Rebedding 1 cu.ft softener

[cvap]

I finally decided to rebed my 14 year old Aqua-Pure NFS-100 iron removing softener and everything seemed to go fine but now filling a tub is yellowish, the same color as the new media. Also the water feels so soft it is slimy. Is it possible the media is being forced out with the water? I've backwashed it twice with the salt setting at the lowest consumption. So much is coming out that it is clogging my 20" 5 micron cartridge which is after it. Could it be valve troubles or will it settle?

 

[Reach4]

I would suggest going to the backwash stage, and then unplugging the controller for a while. This will backwash for however long you like without consuming salt, and without taking time for other cycles. Plug the unit back in when you have had enough backwashing.

Presumably there was stuff being flushed out, so plan on flushing your water heater. That can be tricky if you want to be more complete than just hooking a hose to the spigot on the heater. Hooking a hose to the spigot will help, however. In planning for flushing, you might consider turning off the heater in advance to minimize wasting hot water.

I am guessing that this was not top quality resin. How full did you fill the tank? Normal is to leave the top 1/3 empty.I am not a pro. Did you have a top basket? I hope somebody more experienced will be able to provide more useful info.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[cvap]

Thanks for responding, I got the resin from 3m and the person I talked to also had before and after system water tests. He sent me exactly 1 cubic foot of resin, which glistens like fiberglass but feels like graphite, and it did fill the tank about 2/3 or 3/4 full. I just dumped the old resin out, cleaned the inside of the tank, then installed the tube and poured the new resin with a plastic cup out of the pails I was sent. I've replaced media before on a backwash filter, but never a softener.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Sounds like the distributor tube isn't fully seated into the valve

 

[cvap]

Thanks, I'll check that. Though I thought since the bottom of the tube was shaped like the bottom of the tank, they should be touching and not suspended up in the media. But maybe the oring got damaged.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Did you replace the gravel under bed?

 

[cvap]

3M determined by the serial # that there was no gravel used in the original setup. I thought that was odd since the media was so fine. My backwash filter had peastone gravel.

Also, what is the proper way to relieve the pressure before taking the valve off?

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Without the underbed I suspect the distributor tube has slipped off. Shut off the supply to the filter and open a cold water faucet.

 

[cvap]

Does that mean I was supposed to put an under bed then the distributer on top of the bed?

 

[Gary Slusser]

Is it resin clogging the filter or color throw from the new resin? Color would be due to not backwashing the new resin before running water through the softener and out into the house plumbing.

Many softeners do not have a gravel under bed but all distributor tubes go to and touch the bottom of the resin tank. Since the vast majority of softeners are downflow service, resin won't be able to get out into the plumbing unless the DT or its bottom basket is broken below the surface of the resin in the tank or the DT is not up into the bottom of the control valve. Otherwise the plumbing in/out lets would have to be reversed.

 

[cvap]

Is it resin clogging the filter or color throw from the new resin? Color would be due to not backwashing the new resin before running water through the softener and out into the house plumbing.

Many softeners do not have a gravel under bed but all distributor tubes go to and touch the bottom of the resin tank. Since the vast majority of softeners are downflow service, resin won't be able to get out into the plumbing unless the DT or its bottom basket is broken below the surface of the resin in the tank or the DT is not up into the bottom of the control valve. Otherwise the plumbing in/out lets would have to be reversed.

Thanks Gary,
I think it was both. When I put the new resin in it was over the two little tubes that run parallel to the distributor tube. I did backwash it once before using but maybe that was not enough. I used it for a couple days with color throw and possibly the resin coming up from turbulence created by those tube outlets being covered. I haven't taken the valve off yet to see if the media settled or the tube oring is damaged. But I did backwash it today and everything going into the drain looks clear and is not slimy. I will probably wait to see if it clears itself for a day or two with my cartridge filter bypassed. I always have trouble with the bypass valve orings when putting it back together, so the less times I take the head off the better.

 

[Gary Slusser]

ummmm I need a better description of "two little tubes that run parallel to the distributor tube."... Do you mean they come up from the bottom of the distributor tube along side it? If so IIRC I've never seen two tubes along side the DT, just one and it is a Turbulator distributor tube. And resin covering the top of the smaller diameter tube by 2" or so is correct.

Resin beads are like oversized grains of sand. That "slimy" feel is usually from soft water and described that way by those folks that are not used to softened water, when you loose it, there is some hard water getting through the softener. But the drain water probably never will be "slimy" unless there is another cause of it like bacteria.

 

[cvap]

ummmm I need a better description of "two little tubes that run parallel to the distributor tube."... Do you mean they come up from the bottom of the distributor tube along side it? If so IIRC I've never seen two tubes along side the DT, just one and it is a Turbulator distributor tube. And resin covering the top of the smaller diameter tube by 2" or so is correct.

Resin beads are like oversized grains of sand. That "slimy" feel is usually from soft water and described that way by those folks that are not used to softened water, when you loose it, there is some hard water getting through the softener. But the drain water probably never will be "slimy" unless there is another cause of it like bacteria.

Gary, these tubes are 3/8" id, start in the bottom basket and go into a flange about 8" from the top of the dt that directs the flow through them back down in the resin. They are just covered by the resin. The resin is like sand yes, but very fine sand, like the super sift sand they are using in new septic fields in my area.
My color problems are all but gone now, and the staining I used to get is much better too.
We still don't like the slimy feel of the freshly bedded softener. I have it set to the lowest salt consumption of 8lbs., since the raw water was only 5.64 hard.