Tech Support Guide
On this page we have listed some of the most common questions we receive for support. Please try to utilize this guide before contacting us for phone support. If you still have questions, please call our tech support department at 412-828-6003. You can also email us at techsupport@waterfiltersofamerica.com
Questions in this guide:
1. Where do I send my water sample for free testing?
2. How do I troubleshoot my degassing Chemical feeder pump?
3. How do I sanitize my water pipes?
4. How do I figure out how much Soda Ash I need to use in my Chemical Feeder?
5. How do I sanitize my Reverse Osmosis (RO) Drinking Water Filter?
6. How do I do a simple in-home tannins test?
8. How do I do a manual/initial backwash?
9. Can my filter be installed outdoors?
10. How do I stop my brine (salt) tank from overfilling?
11. How much bleach should I be using in my Chemical Feeder?
12. How do I replace my Chemical Feeder Tube?
13. How often should I replace my filter cartridges?
15. Why is there no water in my home during a regeneration?
16. Why is my demand water softener not regenerating?
17. Why is my softener not using any salt?
18. How much salt/water should be in my brine tank?
19. How long does a backwash/regeneration take?
20. Why is water going out the drain even when my system is not in backwash/regeneration?
21. How do I know if my well water has Coliform or E. coli?
22. How do I place my filter/softener in bypass.
23. Why is my control valve’s screen blank?
24. What size drain line do I use?
25. How do I get my control valve out of regeneration if I need to?
26. My filter is displaying Service do I need to perform any service?
27. How do I change the time on my Control valve.
28. How do I keep my brine tank from overfilling on my softener with a S100 control valve?
29. I’m leaving town for a while, what should I do with my filtration.
30. Why does my chemical feeder pump keep blowing the tubing out of the injector?
31. How do I check the pressure of my Reverse Osmosis tank?
32. How often should I change the carbon in my backwashing carbon filter?
33. How often should I change my Nitrate/Arsenic filters or resins?
34. How do I depressurize my system.
35. Why is my softener with an S-100 control valve backwashing every night?
36. What method should I use to remove and save the Media from my filter when having to change tanks?
ANSWERS:
1. Where do I send my water sample for free testing?
Water Filters of America Water Testing
***PLEASE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION WITH YOUR SAMPLE***
Questions? Please call us at: 1-800-684-0979
Name: ________________________________________
Address: _______________________________________
City & State: __________________________________________________
Phone: _______________________
Email: ___________________________________________________________
Water source: City______ Private Well______ Other______
Please send sample to:
WFOA Free Water Testing
4920 3rd St
Mckeesport, PA 15132
A plastic bottle with a plastic lid such as a 12 or 16 ounce water or soda bottle would be OK. Rinse it well with raw untreated water. DO NOT use any soaps or cleaners to clean the bottle, as this will possibly alter your test. Fill the bottle completely full with so there is no air in the bottle, and send it to us immediately. It is always best to overnight the sample if possible. Try not to send it on a Friday or Saturday as it may sit for the weekend before testing.
Our friendly expert water techs will contact you the moment our lab has the results. We look forward to receiving your sample.
2. How do I troubleshoot my degassing Chemical feeder pump?
To check the pressure on your chemical pump.
Make sure the degassing hose that comes out of the top of the pump has some water in it, It must have water in it for the pump to prime.
Remove the Chemical pump from the Solution tank.
Remove the suction hose on the bottom of the chemical pump that goes down into the solution tank at the chemical pump.
Remove the injection hose from the injector valve that is in your water line, keeping this hose attached to the chemical pump.
Place the suction nozzle that the suction hose was attached to on the chemical pump into a container of water.
Get the pump to turn on, by opening a faucet in the home to get water flowing and causing your pressure switch to send power to the chemical pump.
Once the chemical pump turns on, hold your thumb over the end of the injection hose, and see what the pressure is like.
It should squirt out around your finger about like a squirt gun.
If it does squirt out, then you need to clean the screen at the end of the suction hose down inside the solution tank , and the injection valve.
The injection valve comes apart and has a ball, seat, and spring inside. Vinegar and water is the best thing to clean these with.
Turn off your water and open a faucet to release pressure in your system before removing the injection nozzle from you plumbing.
