Kenmore 625.3485400, 625.3485500 User Manual

OWNER’S

MANUAL

MODEL NOS.

625.3485400

Super Capacity Genius

625.3485500

Super Capacity Genius

Caution:
Read and Follow
All Safety Rules and
Operating Instructions
Before First Use of
This Product.

W ater Softeners

u Warranty
u Start Up / Setting Timer

If you have questions when
installing, operatingor main­taining your softener, and
when setting the timer, call
this toll--free number...

1--800--426--9345

SAVE THIS MANUAL

Sears, Roebuck and Co., Hoffman Estates, IL 60179 USA

PRINTED IN U.S.A.

u How It Works
u Care Of
u Specifications
u Repair Parts

Use plastic bag and tie provided, to hang manuals nearby

the softener for future reference.

WARRANTY

SEARS RESIDENTIAL WATER SOFTENER

FULL TEN YEAR WARRANTY AGAINST LEAKS

Fortenyearsfromthedate ofpurchase,Searswillfurnishand installanewcurrentmodelwater
softener tank or salt storage drum, free of charge, if either the tank or drum develop a leak.

FULL THREE YEAR ELECTRONICS W ARRANTY

For a period of three years from date of purchase, Sears will replace the BRINE TANK LIGHT,
ELECTRONICBOARD, SENSOR HOUSING,WIRING HARNESS, TRANSFORMER,MICRO
SWITCH, DRIVE MOTOR, OR POWER CABLE, should they be defective in material or work­manship.

FULL ONE YEAR WARRANTY ON WATER SOFTENER

For one year from the date of purchase, when this water softener is installed and maintained
in accordance with our instructions, Sears will repair, free of charge, all other parts which may
be defective in material or workmanship.

TO OBTAIN W ARRANTY SERVICE, SIMPLY CONTACT THE NEAREST SEARS SERVICE
CENTERTHROUGHOUTTHEUNITEDSTATES.Thiswarrantyappliesonlywhilethisproduct
is in use in the United States.

This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may have other rights which vary from
state to state.

Sears, Roebuck and Co., D/817 WA, Hoffman Estates, IL 60179

Ifyou want yourwater softener professionallyinstalled,talk to yourSears Salesman. Hewillarrange
for a prompt, quality installation by Sears Authorized Installers.

SEARS INSTALLATION POLICY

All installation labor arranged by Sears shall be
performed in a neat, workmanlike manner in
accordance with generally accepted trade prac­tices. Further,all installations shall comply with
all local laws, codes, regulations, and ordi­nances.Customershall alsobeprotected,during
installation, by insurance relating to Property
Damage, Workman’s Compensation and Public

SEARS INSTALLATION WARRANTY

In addition to any warranty extended to you on
the Sears merchandiseinvolved, which warran­tybecomes effective the datethe merchandise in
installed, should the workmanship of any Sears
arranged installation prove faulty within one
year, Sears will, upon notice from you, cause
suchfaultstobecorrectedatnoadditionalcostto
you.

Liability.

FACTS AND FIGURES TO KEEP

Fill in the blanks below and keep this book in a safe
place so you always have these facts.

Water Softener Model No.†
Serial Number
Date Installed
Water Hardness Grains Per Gallon
Iron Content Parts Per Million
*pH Taste And/Or Odor
Water Pressure Pounds/Square Inch
Water Flow Rate Gallons Per Minute

† The model number is on the rating decal, located

on the rim, under the salt hole cover.

2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

NO.

SECTION 1 SOFTENER START UP

A. SAFETY GUIDES 4
B. CHECK LIST OF STEP-BY-STEP GUIDES TO INSTALL 5
C. PROGRAM THE TIMER 6-7
D. SANITIZING THE WATER SOFTENER 8
E. FILL THE STORAGE TANK WITH SALT 9

SECTION 2 HOW YOUR WATER SOFTENER WORKS

A. FACE PLATE TIMER FEATURES 10-11
B. SOFT WATER SERVICE AND REGENERA TION 12-14

SECTION 3 CARE OF YOUR SOFTENER

A. SALT: REFILLING STORAGE TANK, SALT BRIDGE 15
B. KEEPING THE WATER SOFTENER CLEAN 16
C. KEEP THE SOFTENER FROM FREEZING 17
D. HELPFUL HINTS CHECKLIST 18

