Kenmore 625.38811 User Manual

OWNER'S

MANUAL

MODEL NO.

Kenmore C-20

625.388110

Caution:

Read and Follow

All Safety Rules and

Operating Instructions Before First Use of

This Product.

If you have questions when

installing, operating or main- taining your softener, and when setting the timer, call

this toll-free number...

1-800-426-9345

(M - F, 7 am - 8 pm, CST)

For repair or replacement

parts, call this toll-free num-

ber...

1-800-366-7278

See back cover for other

Sears service numbers.

www, KenmoreWater, com

SAVE THIS MANUAL

Water Softener

with Deluxe Valve

• Warranty

• Start Up / Setting Timer

• How It Works

• Care Of

• Specifications

• Repair Parts

Use the plastic bag and tie provided, to hang manuals

nearby" the softener for future reference.

I Sears, Roebuck and Co., 3333 Beverly Road, Hoffman Estates, IL 60179 USA I

PRINTED IN U.S.A. 7267326 (R_v. A 3[23[04)

...........................................................................................................WARRANTY

R R

A N T

i_J_J_ _J_J_ _J_J,

......ff..........

SEARS RESIDENTIAL WATER SOFTENER

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,

defects in material or workmanship in this 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 softener tank or salt storage drum, free of charge, if either the tank

or drum develop a leak.

TO OBTAIN WARRANTY SERVICE, SIMPLY CONTACT THE NEAREST SEARS

SERVICE CENTER THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES. This warranty ap- plies 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 SEARS INSTALLATION WARRANTY

All installation labor arranged by Sears shall be per- formed in a neat, workmanlike manner in accor-

dance with generally accepted trade practices. Fur- ther, all installations shall comply with all local laws, codes, regulations, and ordinances. Customer

shall also be protected, during installation, by insur- ance 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 NoA-

Serial Number / Date Installed rating decal

Water Hardness Grains Per Gallon (underside of Iron Content Parts Per Million salt hole cover)

pH. Taste And / Or Odor

Water Pressure Pounds / Square Inch Water Flow Rate Gallons Per Minute

In addition to any warranty extended to you on the

Sears merchandise involved, which warranty be-

comes effective the date the merchandise in installed, should the workmanship of any Sears ar-

ranged installation prove faulty within one year,

Sears will, upon notice from you, cause such faults

to be corrected at no additional cost to you.

The model number is on the rating decal, located on the rhn, under the salt hole coy er.

',_.........,_.......,_.......,_.......,_.......,_.......,_.......,_ TABLE

I............................................ OF CONTENTS

B. C.

D. E.

C. D.

WATER SOFTENER START UP

Safety Guides Check List of Step-By-Step Guides To Install

Program The Timer ...................................

Sanitizing The Water Softener ..........................

Adding Salt to the Storage Tank ........................

HOW YOUR WATER SOFTENER WORKS

Faceplate _mer Features Soft Water Service and Regeneration

CARE OF YOUR WATER SOFTENER

Salt: Refilling Storage Tank / Salt Bridge Keeping The Water Softener Clean

Protect The Water Softener From Freezing Checklist (Not Getting Soft Water)

PAGE NO.

1-1 1-2

1-3, 1-4

1-5 1-6

2-1

2-2 to 24

3-1

3-2 3-3

3-4

,_ _ ,_,

ABOUT YOUR WATER SOFTENER

Dimensions / Specifications

SERVICE TECH. INFORMATION

Troubleshooting ...................................... 5-1 to 5-4

Rotary Valve Service 5-5

Water Flow Through The Softener Valve ................. 5-6 to 5-8

REPAIR PARTS FOR WATER SOFTENER

Water Softener Water Softener Parts List

Valve Assembly Parts List

4-1,4-2

6-1 6-2

6-3, 6-4

SECTION1 WATER SOFTENER START UP

A. SAFETY GUIDES

• Read all steps, guides and rules carefully before installing and using your new 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.

i.JJ.JJ.J .JJ.JJ.J .JJ.J.

i._J.= ._J.=.