If is does not squirt out, then you may need to replace the diaphragm, and possibly some balls, seats, and spring in the KOP.
They can be reached by removing the 4 screws on the faceplate where all the hoses connect.
You can try cleaning the balls seats and springs with vinegar and water sometimes it is just sediment causing them not to seat properly.
If you touch the diaphragm and any of the black from the diaphragm rubs off it, it is worn and needs replacing.
Replacement parts for a Degassing Chem Pump can be purchased here. Chemical Feed Pump Diagram and Chemical Feed Pump Parts
3. How do I sanitize my water pipes?
Here is the method to sanitize your pipes with bleach using your Chemical Feeder/Chlorine injection.
Best to do at night when no water will be used.
Start with just 5 gallons of water, and 1 quart of bleach in your chlorine injector’s solution tank.
If you have a Terminox or Carbon filter, Bypass them.
Go to the furthest faucet in your home and open the faucet until you smell bleach.
Then work your way back doing the same to every faucet, and flush every toilet until you smell bleach.
Let that sit OVERNIGHT, or at least 4 hours.
In the Meantime,
Take any filters you may have put into bypass out of bypass.
If you have a Terminox, run two manual backwashes through your Terminox
Then in the morning or after at least 4 hours, make up your normal injection solution in your solution tank.
Then do the same as before, opening every faucet, this time until you don’t smell bleach anymore.
4. How do I figure out how much Soda Ash I need to use in my Chemical Feeder?
To figure out how to get your pH where it needs to be with a chemical feeder using soda ash.
First, your test point must be after the chemical feeder’s injection point, not the one on the pressure tank or near the pressure tank, BUT BEFORE the Terminox Filter. If you do not have a test port, we strongly recommend installing one.
If you do not have a place you can test before the Terminox we recommend adding one . But if you don’t have one you must put the filter in bypass.
Then turn on the faucet. Let the faucet run until your Well Pump kicks on so that the chemical pump turns on. Then let it run a while to allow the treated water to get to the where you are sampling from. Then test the water.
Your goal is to get the water to 7.6 or above. If your test is not at 7.6 or above then you need to add more soda ash and repeat this process, possibly multiple times to figure out what your recipe should be.
Replacement Soda Ash can be purchased here. Well Water Chlorine Systems for chemical injection.
Note: pH can be very difficult to correct at times it is rare that a wells water does not react to soda ash but it can happen. It’s not your fault, it’s not our fault it’s just the make-up of the water in your well, and it is not something we can predict. If you are using 12cups or more of soda ash in a 15gal solution tank and still not getting to 7.6 or above, then yours is one of those rare wells, and other methods may be needed to get your pH where it needs to be. You should contact one our techs to see what the next step would be. techsupport@waterfiltersofamerica.com
5. How do I sanitize my Reverse Osmosis (RO) Drinking Water Filter?
Drain the storage tank
Take out all the filters
Add a few drops of bleach into the sediment housing. (First Vertical Housing)
Replace all housings with no filters in them.
You should purchase a coupling so you can remove the Taste and Odor filter and connect the clean water line going to the faucet for this procedure as the taste and odor filter is a carbon filter that can remove bleach.
Open the RO faucet until you smell bleach.
Allow it to sit overnight.
Open the RO faucet until you no longer smell bleach.
Replace all filters, and membrane.
Fill and drain storage tank twice with filtered water.
Replacement filter for the ROs can be found here. Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water | Water Filters of America.com
6. How do I do a simple in-home tannins test?
To do a home tannins test is very simple.
Fill a glass with the discolored water. NOTE: The glass must be clear and made of glass.
Add a teaspoon of bleach.
Allow it to sit over night.
If the color clears, it is probable that it is iron causing the discoloration. If it does not, or just partially clears, then you have tannins. Tannins are not affected by bleach, and require a filter that specifically removes tannins.
7. How far apart should I space my backwash times when I have multiple backwashing filters and softeners?
You should space the backwash times one hour apart. Set the backwash times starting with the filter that the water goes through first as the earliest, and the last filter the latest. All times should be set for a time no one will be using water like the middle of the night between 12AM and 4AM.
8. How do I do a manual/initial backwash?
Depending on your control valve it can vary.
