again. If the day default is set at 7 then it will trip into cycle every 7 days and use salt, but again if the bypass is turn to bypass then the unit will not use salt. OK I'll talk like a do it yourselfer LOL. In the back of the valve is a bypass. It connects the plumbing to the valve. It is either a single handle or 2 red knobs. The words service or bypass may be on it indicating where the bypass is. Once you put the unit into a regen and then place on bypass, the pressure will be relieved from the unit. The cycles are backwash (about 8-10 min), brine rinse (this is the draw cycle and lasts about 45-60 min), slow rinse is part of the brine rinse, rapid rinse (about 8-10 min) and the brine fill (refills the brine tank). So if you disconnected the brine line and ran the unit through a regen, you should see if the unit is drawing brine. Send me an e-mail and I'll send a pic to see which unit you have. Moderator Edit: Removed Email info...not allowed in Forums. Use PMs to exchange required info.... If you have the same manual that I have, then each of the items that I have talked about are listed on different pages in parts break down. There are separate sections depending on if you have the old mechanical style or the newer digital. Having the digital, I've never even looked at the mechanical section. If the system that you have is digital as you say it is, when water is running and the meter is counting down to the next cycle there should be a flashing dot in the upper right hand corner of the display. Yup, that is working as it should. I generally use 300-400 gallons per week. I always check the gallons left periodically, maybe once a week, just out of habit. If there is no flashing dot, either the meter is not counting or the bypass is in a way that the water is not passing through the valve and then the media and then back again. If the day default is set at 7 then it will trip into cycle every 7 days and use salt, but again if the bypass is turn to bypass then the unit will not use salt. The bypass is in the correct position to feed the softener; it has not been touched in at least 2-3 years. I don't know, none of this makes any sense. I would think that at least I would have noticeably irony water and I don't. Let's let it go another couple of regenerations (happens on Saturdays) and see what happens. I will revive this thread then. Thanks! Here's a thought. Take a cold water sample in to your dealer and have them test it for hardness and iron. Because of the zeolite media and Min-plus media in an ASC sanitizer rarely will iron be present in the treated water even when the system is out of salt. You should also check for a salt bridge in the brine tank. RJ I'm back. It's been 6 weeks, and it should have used 60 pounds of salt. It hasn't used anything as far as I can tell. So I took it apart today. After I put it on bypass, I started a manual regeneration cycle then pulled the plug. Behind the injector cover, starting on the left side, was an odd-looking screw head that I didn't touch. On the right was a tubular screen that I took out and cleaned (everything behind the cover was full of rust). In the middle was a plastic circle thingy that looked like it should come out, but it didn't. I'm assuming this was the injector throat/nozzle as someone mentioned here before. I gently probed the center of it with a toothpick. I don't think I accomplished anything aside from cleaning the screen. Under the injector cover that you removed and found an odd looking screw head, that is the injector throat and nozzle. It is a bit hard to think that the lack of salt usage has not tripped the yellow light.. Brine water has a different TDC than none brine water.. Aha, so that was the injector. Is that a screw head I'm looking at? Does the assembly just unscrew? What was the plastic ring in the middle that I tried to remove but couldn't? I was going to mention in my last post that there has been no yellow light. It was red during the entire regen then flipped to green when finished. (I got your PM, thanks) The injector, both parts are hooked together pull out of the gray body. That center piece stays in. While it is in the regen the red light will be on. And you have double checked for a salt bridge? The injector, both parts are hooked together pull out of the gray body. That center piece stays in. While it is in the regen the red light will be on. I mentioned the yellow light in response to your post #11. And you have double checked for a salt bridge? Yes. But I'm not sure what I found this time. There's so much salt in the tank (because it hasn't used any) that it was hard to tell the first time, which I outlined in one of my previous posts from February. So Saturday I took a wooden dowel and jammed it down thru the salt, and it seemed to have some resistance maybe 4-6 up from the bottom, but pushed through easily. So I jammed it up and down all over. So that may be the only thing I've really accomplished so far. Does that injector assembly just wiggle out? I did poke at it a bit, but it didn't seem like it was removable. Bump for an answer to this: Does that injector assembly just wiggle out? I did poke at it a bit, but it didn't seem like it was removable. TIA! The injector throat and nozzle unscrew counter clockwise. Use a flattip screw driver to unscrew each of them. Use masking tape on the end of the screw driver to pull the throat and nozzle out. Thanks for the reply! I will take it apart this weekend and report back. Just what valve are we talking about? Photo? I don't know anything about a valve, but we were talking about the injector assembly that is behind the black cover on the left side of the head. I do have a picture, but they won't allow them here apparently. Anybody know the reason for this? If it is the first gen from water right it was a fleck 4200 and there is no way that the injector assembly will screw out, it pulls out. Ha, well I'll let you guys fight it out! Seriously, I bought it early in '06, so it was probably manufactured in '05 if that helps any. So how do you get the assembly out? There isn't anything much sticking out, maybe just enough to grab with needlenose. I am not going to fight any thing out. I have used the flat nose of a Gerber to hook on the lip and pull it out. The water is good, but there is no salt usage and there is no yellow light. There are some things that are not adding up. With the time that we have been on this ride a service tech more than likely would have been in and gone with any problem fixed.
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