Kenmore 625.34867 User Manual

OWNER’S
MANUAL
MODEL NO.
625.348670
Caution:
Read and Follow All Safety Rules and Operating Instructions
If you have questions when
installing, operating or main
taining your softener, and
when setting the timer, call
this toll-free number...
1^00-426-9345

SAVE THIS MANUAL

KenmorG

Genius II Water Softener
♦ Warranty ♦ Start Up / Setting Timer
♦ How It Works ♦ Care Of
♦ Specifications ♦ Repair Parts
Use plastic bag and tie provided, to hang manuals nearby
the softener for future reference.
Sears, Roebuck and Co., Hoffman Estates, IL 60179 USA
PRINTED IN U.S.A.

WARRANTY

SEARS RESIDENTIAL WATER SOFTENER

FULL TEN YEAR WARRANTY AGAINST LEAKS

For ten years from the date of purchase, Sears will furnish and install a new current model water soften er tank or salt storage drum, free of charge, if either the tank or drum develop a leak.
FULL THREE YEAR ELECTRONICS WARRANTY
For a period of three years from date of purchase, Sears will replace the BRINE TANK LIGHT, ELEC TRONIC BOARD, 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 accor
dance with our instructions. Sears will repair, free of charge, all other parts which may be defective in
material or workmanship. TO OBTAIN WARRANTY SERVICE, SIMPLY CONTACT THE NEAREST SEARS SERVICE CENTER
THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES. This warranty applies only while this product 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
If you want your water softener professionally installed, talk to your Sears Salesman. He will arrange 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. Customer
shall also be protected, during installation, by
insurance relating to Property Damage, Workman’s Compensation and Public 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.t___________________ Serial Number Date Installed ____________________ Water Hardness^
Iron Content
*pH
__________
Water Pressure_ Water Flow Rate
__
Taste And/Or Odor
______________________
SEARS INSTALLATION WARRANTY
In addition to any warranty extended to you on the Sears merchandise involved, which warranty becomes effective the date the merchandise in installed, should the workmanship of any Sears arranged installation
prove faulty within one year. Sears will, upon notice from you, cause such faults to be corrected at no additional cost to you.
Grains Per Gallon
Parts Per Million
Pounds/Square Inch
Gallons Per Minute
t The model number is on the rating decal, located
on the rim, under the salt hole cover. '

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION 1 SOFTENER START UP

PAGE

NO.
A. SAFETY GUIDES
B. CHECK LIST OF STEP-BY-STEP GUIDES TO INSTALL C. PROGRAM THE TIMER
D. SANITIZING THE WATER SOFTENER E. FILL THE STORAGE TANK WITH SALT
SECTION 2 HOW YOUR water softener works
A. FACE PLATE TIMER FEATURES
B. SOFT WATER SERVICE AND REGENERATION

SECTION 3 CARE OF YOUR SOFTENER

A. SALT: REFILLING STORAGE TANK, SALT BRIDGE
B. KEEPING THE WATER SOFTENER CLEAN C. KEEP THE SOFTENER FROM FREEZING
D. HELPFUL HINTS CHECKLIST
4 5
6-7
8
9
10-12
13-15
16 17 18
19

SECTION 4 OTHER THINGS TO KNOW

A. DIMENSIONS/SPECIFICATIONS

SECTION 5 SERVICE TECH INFORMATION

TROUBLESHOOTING
A.
ROTARY VALVE SERVICE
D.
WATER FLOW THROUGH THE SOFTENER VALVE
E-

SECTION 6 REPAIR PARTS

20
21-24
25
26-28
30-33
SECTION 1
WATER SOFTENER START-UP
1A.

SAFETY GUIDES

A Read all steps, guides and rules carefully be fore installing and using your new water softener. Follow all steps exactly to correctly install. Fail ure 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.
A Your water softener will remove hardness min erals and “clear water” iron from water, up to the
limits shown on page 20. 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. A Protect the softener and piping from freezing.
Damage from freezing voids the softener warran ty. See page 18.
____________
PLEASE READ AND COMPLY WITH THE FOL LOWING GUIDES TO PREVENT DAMAGE TO
THE SOFTENER OR OTHER PROPERTY,
PERSONAL INJURY, OR POSSIBLE FATAL SHOCK.
A THIS SOFTENER WORKS ON 24 VOLTS ONLY. BE SURE TO USE THE TRANSFORMER INCLUDED, AND PLUG IT INTO A 120V OUT
LET. A Unplug the transformer right away if the
power cable sould become damaged or
frayed. Make repairs before plugging back
into the power outiet.
CAUTIONS
__________________
A Always unplug the softener from electrical power before removing outer valve covers.
SECTION 1