Autotrols: have a button all the way to the right that looks like a recycle symbol.
Just hold it down for 5 seconds.
765: Has a dial you just turn clockwise to Ba. Wa. BUT never advance the dial beyond backwash manually, if you need to advance it out of backwash hold the Up and Down arrows at the same time.
89 and 95: Hit the MENU button, go to Manual Regeneration, hit SET, go to Regenerate Now, and hit SET.
WFOA 100 Series: First you have to unlock the valve by holding both ARROW buttons. Then just press the button all the way to the left that looks like a hand with a finger pointing.
Initial Backwash:
After installation or re-bedding of any filter/softener they should be placed into an Initial Backwash. Place the control valve into a manual backwash as described above. When the control valve is fully in backwash and you have a countdown on the screen Unplug the control valve from it’s power source this will pause the timer and lock the control valve into backwash. Leave it unplugged until the water going out the drain line runs crystal clear. Then plug the control valve back into the power source and then allow it to finish backwashing. Once it is done congratulations so are you. Note: If you have multiple filters each must be backwashed individually.
9. Can my filter be installed outdoors?
Yes. BUT they need to be covered and protected from weather like rain, freezing, and even direct sunlight can damage the components. We also recommend you purchase an outdoor transformer.
10. How do I stop my brine (salt) tank from overfilling?
The number one cause of a brine tank over filling is an air leak has developed in the brine hose, usually occurring at the end of the hose.
Simply remove the brine hose, remove the fittings from both ends. Using something very sharp, like a new box cutter blade or a new razor blade, go back about ¼” or so and make a new cut. Use a sawing motion so that you do not pinch the hose. Make sure the cut is straight. Do this to both ends of the hose. Then put it back together and remove any excess water from the brine tank. Get it down to about 12” from the bottom of the brine tank. Then run a manual regeneration and see how much water is replaced in the brine tank. If it is still overfilling, you may need to clean the injectors.
Note: S100 control valve see questions #28
11. How much bleach should I be using in my Chemical Feeder?
Start with 1 cup to 15 gallons of water. If you are fighting strong odor, increase that ½ a cup at a time until you no longer have odors, but also do not smell bleach getting through. Use regular household bleach that is unscented and unconcentrated.
12. How do I replace my Chemical Feeder Tube?
This can be difficult your fist time attempting, so don’t give up, it can be done. Your new feeder tube will appear to be too short; it is not. That is the way they come. It is a good idea to soak the new feeder tube in warm, not too hot, 100 to 110 degrees water for a few minutes. This will make it easier to work with. Then pull and stretch the feeder tube as best as you can before trying to install it. Start by placing the end of the feeder tube into the slot on the SUCTION side first. The roller assembly has a notch in it that the tube fits in. Then turn on a faucet to get your pressure switch to send power to the pump and use the power switch to toggle the roller assembly to help feed the tube around until you can place the other end in its slot on the injection side. Replacement Feeder tubes can be order here. Well Water Chlorine Systems for chemical injection. Note: Most customer unless otherwise informed use a #6 Feeder tube. That is the size that comes with the chem pump.
Replacing The Feeder Tube Video:
13. How often should I change my filter cartridges?
Reverse Osmosis: Pre and post filters every year. Membrane every 3-5 years. (This can vary if you are removing a lot of junk out of your water)
Whole House filters: For carbon and sediment filters. The average is between 6 months to 1 year. That can vary depending on the size of the filter, usage, and the quality of your raw water. With these filters you will probably notice when a change is needed. Chemical odors in your water start coming back, sediment starts showing up, or even a reduced flow due to the filter being clogged.
Other filters like nitrate, arsenic, and tannin filters: These can vary widely depending on usage, and the amount of the substance in the water that needs to be removed. Testing should give you an idea on the life of these types of filters.
Replacement cartridge filters can be found here. Water Filter Cartridges at Budget Prices. Premium quality filters.
14. Why is the level of the solution in my tank for my injection system with a peristaltic injection pump not going down?