SECTION 4 OTHER THINGS TO KNOW

A. DIMENSIONS/SPECIFICATIONS 19

SECTION 5 SERVICE TECH INFORMATION

A. TROUBLESHOOTING 20-23
D. ROTARY V ALVE SERVICE 24
E. WATER FLOW THROUGH THE SOFTENER VALVE 25-27

SECTION 6 REPAIR PARTS 28-31

3

SECTION 1

1A. SAFETY GUIDES

WATER SOFTENER START-UP

s Read all steps, guides and rules carefully be­fore installing and using yournew water softener.
Follow all steps exactly to correctly install. Fail­ure to follow them could cause personal injury or
property damage. Reading this book will also
help you to get all of the benefits from your water
softener .

s Your water softener will remove hardness min­erals and “clear water” iron from water, up to the
limits shown on page 19. It will not remove other
types of iron, acids, tastes and odors, etc. It will
not purify polluted water or make it safe to drink.

s Protect the softener and piping from freezing.
Damage from freezing voids the softener warran ­ty. See page 17.

CAUTIONS

PLEASEREADANDCOMPLYWITH THE FOL­LOWING GUIDES TO PREVENT DAMAGE TO
THE SOFTENER OR OTHER PROPERTY,
PERSONAL INJURY, OR POSSIBLE FATAL
SHOCK.

s THIS SOFTENER WORKS ON 24 VOLTS
ONLY.BESURE TOUSE THETRANSFORMER
INCLUDED, AND PLUG IT INTO A 120V OUT ­LET.

s Unplug the transformer right away if the
power cable sould become damaged or
frayed. Make repairs before plugging back
into the power outlet.

s Always unplug the softener from electrical
power before removing outer valve covers.

4

SECTION 1

1B. CHECK LIST OF ALL STEP-BY-STEP GUIDES TO INSTALL

Refer to the Installation Manual, part no.
7141417, for step-by-step guides.

To be sure you have done all the steps to install
the softener, read the following list. Page num­bers referred to are in the Installation Manual.

4 Is the house water flow going INTO the soft-

ener valve INLET? Trace piping to be sure.
See pages 10 and 11.

4 Is the plumbing bypassvalve(or3valves)set

for SERVICE? See FIG. 12, page 19 of this
manual.

WATER SOFTENER START-UP

4 Is the valve drain hose connected the right

way, and without sharp bends or kinks that
couldstoporreducewaterflow?Seepage16.

4 Is the softener power cable connected to the

transformer?Is the transformer pluggedinto
an inside, 120V-60Hz electrical outlet? See
page 20.

4 Be sure to restart the water heater. See page

20.

3--valve

brass

plastic

5

SECTION 1

1C. PROGRAM THE TIMER

FIG. 1

WATER SOFTENER START-UP

When the transformer is plugged in, the model
code AR31, and a test number (example: A1.0)
show in the face plate display for 4 seconds.
Then, 12:00 AM and PRESENT TIME begin to
flash.

NOTE:

If AR-- shows in the display, press the UP or
DOWN button until AR31 shows. Then, press
the #1 SELECT button to set, and change to the
flashing PRESENT TIME display.

Tocheckthemodelcode,unplugthetransformer
atthewalloutletandpluginagain.ifotherthan

AR31 shows, see page 18 to reset.

repeatedlywhen the display reaches 1 using the
DOWN button, or the highest hardness setting
using the UP button.

1. SET PRESENT TIME OF DAY:

NOTE:

If the words¼PRESENT TIME do not show
in the display, press the #1 SELECT button
(FIG. 1) until they do, or see the notes above.

n Press the UP/DOWN buttons to set the
present time. Press UP to move the display
ahead;pressDOWNtomovethetimebackward.

If the present time is between
noonandmidnight,besurePM
shows.

If the present time is between
midnight and noon, be sure
AM shows.

SOUND “BEEPER”: A “beeper” sounds while
pressing buttons for timer set-up. One beep
signals a change in the face plate display.
Repeated beeps mean the timer will not accept a
changefromthebuttonyouhavepressed,telling
you to use another button. For example, while
setting the hardness (step 2), the beeper sounds

NOTE:

Each press of the UP/DOWN
buttons changes the time by 1
minute.Holding the buttonsin
changes the time 32 minutes
each second.