• Your water softener will remove hardness minerals and "clear water" iron* from water, up to the limits

shown on page 4-1. It will not remove other types of iron, acids, tastes and odors, etc. It will not purify pol-

luted water or make it safe to drink.

• Protect the softener and piping from freezing. Dam- age from freezing voids the softener warranty. See

page 3-3.

CAUTIONS

PLEASE READ AND COMPLY WITH THE FOLLOWING

GUIDES TO PREVENT DAMAGE TO THE SOFTENER OR OTHER PROPERTY, PERSONAL INJURY, OR POS-

SIBLE FATAL SHOCK.

• THIS SOFTENER WORKS ON 24 VOLTS ONLY. BE

SURE TO USE ONLY THE TRANSFORMER INCLUDED,

AND PLUG IT INTO A NOMINAL 120V, 60 CYCLE

HOUSEHOLD OUTLET THAT IS GROUNDED AND PROPERLY PROTECTED BY AN OVERCURRENT DE-

VICE SUCH AS A CIRCUIT BREAKER OR FUSE. IF TRANSFORMER IS REPLACED, USE ONLY THE AU-

THORIZED SERVICE, CLASS II, 24 VOLT, 10 VA TRANSFORMER.

• Unplug the transformer right away if the power cable should become damaged or frayed. Make re-

pairs, or replace transformer, before plugging back into the power outlet.

• Always unplug the softener from electrical power

before removing outer valve covers.

• This system is not intended to be used for treating water that is microbiologically unsafe or of unknown

quality without adequate disinfection before or after the system.

* Capacity to remove clear water iron was tested in the

field by the manufacturer.

1-1

Problems, Questions? Call 1-800-426-9345 Kenmore Water Line

SECTION1 WATER SOFTENER START UP

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

_lb be sure you have done all the steps to install the softener, read the following list. Refer to the Instal-

lation Manual, part no. 7267336, for step-by-step guides.

Page numbers referred to are in the Installation

Manual unless otherwise noted.

m" Is the house water flow going INTO the softener

valve INLET? "lYace piping to be sure. See pages 2-4 and 2-5.

m" Is the plumbing bypass valve (or 3 valves) set for

SERVICE? Bypass valve(s) should always re- main in soft water service position. Position in

"bypass" only if needed for softener repairs. See FIG. 14, page 4-1 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 3-5 in the

installation manual.

Page numbers referred to are in the Installation

Manual unless otherwise noted.

m" Is the transformer plugged into an inside, al-

ways live, grounded, 120V-60Hz electrical out- let? See pages 3-8 and 3-9 in the installation

manual, and the wiring schematic on page 5-1 of this manual.

Be sure to restart the water heater. See page 3-9.

VALVE

INLET

3va,veJl

plastic

Bypass Valve(s)

NOTE; Codes in the state of Massachusetts require installation by a licensed plianber. For installation, use plumbing, code

Z48- CMR of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Problems, Questions? Call 1-800-426-9345 Kenmore Water Line

1-2

display/I-

RECHARGE button

SECTION1 WATER SOFTENER START UP

C. PROGRAM THE TIMER

_,__ up button

down button

_,._;TRONf_ BeQhaFge Tonight

SELECT button

WATER

SOFTENER

When the transformer is plugged in, a model code, and a test number (example: $3.0) show in the face

plate display for 4 seconds. Then, 12:00 AM and PRESENT TIME begin to flash.

53.0

=RESENT TIMtE j

Notes: If SR - - shows in the display, press the UP [Zg or

DOWN (_ button until SR17 is shown. Then, press

the 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 SR17

shows, see page 5-3 to reset.

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 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 dis- play reaches i using the DOWN button, or the high- est hardness setting using the UP button.