The two most common reasons for the solution not to get used are: 1) The feeder tube is worn and needs to be replaced. It is a wear item. Your pump came with the first replacement tube. A sure sign that the feeder tube needs replacing is fluid leaking from the injection pump. 2) The injection nozzle that is installed into you water line is clogged. There is a possibility it can be cleaned by taking it apart and soaking it in a solution of vinegar and water. If the check valve has failed, the injection nozzle may need to be replaced.
15. Why is there no water in my home during a regeneration?
This is normal and why we regenerate filters/softener in the middle of the night when no one is usually using water. The valving inside most control valves stop water from getting past them for a couple of reasons. They need all the flow rate available to regenerate/backwash properly. The other reason is you do not want to suck the nasty water that is being backwashed out of your filtration system into your home. You should avoid using water while your system is regenerating.
16. Why is my demand water softener not regenerating?
A demand water softener regenerates by counting the gallons of water that have passed through it. It is programmed with the hardness of the water in Grains Per Gallon (GPG). Its capacity is also programmed in. There is a sensor that plugs into the incoming or outgoing water line depending on the control valve your softener has. If that sensor is not plugged into it’s receptacle, or in the case of the S100 control valve the wrong receptacle, then the control valve cannot count how many gallons of water have passed through it and does not know when to regenerate. In the S100 control valve the impeller is in the tail piece. The tail piece with the impeller must be installed on the Incoming Side. Both tail pieces hace the receptacle for the sensor wire but only one will have an impeller and it is very easy to install the impeller tail piece on the outgoing side. A way to find this out is to try the sensor wire on both sides turn on a faucet and the Fan/Impeller symbol on the screen will flash when the sensor detects the impeller turning. If it t flashes when plugged into the outgoing side then the tail piece needs to be moved to the incoming side. If it is in its proper receptacle then there could be an issue with the impeller like it simply being jammed by a piece of sediment, and it may need to be cleaned or if damaged then replaced.
17. Why is my softener not using any salt?
If this is a new install, then give it some time. Our demand softeners are very efficient and may not use as much salt as a previous softener you may have had in the past. Other reasons are a salt bridge. Check the salt make sure it has not become a solid especially towards the bottom where the salt touches the water, and the salt is not being suspended above the water. Another reason is to be sure the capacity gallons are counting down, so your softener knows when to regenerate. If the capacity is not counting down then you need to check that the sensor is connected into the proper receptacle, or that the impeller is functioning properly.
S100 valves: The S100 can be confusing because the impeller is in one of the tail pieces and they both look the same except for the impeller that is on the inside of the tail piece. So it is easy to install the tail piece on the wrong side. The tail piece with the impeller must be installed on the incoming left side if you are looking at the softener from the front, and the sensor wire must be plugged into it. It not only counts the gallons so it knows when to regenerate but the S100 also uses gallons not time to regenerate. This is why it must be on the incoming side, if it is on the outgoing and since water goes out the drain not the outgoing side during regeneration it can’t count the water it has used for the regeneration and will stay in regeneration.
Brine Tank: Check your brine tank. The water in your brine tank should never be high enough to touch the float in the Pickup Assembly Tube. That float is a shutoff to help prevent the brine tan from over filling, but just as it is a shut off to prevent too much water from overfilling the brine tank it will also prevent the brine water from being drawn out when it is needed during the regeneration this will cause you not to use salt. See question 28 on how to keep the brine tank on an S100 control valve from over filling. Also check to see if there is a Salt Bridge. Stir your salt see if any of it has become a solid if so, you can break it up or replace the salt. Note: Salt should always be higher than the water.
18. How much salt/water should be in my brine tank?
The number one rule is your salt should be higher than the water in the brine tank. Water should only be somewhere between 7″ and 15″ from the bottom of the brine tank, and NEVER high enough to activate or even touch the float inside the pick-up assembly tube. The salt should be above the water level. Any water above the salt will not brine because salt water is heavier than fresh water. You can keep the salt just above the water or fill the brine tank to the top with salt that is up to you. Just be warned that filling the brine tank all the way with salt increases the chance of causing a salt bridge.
19. How long does a backwash/regeneration take?
Most filters are set to backwash for a total of 30 minutes. 15 minutes of backwash, 15 minutes of renice. Softeners can vary depending on the control valve and capacity of the softener. Most control valves regenerate for 1 to 1.5 hours. Our new S100 does not regenerate based on time but by gallons passed through it. So, depending on your flow rate and the capacity of the softener it can take as little as 10 to 30 minutes to complete it’s regeneration.