6

SECTION 1

1C. PROGRAM THE TIMER

WATER SOFTENER START-UP

2. SET WATER HARDNESS NUMBER:

n Press the #1 SELECT button once to
display 15 (flashing) and HARDNESS.

The grains per gallon (gpg)
hardness of your water sup­ply is on your water analysis
report. Be sure to enter water
test results on page 2, for
future reference.

NOTE:

If your water supply contains iron, compensate
for it by adding to the water hardness number.

For example, assume your water is 15 gpg hard and
contains2ppmiron.Add5tothehardnessnumberfor
each1 ppm ofiron.In this example,youwould use 25
for your hardness number.

15 gpg hardness

2 ppm iron x 5 = 10 +10

(times) 25 HARDNESS NUMBER

n Press the UP/DOWN buttons to set your
water hardness number in the display. The
DOWN button moves the display to 1. The UP
button moves the display to the highest setting
(see maximum setting for your model in the
specifications).

NOTE:

3. SETRECHARGE(REGENERATION)TIME:

n Pressthe #1 SELECT button to display 2:00
AM (flashing) and RECHARGE TIME.

At the 2:00 AM RECHARGE
TIME setting, the softener be­gins regeneration (see pages
12 and 13) at 2:00 AM, ending
nolaterthan4:00AM.Thisisa
goodtimein mosthouseholds
because water is not being
used (see AUTOMATIC BY­PASS, page 14). If a different
RECHARGE TIME setting
would be better for your
household, do the following.

n Press the UP/DOWN buttons to set the
desired RECHARGE starting hour. Be sure to
observethe AM-PMasyou did whensetting the
present time of day.

NOTE:

Each press of the UP/DOWN buttons changes
the display 1 hour. Holding the buttons in
changes the display twice each second.

n Press the #1 SELECT button once again, to
return the present time, and RECHARGE TO­NIGHT in the display.

EachpressoftheUP/DOWNbuttonchangesthe
display by 1 between 1 and 25. Between 25 and
the highest number, the display changes 5 at a
time¼25, 30, 35, etc. Holding the UP or DOWN
buttoninchangesthedisplaytwiceeachsecond.

IF YOU NEED HELP PROGRAMMING THE TIMER, CALL TOLL FREE, NUMBER

1-800-426-9345.

SEE PAGES 10 AND 11 FOR OTHER FACE PLATE TIMER FEATURES.

7

SECTION 1

1D. SANITIZING THE WATER SOFTENER

WATER SOFTENER START-UP

Care is taken at the factory to keep your water
softener clean and sanitary. Materials used to
make the softener will not infect or contaminate
yourwatersupply, and will notcausebacteriato
form or grow. However, during shipping, stor­age, installing and operating, bacteria could get
into the softener. For this reason, sanitizing as
follows is suggested¬when installing.

1. Lift the salt hole cover and use a pail or hose

to fill the salt storage tank with at least 3
gallons of water.

2. Remove the brinewell cover (FIG. 3) and

pour about 3/4 ounce of common 5.25%
household bleach (Clorox, Linco, BoPeep,
White Sail, Eagle, etc.) in the softener brine­well.

3. PresstheON/OFF-HOLDbuttonand holdfor

3 seconds to start a recharge. This first re-

charge does several things.

FIG. 2 ADD WATER

Salt Hole
Cover

hose

Water,

About 3 Gallons

Brinewell

Cover

(remove and add

about 3/4 oz. bleach)

Brinewell

— It draws the bleach into and through the

softener to sanitize it.

— Itfillsthesalttanktothewaterlevelneed-

ed.
— It gets all the air out of the resin tank.
— Itmakes the resinbed (seepage 11)ready

for service.

NOTES:

This recharge takes about 2 hours.

You can sanitize the softener with or with­out salt in the storage tank.

¬

Recommended by the Water Quality Association. On
somewater supplies, thewater softener may needpe­riodic disinfecting.