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

To be sure you have done all the steps to install the softener, read the following list. Refer to the
Installation Manual, part no. 7183613, for step-by-step
guides.
P^e numbers referred to are in the instaOation
Mitttual unless otherwise noted.
^ Is the house water flow going INTO the softener
valve INLET? Trace piping to be sure. See pages 10 and 11.
Is the plumbing bypass valve (or 3 valves) set for SERVICE? See FIG. 12, page 20 of this manual.
Is the valve drain hose connected the right way, and without sharp bends or kinks that could stop or reduce water flow? See page 16.
WATER SOFTENER START-UP
Page numbers referred to are in the Installation
Manual unless otherwise noted.
✓ Is the softener power cable conneaed to the trans
former? Is the transformer plugged into an inside,
120V-60HZ electrical outlet? See page 20 in the installation manual, and the wiring schematic on page 21 of this manual.
✓ Be sure to restart the water heater. See page 20.
SECTION 1
WATER SOFTENER START-UP
1C.

PROGRAM THE TIMER

when the transformer is plugged in, the model code
HF32, and a test number (example: A2.0) show in the faceplate display for 4 seconds. Then, 12:00 AM and PRESENT TIME begin to flash.
mt 30W
IfVfL LEVR
8 7 6
4 3 2
t
HFilc*
flP.O
I *1.110“
IC'UU

NOTE:

If HE- shows in the display, press the UP © or DOWN 0 button until HF32 shows. Then, press the #1 SELECT button to set, and change to the flashing
PRESENT TIME display.
To check the model code, unplug the transformer at the wall outlet and plug in again. If other than HF32
shows, see page 19 to reset.
SOUND “BEEPER”: A “beeper” sounds while pressing
buttons for timer set-up. One beep signals a change in the faceplate display. Repeated beeps mean the timer
will not accept a change from the button you have pressed," telling you to use another button. For
example, while setting the hardness (step 2), the
beeper sounds repeatedly when 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 words...PRESENT TIME do not show in the display, press the #1 SELECT button (FIG. 1) until they do, or see the notes above.
■ Press the 0 UP/DOWN0 buttons to set the present time. Press UP to move the display ahead; press DOWN to move the time backward.
If the present time is between noon and midnight, be sure PM shows.
If the present time is between
M.7 SH3MI
" *i' '
7 8
4 3 2
t
HOO"
PRESEWTTIC
midnight and noon, be sure AM shows.
NOTE:
Each press of the UP/DOWN buttons changes the time by 1
M.r ac nK
" '
7 6
4 $ 2
f
mcsBunm
in.MC"
lUOO
minute. Holding the buttons in changes the time 32 minutes each second.

SET WATER HARDNESS NUMBER:

■ Press the #1 SELECT button once to display 25 (flashing) and HARDNESS.
The grains per gallon (gpg)
_________________
iS
hardness of your water supply is on your water analysis report. Be sure to enter water test results on
page 2, for future reference.
6
SECTION 1
WATER SOFTENER START-UP
1C.

PROGRAM THE TIMER

■ Press the 0 UP/DOWN 0 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:

If your water supply contains iron, compensate for it by adding to the water hardness number. For example,
assume your water is 15 gpg bard and contains 2 ppm iron. Add 5 to the hardness number for each 1 ppm of
iron. In this example, you would use 25 for your hardness number.
15 gpg hardness
2 ppm iron X 5 = 10
(times)
±10

25 HARDNESS NUMBER

NOTE:

Each press of the UP/DOWN button changes the display by 1 between 1 and 25. Between 25 and the highest number, the display changes 5 at a time...25, 30, 35, etc. Holding the UP or DOWN button in
changes the display twice each second.

3. SET RECHARGE (REGENERATION) TIME:

■ Press the #1 SELECT button to display 2:00 AM (flashing) and RECHARGE TIME.
At the 2:00 AM RECHARGE TIME setting, the softener begins regen eration (see pages 13 and 14) at
_'UU
THE
2:00 AM, ending about 4:30 AM. This is a good time in most
__________________ households because water is not being used (see AUTOMATIC BYPASS, page 15). If a different
RECHARGE TIME setting would be better for your household, do the following.
■ Press the ® UP/DOWN 0 buttons to set the desired RECHARGE starting hour. Be sure to observe
the AM-PM as you did when setting 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.