20. Why is water going out the drain even when my system is not in backwash/regeneration?
This what is called a leak to drain. It could be caused by a piece of sediment or something else causing the valving inside the control valve to stick open allowing water to get by. Most control valves this can be fixed by cleaning the parts that are sticking. In some cases the parts may have gotten worn out and they may need to be replaced.
21. How do I know if my well water has Coliform or E. coli?
The only way to know is to have the water tested by an independent lab. Needless to say, it is very important to know if your water contains Coliform, E. coli, or any other harmful contaminates so you should have it tested. We offer a wide range paid testing though an independent lab for Coliform E.coli and other possible harmful contaminates in your water. Those tests can be found on this page. Professional water testing for well water. BUDGET PRICES! (waterfiltersofamerica.com)
22. How do I place my filter/softener in bypass.
You should have ordered the bypass valve for your filter’s/softener’s control valve. They are two valve handles usually red in color one on the incoming and one on the outgoing side of the water connections on the control valve. To place the filter in bypass BOTH must be turned 90 degrees to where they are across the flow of water coming into and out of the filter.
23. Why is my control valve’s screen blank?
A blank screen is usually a power supply issue. Start at the beginning and check the breaker box in your home. Then the transformer/power supply for the control valve. If you have two backwashing filters you can do this very simply by swapping the power supplies to see if one is bad. If not, then replacing the power supply would be the first step. If that does not fix the issue, then we may need to move on to replacing the control panel.
24. What size drain line do I use.
WFOA F100/S100 control valves use a 5/8″ inner diameter. We recommend a clear plastic tubing.
F150 and Hydrotech 95 control valves use a 1″ inner diameter clear plastic tubing
All other control valves, Hydrotech 89 and 765, and Autotrol control valves all use 1/2″ Inner diameter clear plastic tubing for their drain lines.
25. How do I get my control valve out of backwash if I need to?
F/S 100
First you have to make the lock light Go Out, even though it looks unlocked if that light is ON you have to get it to turn OFF. To do that just push Both Arrow Buttons at the same time and release them quickly. Once the lock light is OUT then you can push the buttons. The button that is all the way to the left that has a hand with a finger pointing symbol on it is the manual regeneration button. If it is in C1 for a softener or C4 for a filter, then push the manual button. -00- will appear on the screen while the disc is turning. It will advance it to the next cycle C2 softener, C5 filter. Once it reaches C2 or C5, then push that button again and again -00- will appear and it will move to the home position and end the regeneration. If the control valve is already in C2 or C5 then you only need to push the manual button once to get it to the home position.
Hydrotech Valves:
89 Valve: Hold the menu button for a few seconds and the valve will move to the next cycle repeat this until it says Retuning to Service.
765 Valve: NEVER manually turn the dial past the backwash position. To advance it past the backwash Push and hold both arrow buttons this will advance the dial back into Service.
Autotrol: Push both the button with the Square and the button with the Up Arrow to advance back to Service.
26. My filter is displaying Service; do I need to perform any service?
Service is the normal position telling you the softener/filter is softening/filtering. This in most commonly observed with a Hydrotech 765 control valve that has a dial on it. It does not mean the unit needs to have any kind of service preformed on it. The only time it will not display service is when it regenerates itself.
27. How do I change the time on my Control Valve.
WFOA 100 Series
To change the time on a 100 series control valve first you have to unlock it. All the way on the right of the screen you will see a lock light showing up that looks like it is unlocked but if that light is ON the buttons are locked and we need to get that light to go out. To do that, push and release both arrow buttons at the same time. You don’t have to hold them, just push and release both buttons quickly. Once that light is out, the buttons are unlocked and able to be used.
F100: The F100 should already be in filter mode with the clock symbol already on the screen. Push the center button that looks like a wrench. Keep pushing it until you get to C7. C7 is the Hour Of The Day in 24 hour/Military time. Use the Up Arrow to go up and the Right Arrow to go down. When you have the hour set to the correct hour (1-24 for military time), push the wrench button again to go to C8 and set the minutes.
