Hi @dchall

To start with, buy a Hach test kit 5-B so you have an accurate test. Don't base everything off what someone else said - particularly if you are getting different info. Buy THIS test kit - not one with test strips.

Use these settings:

DF = GAL
VT= df1b
CT = FD

NT = 1Capacity (C) Size = 32,000 grain ( 1.0 cubic feet) > Use 25 x 1000 for C setting(The capacity is being down-rated so that you use less salt. 32000 grains per cu ft of resin is based on 15# of salt per cu ft - which is nutty. Instead we will set this to use about 8# of salt per cu ft.

H= Use your hardness value in grains per gallon.RS = SF

SF = 5
DO = 14
RT = the time of day you want the softener to regenerate (most people use 2am)
BW = 10
BD = 60

RR = 10

The next setting is Brine Fill (BF). The BF value needs to be matched to the Capacity (C) value from above

If C = 25 x 1000 then BF = 5

With these settings you will regenerate as needed (metered) and at least every 14 days. You will use about 8# of salt each time. If there are just 2 of you and your water is 7 grains hard, you will be wasting a lot of salt still. (7 grains x 70 gal per person x 2 = 1050 grains per day. 25000 grain capacity / 1050 grains per day = 23.8 days. You will be regening every 14 days)

If your hardness is really 17 grains then the math is: (17 grains x 70 gal per person x 2 = 2380 per day. 25000 / 2380 = 10.5 days which is less than 14)

Let us know what your real hardness level is. If it really is the lower number, we can adjust "C" and "BF" numbers down some.

Thank you, Jake. That test kit looks like the one the plumber used. We did this test together. He took water from outside, used a teensy black measuring scoop to drop some crystals in, shook it up, and counted drops until the water turned colorless. Does that sound right? The plumber thought it would be higher than 7 grains, too.

If I understand this you are suggesting under charging the resin by adjusting the timing. That sounds great. So I should reset the Capacity from 32,000 to 25,000; Safety Factor from default to 5; and Brine Fill from default to 5 minutes. And then Backwash, Brine Draw, and Rapid Rinse stay at default. I'll double check to see they are 10, 60, and 10.

My wife and I are both retired, but she's gone back to work part time at the library. I'm home in the house and usually on the computer. This is going to be interesting to fine tune the softener. During the non-summer the two of us take an average of 7 showers per week. During the summer we might take 15 showers per week if we're doing much gardening (San Antonio heat), but that is an extreme number. Her shower is about 10 minutes with a 4gph shower head. Mine is 20 minutes with a 2.5gph, so water usage is about 40-50 gallons for each shower. After that it's dish washing, ice cubes, flushing, laundry, and cooking. Where's my spreadsheet!?!?

Something new popped up before I changed the settings. The morning after the recharge there was water on the floor under the softener. Thinking it was related to the recharging, and knowing I had 2 weeks to tend to it, I finally looked at it tonight. The black brine tubing came out of the float valve and was dangling from the valve. The water level in the brine tank was a couple inches below the overflow spout. I siphoned the water down to the salt level and then reprogrammed the valve according to the previous posts. The water level is now about 12 inches below the overflow. Should I drain more water out of the brine tank?

I would run a regen cycle and let the softener suck the water out. When the cycle is done, the water level should be where its supposed to be (which is essentially empty on my Clack system).

Apparently the problem is more serious than just the disconnected black pipe. I adjusted the settings as noted in the previous replies. Then I happened to be in the kitchen at 2am when the unit began regeneration, so I decided to monitor all 75 minutes of the operation.

The first part of the cycle is the 5-minute slow rinse. It's hard to tell what's going on inside, but it seemed like there was water flowing in both the black pipe and the clear drain pipe.

Step 2 is the backwash for 10 minutes. Again can't know what is going on inside, and I don't remember whether the drain and brine piping felt 'active'.

Step 3 is the 60 minute brine wash. Both pipes were definitely active during this time. The brine tank took on another 5 gallons of water to the point where I was getting ready to bail water as it approached the overflow.

Step 4 is the 10 minute rapid rinse. I believe only the drain line felt active.

Step 5 is the 5 minute settling rinse. Neither pipe felt active.

Step 6 is the brine refill. The unit was silent during this step.

So I'm left with a brine tank full of water. Here is what the troubleshooting manual says...

Excessive water in brine tank.

1. Plugged drain line flow control. Clean flow control.
2. Plugged injector system. Clean injector and screen.
3. Timer not cycling. Replace timer.
4. Foreign material in brine valve. Replace brine valve seat and clean valve.
5. Foreign material in brine line flow control. Clean brine line flow control.

The question is which of these choices should I investigate first? The timer seems to be cycling, so I would put item 3 at the bottom of the list.