4. SET CLEAN FEATURE OPTION:

■ Press the SELECT button to display OFF (flashing) and CLEAN.
This feature is beneficial on water
supplies containing iron and/or high amounts of sediments (sand, silt, dirt, etc.). When set to ON, a
backwash and fast rinse cycle will occur first, preceeding the nor mal regeneration sequence (see
page 13). This provides extra cleaning of the resin bed before it
■ '
M.r «tout
7 6 5 4 3
2
;
LfiCl
a
7 e 5 4 3 2
1
O FF
CLEAN
On
CLEAN
is regenerated with the salt brine. To conserve water, if your water supply does not
contain iron or sediments, be sure this feature is set to
OFF. Use the UP / DOWN buttons to change the ON / OFF displays.
5. SET SALT TYPE (sodium chloride or potas
sium chloride, see page 9):
■ Press the SELECT button to display nACl, the default setting.
If you will use potassium chloride (KCi) instead of standard sodium chloride (NaCl) water softener salt, be sure to set KCI in the display using the UP button. The KCI setting adjusts regeneration cycle times to compensate for the variable dissolving rate of
potassium chloride.
iWr «(Ml
Lfva
' 'a
7
S
4 1 2
f
nRC 1
KC
■ Press the #1 SELECT button once again, to return the present time, and RECHARGE TONIGHT in the
display.
M.7 aau i
tfVfl LTlfi * a
7 $
4 3 2
i
5:39-
AECKANCE TOMQNT
If you need help programming the timer, call toll free, number 1-800-426-9345.
See pages 10, 11 and 12 for other face plate timer features.
SECTION 1
WATER SOFTENER START-UP
1D.
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 your water supply, and
will not cause bacteria to form or grow. However,
during shipping, storage, installing and operating,
baaeria could get into the softener. For this reason, sanitizing as follows is suggested® when installing.
1. The first time you sanitize your softener, be sure to do aU steps in the installation manual, and on pages 5, 6 and 7 of this manual first.
2. Lift the salt hole cover and use a pail or hose to fill the salt storage tank with at least 3 gallons of water.
3. 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.
4. Press the ON/OFF-HOLD button and hold for 3 seconds to start a recharge. This first recharge does
several things,

SANITIZING THE WATER SOFTENER

FIG. 2
ADD WATER
— It draws the bleach into and through the soft
ener to sanitize it. — It fills the salt tank to the water level needed. — It gets all the air out of the resin lank.
— It prepares the resin bed (see page 13) for ser
vice.

NOTES:

This recharge takes about 2-1/2 or 2-3/4 hours, depending on the salt type setting (page 7).
You can sanitize the softener wUb or with
out salt in the storage tank.
Recommended by the Water Quality Association. On
some water supplies, the water softener may need peri
odic disinfecting.
8
SECTION 1
WATER SOFTENER START-UP
1E.
Brine (salt dissolved in water) is needed for each and every regeneration. The water for making brine is metered into the salt storage tank by the softener. However, you must keep the tank filled with salt.
Fill the tank with NUGGET or РЕПЕТ 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 20. Be sure to set the salt monitor
system (see page 10).
POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, alternate to salt: The design of this softener allows for the use of potassium chloride in place of salt (sodium chloride). Potassium chloride does not add sodium to the water, and is more ecologically friendly. Disadvantages include
higher cost, irregular dissolving factors, and the need
for longer softener regeneration times. If you do use
potassium chloride, see page 7 to set the timer
for its use.

FILL THE STORAGE TANK WITH SALT

FIG. 3
ADD SALT
Brinewell Cover
Brinewell

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 with other types of salt including potassium chloride, rock and solar.
In humid areas, it is best to fill the storage tank half-full, and to refill it more often. Salt bridging (see
page 16) occurs more often when conditions are humid.
WATER SOFTENING SALT WITH IRON REMOV
ING 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 2-1/2 slices of white bread.
Persons who are concerned about their drinking water should consider a Kenmore Drinking Water System that will remove or reduce in excess of 90% of the sodium and other drinking water contaminants. The
design of this softener also allows the use of potassium chloride as an alternate to salt (see above, left). Potassium chloride does not add sodium to the water.
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
HOW YOUR WATER SOFTENER WORKS
2A.

EXTRA RECHARGE

Sometimes, a manually started regeneration (re charge) 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,
—You did not refill the softener with salt before it was gone.
You can start a regeneration right away, or you can set the timer to regenerate at the next 2:00 AM (or other
preset recharge time). Do the following.

RECHARGE NOW

m Press the ON/OFF-HOLD button and hold until RE CHARGE, SERV and FILL begin to flash in the display. Upon reaching fill, the first cycle of re generation, the flashing SERV goes off and FILL is on steady. RECHARGE contin ues to flash. This regeneration will last for about
2-1/2 to 2-3/4 hours. After this time, you will have
soft water again.