S100: The S100 will be in softener mode with a Fan on the screen. Follow the same steps to unlock it. The second button from the left has a fan and clock symbol on it. Push that button to put the clock symbol on the screen. Then follow the same steps to set the clock as the F100 directions above. NOTICE: Be sure to press the Fan/Clock button and put the Fan Symbol back on the screen when you are done setting the clock so that the softener is back in demand mode. Failure to do this will cause issues and could cause your brine tank to overfill, and your salt to get used up very quickly.
The lock light will come back on automatically after a few minutes of no interaction. If it does before you finish, just press both arrow buttons again and it will go out.
Autotrol Control valves
Press the square button. While the clock is flashing, use the arrows to change the time. AM will not have any indicator next to the time, PM will say PM next to the time.
Hydrotech Control valves
For all Hydrotech models, setting the time is the first thing that comes up when you push the Settings Button.
For the 765 control valve, the clock will start flashing, meaning it can be changed using the arrow buttons.
On an 89 Control valve, press the Menu button. The first menu choice is Date/Time. Highlight it and hit the set button and adjust the time. When finished, press the menu button again and you will see “Setting Complete.”
28. How do I keep my brine tank overfilling on my softener with a S100 control valve?
These S100 valves operate differently than any other softener control valves available. Because they not only meter themselves by gallons, they also regenerate by gallons of water instead of a timer. With every customer having a different Flow Rate, this can cause us to have to tweak the C2 (rinse/brine fill cycle) setting so we can get the brine tank to fill to the right level.
To do that, first locate the brine pick up assembly tube in the brine tank. The pickup assembly has a float on it. The water should never touch that float. If the water is touching the float, we need to get the extra water. Use whatever method is best for you. Such as a siphon hose, or a shop vac, or bailing with a bucket. Place a mark 15″ from the bottom of the brine tank so you can see it. You don’t need to get the water that low right now. But once the water is about 2″ below the float, place the softener into a manual regeneration. Press both arrow buttons to make the lock light go OUT. It looks unlocked, but it is not unlocked unless that light is OUT. Then press the button all the way on the left that looks like a hand with a finger pointing. After the -00- goes away, C1 will appear with a number. That number should start counting down. At the same time the water should slowly be sucked out of the brine tank until it is within an inch or so of being emptied. It may still have gallons left to count down on the screen. That is normal, just let it go. Then it will shift to C2 after the -00- and a number will be displayed. That, too, will start to count down. But now the brine tank will start to fill. This is where you need to watch the brine tank filling. When/if the water fills to that 15″ mark, look at the screen of the control panel and note what the number is left in the C2 cycle. At this point you can push the regeneration button and take it out of regeneration. Now push the button that has the Wrench symbol on it and go to C2. Whatever C2 is set to, subtract the number that you noted was left on C2 while the softener was in regeneration and the brine reached 15″. Set C2 to that new number. Then run a regeneration again and the brine tank should fill to the right level. Put enough salt in the brine tank so that the salt is above the water level, and you should be all set.
29. I’m leaving town for a while, what should I do with my filtration.
If you have a Terminox ISM for iron, you have to manually backwash it just before you leave so there is no collected iron sitting in it while you are gone. This can cause the media to become iron bound. Once the backwash is complete, you can simply unplug it from its power supply. You should backwash all your backwashing filters before you leave, but it is very important that you be sure to backwash the Terminox. Winterizing: If you are leaving for the Winter and the filters will be reaching freezing temps then you have to Winterize the filters by removing some of the water out of them to allow for expansion if they freeze. After backwashing, turn off the water. Open faucets to remove the water pressure from your system. Once pressure is relieved, then you may use your bypass valve, if purchased, and use its quick connect system to remove the control valve from the plumbing while allowing water to flow back into the home. Then remove the control valve from the top of the tank and remove some water. Leave the control valve off the filter to allow for expansion during freezing. When you return, reinstall the control valve and do a manual backwash again.
30. Why does my chemical feeder pump keep blowing the tubing out of the injector?
When installing an injector, it helps to cut the first inch or two of tubing off at the end that connects to the injector to ensure a clean, fresh start. It is important to make sure that the tubing is pressed onto the tapered ferule part of the injector as far as it will go before tightening the compression nut. If it proves too difficult, it can help to heat the end of the tubing slightly to make it more pliable. Try these steps in order to ensure a tight, leak-free installation.
