Hellenbrand E3 Owner's Manual

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Consumer’s Manual

©2014

Manufactured by:

HELLENBRAND, INC.

This owner’s manual is designed to assist owners with the operation and maintenance of your new water softener. It is our sincere
hope that this manual is clear, concise and helpful. We have included information and instructions relating to the basics of soft water,
general operating conditions, start-up, and meter & timer programming. Also included are parts diagrams and a troubleshooting guide.

In the event that you need professional assistance for servicing your water softener, please contact the dealer who installed
this system.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Soft Water Basics ....................................................................................................................................................................................3

Water Hardness

Water Softener Regeneration

Prell Option

Maintaining Salt Level

Frequently Asked Questions....................................................................................................................................................................4

Operating Conditions ............................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Pre-Installation Check List ....................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Programming Level 1 .............................................................................................................................................................................. 5

General Information

Set Time of Day

Settings

Test Water and Set Hardness

Set Day Override

Set Regeneration Time

Start-Up ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6

Bypass Operation/Drawings

Start-Up Instructions

General Operating Information .............................................................................................................................................................7-8

User Displays

Manual Regeneration

Maintenance -Type of Salt/Maintaining Salt Level

Water Softener Disinfection

Water Softener Draining Procedure

Troubleshooting .......................................................................................................................................................................................9

Parts Diagrams .................................................................................................................................................................................10-15

Warranty ................................................................................................................................................................................................16

2

SOFT WATER BASICS

Water Hardness

Excess amounts of calcium and magnesium in water produce
hardness. A water softener removes the majority of calcium and
magnesium to produce softened water.
Hardness is measured in terms of grains. (This grain weight
is derived from the average weight of a dry grain of wheat.)
When your water is tested the grain hardness is calculated and
expressed as grains per gallon (gpg). This calculation, as well
as the number of people in your household will help determine
what type and size of water softener will most efciently soften
your water.
Your water softener contains an ion exchange
media (often called resin) which removes the hardness from
water as it ows through the softener tank. Eventually so much
hardness collects on the exchange media that the softener can
no longer soften water. At this point it is considered "exhausted".
Regeneration is now necessary.

Water Softener Regeneration

To regenerate the exchange media, it must be rinsed with a
brine (salt) solution. This removes the hardness from the exchange
media and replaces it with sodium. The exchange media is then
ready to remove hardness from water. The hardness minerals
and excess brine solution are rinsed down the drain.
During the regeneration cycle the softening media is also
backwashed. This reversing of the normal ow of water serves
to remove sediment which may have accumulated during the
softening process due to the ltering action of the exchange media.
Backwashing also loosens and uffs up the bed of exchange
media to insure that during regeneration the brine solution will
come into contact with all the media.

Figure 1

Prell Option

Your softener is factory programmed with the Prell option. The prell option puts water into the brine tank 2 hours prior to a sched­uled regeneration and provides the best environment for maintenance and salt storage in your brine tank. When programmed as
Prell, you will typically not see water in the brine tank unless salt supply is low and needing to be replenished.

Maintaining Salt Level

Salt: Salt to a softener is what gasoline is to a car. Not only must a softener have salt, but it should be the proper type to insure
efcient recharging of the unit. Ask your dealer what type of salt may best suit your needs. Always have an adequate supply of salt on
hand. Check the salt level of your brine tank every couple of weeks initially to determine how much salt you use - this will depend on
how much water you use. As a rule of thumb, with 20 gpg hard water, about a 1/2 lb. of salt per person per day is used. In other words,
a family of four uses 60 lbs. of salt a month. Fill the tank approximately three-fourths full, with a minimum of 12” of salt. If your
household does not use much water, do not ll your brine tank over 1/2 full, salt bridging may occur in the brine tank. This may result in
hard water due to ineffective regeneration. DO NOT USE Block Salt when the E3 control is programmed with a brine tank prell. Block
salt does not dissolve quickly enough to provide a good regeneration.
Cleaning the Brine Tank: The brine tank may require periodic cleaning. Inspect the brine tank at least once a year for buildup
of insoluble materials. It is recommended to periodically clean the brine tank no matter what kind of salt you are using. See page 7,
Maintenance #2 for details on cleaning.