-NOTE:

If the CLEAN feature is set to ON, a cleaning backwash
precedes the recharge. CLEAN and Bkwsh or Rinse flashes in the display, along with the minutes of the clean cycle remaining.

FACEPLATE TIMER FEATURES

~\Œ’

SALT MONITOR SYSTEM

The faceplate timer has a low salt monitor with an indicator light to remind you to refill the storage tank with salt. To set this monitor system;
1. Lift the salt hole cover and level the salt in the
storage tank (press tank light button to light inside of 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,
3- Now, press the SALT LEVEL ADJUST button until
black bars display up to the salt level number. For example, the piaures below show the salt level at
6.
4. Finally, set the level you want the low salt indicator
light to come on. Press the SIGNAL LIGHT ADJUST button until a (^) shows opposite this number. In the example below, the light will come on when the stored salt drops to level 2. At level 2, the storage tank is about 1/3 full. This is the lowest you should allow the stored salt level to drop to. turn the salt monitor off, press the button until
OFF shows.
indicator light
To

RECHARGE TONIGHT

■ Press and release (do not bold) the ON/OFF-HOLD but
ton. 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
more if you decide to cancel the regeneration, and
RECHARGE TONIGHT.
ffiCMUKse nMKSW

NOTE:

For accurate salt monitor operation, always use nugget or pellet water softener salt. See page 9. If potassium chloride is used, be sure to adjust the timer to the KCl setting on page 7,
10
SECTION 2
HOW YOUR WATER SOFTENER WORKS
2A.

FACEPLATE TIMER FEATURES

OPTIONAL ADJUSTABLE SETTINGS

Following is a list of other timer features that are adjustable, and the default setting for each. The defaults automatically set when electrical power is
applied to the timer. If you want to change from any of
the default values, scroll through steps 1-5 below,
and reset as desired.
1. Press and hold the #1 SELECT button for 3 seconds until the faceplate display changes. Then, press and
release the #1 SELECT button to display 12 hr.
►12 or 24 Hour clock - defaults to 12 hr: At the
12 hr default setting, all time displays are shown in
standard clock time (1 to 12 PM; and 1 to 12 AM). If military time displays are desired (0100, 0200, etc.), set to 24 hr by pressing the UP button.
Mt MML
LTkfL IftCL
* i '
7
6
4 3 ?
Ï
l?hr*
BMÍ
MF 9CM¿
¿FkCt IfVfl
d
7
Í
&
4 3
2
1
TME
within a number of days, use this feature. For
example, if your water supply contains iron and you
want the softener to regenerate at least once every few days to keep the resin bed clean, set the display as typically shown below. Setting is available from 1 to 15 days by using the UP and DOWN buttons.
NOTE:
Setting a number in this display may override the
function of the water meter and timer computer
(see page 15). For example, assume the meter/com­puter would initiate softener regenerations every 6 or 7 days. If you have max days set to 4, as shown below, regenerations will occur every 4 days instead of every 6 or 7.
UlT nott i
ÜkCl «XtCl.
6 7 7 e
RBCHAfíOE
5
4
3 2
- -- -
default display
4. Press #1 SELECT BUTTON
stiT aOiJU.
i£yf l Lfkri
e
e 5
4
3 2
example: setto 4 days maxi mum between regenerations
2. Press #1 SELECT BUTTON
► Gallon or Liter readings - defaults to gal
lons-. Water usage and flow displays are shown in gal
lons. If you prefer to have the same displays in liters, press the UP button until Liter shows.
I _ c _
I I
~Cl
3. Press #1 SELECT BUTTON
^ Maximum Days Between Regenerations -
default is zero days: The faceplate timer automati
cally controls regeneration frequency (see page 14). This provides the greatest operating efficiency, and normally the maximum days feature is not needed. If you want to be certain a regeneration will occur
^ CLEAN feature minutes - default is 7
minutes: If you have set this feature to ON (page 7),
the length of the extra backwash cycle automatically
sets to 7 minutes. However, you can adjust this time from 1 to 15 minutes in length. If you have a minimum of iron or sediments, a 3 or 4 minute clean cycle may be enough to keep the resin bed clean. If you have a higher amount of iron or sediments, a setting of over 7 minutes may be needed. To change this cycle time, use the UP button to increase the time, or the DOWN button to shorten the time.
MTaUHi
T
default minutes
IfvCl UtCL
a 7
$
4 3 2
example; time setto 3 minutes
5. Press #1 SELECT to return the present time display.
3
J "
11
Loading...
+ 25 hidden pages