8

SECTION 1

1E. FILL THE STORAGE TANK WITH SALT

WATER SOFTENER START-UP

Brine(saltdissolvedinwater)isneeded for each
and every regeneration. The water for making
brine is metered into the salt storage tank by the
softener.However,youmustkeepthetankfilled
with salt.

Fill the tank with NUGGET or PELLET water
softener salt. DO NOT use rock salts, as they
have dirt and sediments that will stop the
softener from working.

Before filling, be sure the brinewell cover is in
place on the top of the brinewell. Salt storage
capacity is shown on page 19. Be sure to set the

salt monitor system (see page 10).

NOTES:

The salt monitor system page 10, is calibrated to
the density of nugget or pellet water softener
salt. The monitor will not work as accurately
withother types ofsalt including rockand solar.

FIG. 3 ADD SALT

In humid areas, it is best to fill the storage tank
half-full,and to refillitmoreoften.Saltbridging
(seepage15)occurs moreoften when conditions
are humid.

W ATER SOFTENING SALT WITH IRON RE­MOVING ADDITIVES — Some salts have an

additive to help the softener handle iron in the
water supply. Although this additive may help
to keep the softener resin clean, it may also
release corrosive fumes that will weaken and
shorten the life of some softener parts.

Sodium information: Water softeners using so­dium chloride for regeneration add sodium to
the water.Persons who are on sodium restricted
diets should consider the added sodium as part
of their overall sodium intake.

For example, if your water supply is 15 grains
hard, you would have to drink 3 quarts of
softened water to consume 335 milligrams of
sodium. That is equivalent to eating 2-1/2slices
of white bread.

Personswho are concerned abouttheir drinking
water should consider a Sears Drinking Water
System that will remove or reduce in excess of
90% of the sodium and other drinking water
contaminants.

You have now finished the water softener start up. After the sanitizing recharge, on
page 8, the softener will be giving you soft water.

9

SECTION 2

2A. FACE PLATE TIMER FEATURES

HOW YOUR WATER SOFTENER WORKS

EXTRA RECHARGE

Sometimes, a manually started regeneration
(recharge) may be desired, or needed. Two
examples are:

--You have used more water than usual (guests
visiting) and you may run out of soft water
before the next timer started regeneration.

--Youdidnotrefillthesoftenerwithsaltbeforeit
was gone.

You can start aregenerationrightaway,oryou
canset the timertoregenerate at the next2:00
AM (or other preset recharge time). Do the
following.

RECHARGE NOW

n Press the ON/OFF-
HOLDbuttonandholduntil
RECHARGE NOW, SERV
and FILL begin to flash in
the display. Upon reaching
fill, the first cycle of regen­eration, the flashing SERV
goes off and FILL is on
steady. RECHARGE NOW
continues to flash. This re­generation will last for
about 2 hours. After the 2
hours, you will have soft
water again.

SALT MONITOR SYSTEM

The face plate timer has a low salt monitor with
an indicator light to remind you to refill the
storagetankwithsalt.Tosetthismonitorsystem:

1. Liftthesaltholecover andlevelthesaltinthe

storage tank.

2. The salt level decal, on the brinewell inside

the tank, has numbers from 0 to 8 (see
drawing on page 9 and below). Observe the
number the leveled salt is at or closest to.

NOTE: To light the salt storage area, press the
TANK LIGHT button on the face plate.

3. Now,pressthe SALTLEVELADJUSTbutton

until black bars display up to the salt level
number. For example, the pictures below
show the salt level at 6.

4. Finally, set the level you want the low salt

indicatorlight to come on.PresstheSIGNAL
LIGHT ADJUST button until a (T) shows
opposite this number. In the example below,
the light will come one when the stored salt
dropstolevel 2. Atlevel 2, thestoragetankis
about 1/3 full. This is the lowest you should
allow the stored salt level to drop to. To turn
the salt monitor off, press the button until
OFF shows.

RECHARGE TONIGHT

n Press and release (do not
hold) the ON/OFF-HOLD

button. RECHARGE TO­NIGHT flashes in the dis­play, and the softener be­gins regeneration at the
next preset recharge time.
Press and release the ON/
OFF-HOLD button once
moreif you decide tocancel
the regeneration, and RE­CHARGE TONIGHT.

NOTE:

For accurate salt monitor operation, always use
nugget or pellet water softener salt. See page 9.

10