REMEMBER: Salt is the fuel to run your water softener. Buy the best clean salt available.

3

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. Do I still use the same amount of soap in the dishwasher and clothes washer and showers now that I have a water softener? No,

the Water Quality Association states soft water can save up to 55% on detergent use. Start with using half the amount of detergent previ­ously used, this can be adjusted up or down based on preference.

2. What is the health impact of drinking soft water? The sodium added to water by a softener is a non-issue most of the time, even for

people on a sodium-restricted diet. One could soften up to 75 grains per gallon water with sodium chloride and still be well within the US
Food and Drug Administration’s guidelines for a “Low Sodium” beverage. People on a sodium-restricted diet should consult their physician.

3. Should I use soft water for my plants? Some plants may be sensitive to even minute amounts of sodium. Suggest using hard water for

watering plants, often a kitchen cold faucet is plumbed for hard water or the outside faucets are usually plumbed for hard water. If not, you
can place your softener on bypass and ll water containers at the closest sink. Water from a reverse osmosis system can always be used
to water plants.

4. Will water spots disappear now that I have soft water? Water spots caused by hardness scale will disappear with a functioning water

softener. However, other natural minerals dissolved in the water may cause spotting in high enough concentrations. These mineral spots
will be much easier to wipe away compared to hardness spotting.

5. Will soft water cause my water or ice cubes to look or taste different? Most people can tell the difference in taste between hard and

soft water, it is a personal preference. Ice cubes will appear the same, they may look cloudy due to air in water or dissolved minerals, and
this will not change because they are made with softened water. A reverse osmosis drinking water system will provide clearer ice cubes.

OPERATING CONDITIONS

Your water conditioner has been designed to adequately
handle up to 100 grains per gallon of hardness as well as up to
2 ppm of ferrous bicarbonate iron. This is iron that is dissolved
in water and not visible to the eye in a freshly drawn sample.
Upon standing in contact with air, the ferrous iron will become
oxidized to the ferric state and start to precipitate as a reddish
brown oc. It can be seen and may cause discolored water. In
order for your softener to remove the iron, air (oxygen) must be
kept from coming in contact with water until after it has been

PRE-INSTALLATION CHECK LIST

(All electrical & plumbing should be done in accordance to all local codes)

Water Pressure: A minimum of 25 pounds of water pressure

(psi) is required for regeneration. Maximum 125 psi.
Water Quality: On rural water supplies there is often a problem

with sand or sediment in the water. (This problem occasionally
occurs in public water supplies.) If the water is not ltered before
being softened, the sand and sediment may plug up the water
softener restricting the ow through the resin bed. This problem
often requires rebedding of the mineral tank. Note: Well and/

or pump problems aecting the operation of the softener are
repairs that are not covered under warranty. To prevent these
unnecessary, and expensive repairs that are not covered under
warranty, we recommend the installation of an in-line lter system
ahead of a water softener.

Electrical: A continuous 110 volt 60 cycle current supply is
required. Make certain the current supply is uninterrupted and

cannot be turned o with another switch. All electrical connec­tions must be connected per local codes. Surge protection is

recommended with all electric controls.

Existing Plumbing: Condition of existing plumbing must be
free from lime and iron build-up. Piping that is built-up heavily

passed through the water conditioner. In some cases, additional
equipment may be required to treat water supplies having special
characteristics, such as: ferric hydroxide iron, iron bacteria, low
pH, taste and odors, etc. If any question should exist, contact
your dealer.

This water softener is not intended to be used for treating
water that is microbiologically unsafe or of unknown qual­ity without adequate disinfection before or after treatment.

with lime and/or iron must be replaced. If piping is blocked with
iron, additional equipment must be installed ahead of the water
conditioner to correct the problem.