31. How do I check the pressure of my Reverse Osmosis tank?
The pressure in your RO tank should be between 7 and 8psi when the tank is empty. Since that pressure is relatively low, a standard mechanical tire gauge will probably not register. You may need to acquire a digital gauge. To begin, turn off the supply to the tank and open the faucet to drain off the pressure. Then, remove the tank from under the sink, open the valve, and turn the tank upside down in your sink allowing it to drain completely. Once empty, use the digital gauge to check the empty pressure in the tank. If the pressure is not within range, use a hand tire pump to add air to the tank one pump at a time. NOTE: Do Not use any kind of powered pump or compressor. You should only add one pump at a time. Then, check the pressure again. If over 8psi, let some air out and check again. Once the pressure is within range, allow the tank to sit for an hour and check the pressure to make sure there isn’t an air leak. If no change occurred, reinstall the pressure tank. NOTE: If any water escapes from the Schrader Valve (air nozzle) on the tank then the diaphragm in your pressure tank has failed and the tank needs to be replaced.
32. How often should I change the carbon in my backwashing carbon filter?
There are a number of factors that can determine when the carbon in a backwashing carbon filter needs changing. Size of the filter and the volume of carbon it contains. The amount of contaminates in the water being removed by the carbon. The water usage by the household. The average can vary anywhere from 1 to 5 years. The best way to know is of course to have the water tested to see if any contaminates like chlorine are getting through. There are other signs, like if you start to smell or taste the contaminates in the water again, then it is probably time to re-bed your carbon filter. Replacement carbon can be found here. Well Water Treatment Equipment and Accessories Note: It would be best for you to know the capacity of your filter in Cubic Feet, so you know how much to replace. Also don’t forget to order gravel on the same page. Usually, one order of gravel is all that’s needed.
33. How often should I change my Nitrate/Arsenic filters or resins?
Testing is the only real way to know when to change the cartridge in a cartridge filter, or the media in a backwashing filter. These can vary depending on the size of the filter. Amount of contaminates in the water, and household usage.
34. How do I depressurize my system.
There may come times when you need to do maintenance to your filtration that will require you to remove the control valve you will want to depressurize your whole system before doing so. To depressurize your system to do maintenance on your filtration the first thing is to turn off your water main, or for a well just turn off the power to your well’s pump. Then open a few faucets and drain off all the pressure until there is no water coming out of the faucets. Your system including the filter are now depressurized. If you need water back in the home while doing the maintenance and you have bypass valves you can now bypass your filtration and then turn your water back on. Bypass must be open during depressurization to allow the pressure out of the filters. Then the bypass can be close once pressure is relieved.
35. Why is my softener with a S-100 control valve backwashing every night?
The reason your softener is backwashing every night is because it is in Timer Mode instead of Demand/Metered Mode. It is an easy fix.
First you have to unlock the buttons so you can use them. To do that you will see a lock light ‘that looks unlocked’ but that light needs to go out. To do that press both ARROW BUTTONS and release them. When that lock light goes out then you can use the buttons.
The second button from the left has a FAN and a CLOCK symbol on it, you must have the FAN symbol on the screen. Just push that button putting the FAN on the screen. Now you are in metered mode, and the softener will only regenerate when it reaches its capacity.
36. What method should I use to remove and save the Media from my filter when having to change tanks?
Transferring the media from the defective tank can be made easier by using a wet/dry vac. It can also be helpful to attach the extensions to the vac hose. If those aren’t available, an appropriately sized PVC pipe taped to the hose could help to reach the bottom of the tank. If those options aren’t available, taping the vac hose to a broom handle or stick might do the trick. If none of these options are available, you can try to tip the tank over and pour off the water, lay the tank down on its side with the opening over a shallow container or tarp big enough to catch and save the media and dump it out. You may need to use a long apparatus like the afore mentioned broom handle to scrape the media out of the tank and a garden hose to spray out the last remaining, stubborn media.
If you have any other questions, please contact our tech support department at 412-828-6003
Or it is best to email us at: techsupport@waterfiltersofamerica.com
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