_SET PRESENT TIME OF DAY

If the words PRESENT TIME do not show in the dis- play, press the SELECTbutton (FIG. 2) until they do,

or see the previous notes.

• Press the UP / DOWN 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 midnight and noon, be sure AM

shows.

Each press of the UP /DOWN buttons changes the time by one minute. Holding the buttons in changes the time rapidly.

1-3

Problems, Questions? Call 1-800-426-9345 Kenmore Water Line

SECTION1 WATER SOFTENER START UP

SET WATER HARDNESS NUMBER I_ SET RECHARGE (REGENERATION) TIME

• Press the SELECT button once to display 25 (flashing) and HARDNESS.

The grains per gallon (gpg) hard- ness of your water supply is on your water analysis report. Be

sure to enter water test results on page A, for future reference.

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

ample, assume your water is 20 gpg hard and con- tains 2 ppm iron. Add 5 to the hardness number for each 1 ppm of iron. In this example, you would use

30 for your hardness number.

20 gpg hardness

2 ppmiron x 5 = 10 +10

(times) 30 HARDNESS NUMBER

• 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: Each press of the UP / DOWN button changes the

display by i between i and 25. Between 25 and the highest number, the display changes 5 at a time... 25, 30, 35, etc. Holding the UP or DOWN but- ton in changes the display twice each second.

• Press the SELECT button to display 2:00 AM (flashing) and RECHARGE TIME.

At the 2:00 AM recharge time _'_]0_" setting, the softener begins re- '_

generation (see pages 2-3 and

2-4) at 2:00 AM, ending no later than 4:00 AM. This is a good time in most house-

holds because water is not being used (see Auto- matic Bypass, page 2- 4). If a different recharge time

setting would be better for your household, do the

following.

• Press the UP / DOWN 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 i hour. Holding the buttons in changes the display twice each second.

• Press the SELECT button once again, to com-

plete initial programming, and RECHARGE TO- NIGHT shows in the display.

C. PROGRAM THE TIMER

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

NUMBER 1- 800 - 426 - 9345.

SEE PAGE 2-1 FOR OTHER FACE PLATE TIMER FEATURES.

1-4

Problems, Questions? Call 1-800-426-9345 Kenmore Water Line

SECTION1 WATER SOFTENER START UP

D. SANITIZE THE WATER SOFTENER

Care is taken at the factory to keep your water soft- ener 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, bacteria could get into the softener. For this reason, sanitizing as follows is suggested 'at when installing.

[The first time you sanitize your softener, be sure

to do all steps in the installation manual, and on pages 1-2, 1-3 and 1-4 of this manual first.

Note: Be certain the bypass valve is pulled out to "service" position.

_!_ Lift the salt hole cover and use a pail to fill the

salt storage tank with 3 gallons of water.

[]Remove the brinewell cover (FIG. 3) and pour

about 3/4 ounce, or i to 2 tablespoons, of com- mon 5.25%, unscented, household bleach (Clo-

rox, Linco, BoPeep, White Sail Eagle, etc.) in the softener brinewell. Replace the brinewell cover.

[]Press the ON/OFF-HOED button and hold for3

seconds to start a recharge. This first recharge does several things.

• It draws the bleachinto and through the softener to sanitize it.

• It fills the salt tank to the water level needed.

salt hole cover

brinewell cover

(remove and add about

3[4 o_. bleach)

)

brirlewell

w_tter, J

about 3 gallons

• It gets all the air out of the resin tank.

• It prepares the resin bed (see page 2-3) for ser- vice and flushes residual chlorine from the soften-

er. Notes:

This recharge takes about 2 hours. You can sanitize the softener with or without salt in the storage tank.

(t9 Recommended by the water Quality Association. On some water supplies, the water softener may need periodic

disinfecting.

1-5

Problems, Questions? Call 1-800-426-9345 Kenmore Water Line

E. ADDING SALT TO STORAGE TANK

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 salt in the tank, but it is not

necessary to keep it full. It is best to fill the storage tank one quarter to one half full, and to refill it more often. Salt bridging (see page 3-1) occurs

more often when conditions are humid and the tank is filled to the top.

