Culligan Medalist Softener and air in the plumbing

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LaloC

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For about 2 months I've experiencing lots of air in our plumbing which spits out when I turn on the shower in the morning or I can hear it when the toilet flushes. After turning off the water softener for a few days the problem was resolved and no air was observed. The problem appears to happen when the resin is regenerated which happens ever third day. I've reached out to our Culligan service rep in our area and I have a better chance of getting water from a rock. Their service is horrible and they appear to be the only Culligan provider in my area. I eventually got them to come out and they told me I needed to have the resin rebedden. True enough, the last time I had it. done was 10 years ago. But I explained that I wanted to address the air in my plumbing. They seem clueless as to how air is entering my pipes. The water softener was installed in Jun/02, so it's 21 years old.
They replaced the resin tank, but have not resolved the original problem and say I need a new controller (insert cash register ring here).
I think the problem resides in the regeneration process and that maybe not water is in the brine tank (holds about 350lbs of salt) I checked the water level inside the brink well and its about 9 inches of water. My manual tell be to add 6 inches after cleaning the brine tank. I think when the brine solution is transferred over to the resin tank to flush the Ca and Mg maybe the level gets too low and air is sucked into the resin tank. There are no leaks anywhere and my current settings for 3 people is:
Salt Dosage ( SLtP): 10
Backwash (Buu) 10
Brine Draw/Slow (Br):65
Days to Regenerate (CAP): 3
Questions: 1- Is 9 inches of water sufficient? 2- Where else could the air be coming from and how do I fix the problem.
 

Bannerman

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I think when the brine solution is transferred over to the resin tank to flush the Ca and Mg maybe the level gets too low and air is sucked into the resin tank.
Most softeners utilize an 'air-check valve' located at the bottom of the brine tank to prevent air from being drawn once almost all of the brine within the brine tank has been drawn out.

The issue you describe is not a result of resin requiring replacement, but is a common symptom when the air-check valve is not fully closing as it should.

Many air-check valves utilize a ball within a screened enclosure that will float when there is sufficient brine remaining, but once the brine level has fallen, the ball will come to rest on the upward facing inlet tube opening, effectively closing the opening to prevent air entry during the remaining portion of the Brine Draw/Slow Rinse cycle.

An air-check that is not fully sealing is often caused by debris such as a piece of salt bag string which has entered the air check valve and is prevent the ball from sealing the opening.. Suggest removing the brine pickup tube and air check valve from the brine tank to inspect and fully flush out any possible debris using pressure from a garden hose.

Here is a photo of an air-check valve, but your Culligan model's valve may have an alternate appearance.

2510-fl500jpg.image.550x550.jpg
 
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