Drain Line: The softener should be located close to a drain.
Avoid overhead drain lines if possible to prevent back pressure
on the brine injector. Overhead drains are not to exceed 8 feet
above the oor and no more than 20 feet in length. The pipe
size for the drain line should be a minimum of 3/4”. Backwash
ow rates in excess of 7 gpm or length in excess of 20’ require
1” drain line.

Bypass Valves: Always provide for the installation of a bypass
valve.

Softening: It is recommended that the conditioner be installed
to soften both the hot and cold water supply. A separate hard
water faucet may be plumbed for drinking purposes if desired.
Outside faucets should be left on hard water.

Caution: Water temperature is not to exceed 110°F; the condi­tioner cannot be subject to freezing conditions, or to a vacuum
due to loss of pressure (such as a water main break).

4

PROGRAMMING LEVEL 1

GENERAL INFORMATION

The E3 control valve is the “brain” of your water softener. It consists of the valve
body and powerhead with solid state microprocessor.
The display panel (see Figure 2) consists of the LCD display and ve push
buttons which are used in displaying and programming the water softener settings.

SET TIME OF DAY

SET

➔

SET TIME

6:35

PM

STEP 1

STEP 2

=  Up Arrow =  Down Arrow

Step 1 - Press SET CLOCK.

Step 2 - Current Time (hour): Set the hour of the day using  or  buttons. AM/PM

toggles after 12. Press NEXT to go to step 3.

Step 3 - Current Time (minutes): Set the minutes of day using  or  buttons. Press
NEXT to exit Set Clock. Press REGEN to return to previous step.

Figure 2

➔

SET TIME

6:35

PM

➔

RETURN TO ROTATING DISPLAY

STEP 3

Power Loss -

backup
day needs to be reset, all other values are stored in non-volatile memory. When time of
day is ashing, replace lithium coin type 2032 battery.

Battery back-up feature will be activated after 24 hours of power.

Do not forget to reset for daylight savings time.

Lithium battery on circuit board provides up to 2 years of time clock

during power outages. If the power is out when battery is depleted, only time of

SETTINGS - HARDNESS, DAY OVERRIDE, REGENERATION TIME

Step 1 - Press NEXT and  simultaneously for 3 seconds.

Step 2 - HARDNESS: Set the amount of total compensated hardness in grains (hard-
ness as calcium carbonate) per gallon using  or  buttons. The factory setting is
20 with value ranges from 1 to 150 in 1 grain increments. Note: The grains per gallon

should be increased if soluble iron needs to be reduced. Add 3 grains of hardness
for each ppm of iron present. If this display shows nA -, then system is set-up in “lter”
mode or "AUTO" is not selected in softener system setup. Press NEXT to go to Step 3.
Press REGEN to exit Settings.

Step 3 - DAY OVERRIDE: This sets the number of days between regenerations. If
value set to “oFF” regeneration initiation is based solely on gallons used. If value is set
as a number (allowable range from 1 to 28) a regeneration initiation will be called for on
that day even if sufcient number of gallons were not used to call for a regeneration. Set
Day Override using  or  buttons: Factory setting is 14 days.

• number of days between regeneration (1 to 28); or

• “oFF”

Step 4 - REGENERATION TIME (hour): Set the hour of day for regeneration using  or
 buttons. AM/PM toggles after 12. The factory setting time is 2:00 a.m. Press NEXT

to go to step 5. Press REGEN to return to previous step.

NOTE: When installing this unit as part of a multi unit parallel system the
day must be adjusted to prevent multiple units from regenerating

➔

WATER HARDNESS

SET

20

➔

DAYS BETWEEN REGEN

SET

14

➔

REGEN TIME HOUR

SET

2:00

➔

AM

STEP 1

STEP 2

GR

STEP 3

STEP 4

regen time of

at the same time.

REGEN TIME MINUTES

SET

2:00

AM

STEP 5

➔

5

RETURN TO ROTATING DISPLAY

Step 5 - REGENERATION TIME (minutes): Set the minutes of day for regeneration
using  or  buttons. This display will not be shown if system is set for immediate
regeneration. Press NEXT to exit Installer Displays/Settings. Press REGEN to return to
previous step.