Fill the tank with NUGGET or PELLET water soft- ener 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.

If you choose Potassium Chloride (KC1) as a regen- erant, following these suggestions will help give

you years of maintenance free service.

1) Place only one bag of KC1 in your softener at a time (the salt storage tank should contain no more than 60 pounds of KC1 at any one time).

2) A softener using KC1 should not be placed in areas with temperature fluctuations and high hu- midity (KC1 will harden in these environments and may make the softener inoperable).

3) Check the brine tank and brine well (black tube in salt storage tank) monthly. If hardening is present, pour small amounts of warm water on hardened areas until they loosen.

4) If your softener does not have a KC1 salt setting you must increase your hardness setting by 25% to

ensure continuous soft water as in example below.

Kaw Water Hardel_ss

(grams per $aLLcq0

5gp$ 7gp$ i0$p$ 13 $p$ 15 $p$ 19$p$

$p$ 26gp$

26 $p$ 32.gp$

30 $p$ 38 gp$ 35 $p$ 44gp$

40 $p$ 50 gp$

*25%_

Svft_ner setting wheil

usu_ KCI

WATER SOFTENING SALT WITH IRON REMOV-

ING ADDITIVES -- Some salts have an additive to

help the softener handle iron in the water supply. These salts may be used if your water supply has a

high iron content. It is recommended to use Sears Resin Bed Cleaner 42- 34426, for periodic treatments to keep your resin bed clean. This is available at your local Sears store.

saJt

storage

_t&qk

brinewell

Gov_r

brinewell --

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 so- dium. 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 contami- nants.

1-6

Problems, Questions? Call 1-800-426-9345 Kenmore Water Line

SECTION2 HOW YOUR WATER SOFTENER WORKS

A. FACEPLATE TIMER FEATURES

• EXTRA RECHARGE

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i..= ..=..J_. h., .,j.I.

i..,j====., i..,j====., i..,j==.

• RECHARGE NOW Press the RECHARGE button

Sometimes, a manually started regeneration (recharge) may be

desired, or needed. Two exam- ples are:

- You have used more water than usual (guests visiting) and you

may run out of soft water before the next timer started regenera-

tion.

- You did not refill the softener

with salt before it was gone. After you refill with salt:

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 TONIGHT

Press and release (do not hold) the ,_ j,_ ] RECHARGE button. RE- =1,=_

CHARGE TONIGHT flashes in REC.ARGETO.lO.T]

the display, and the softener be-

gins regeneration at the next preset recharge time.

Press and release the RECHARGE button once more if you decide to cancel the regeneration, and RE-

CHARGE TONIGHT

• PROGRAM MEMORY

If electrical power to the softener goes off, the time

display is blank but the face plate timer keeps the

correct time for about 6 hours. When electrical pow- er comes on again, you have to reset the present

time only if the display is flashing. The HARDNESS and RECHARGE TIME never require resetting un- less a change is desired.Even if the timer is incorrect after a long power outage, the softener works as it

should to keep your water soft. However, regenera- tions may occur at the wrong time of day until you reset the timer to the correct time of day.

• ERROR CODE

and hold for 3 seconds. RE- 3; !o_w_ CHARGE NOW begins to flash ,_C.A_aE

in the display, and the softener enters the fill cycle of regeneration right away. This

regeneration will last for about 2 hours. Then, you will have soft water again.

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

NUMBER 1- 800-426- 9345.

An error code could appear in b_ .. n the face plate display if a prob- _--_ L! t

lem occurs in the softener elec- tronics. If you see an error code

instead of the present time of day, turn to page 5-2 under "_lYoubleshooting" to resolve the problem.

2-1

Problems, Questions? Call 1-800-426-9345 Kenmore Water Line

+ 22 hidden pages