Kenmore control failure

[ENIGMA-2]

I have a Kenmore water softener and one of the problem areas with this brand (it's made by Ecowater), is the control is prone to stop responding (due to corrosion.)

This has happened to me on a prior Sears unit I owned (lasted around 20 years), where the switches stopped responding, when pressed. In my latest episode, it was the "select" switch.

I'm posting this for anyone who had this type of softener and has a simular problem.

There is a quick and easy fix.

First, unplug the transformer, then unplug the three wiring harnesses (motor leads, power leads and sensor leads).

Next remove the control from the plastic face panel. (In my unit, this simply requires unclipping four clips, one in each corner, and removing the control.

With the control removed, you have access to the actual switches. Press on the switch and "massage" it while it is being pressed down (closed). This will
rub the switch contact surfaces together and dislodge the thin layer of corrosion on the internal contacts; allowing the contacts to make electrical contact once again. Reverse the procedire to reinstall. The entire repair takes about three minutes.

I use salt pellets with red out and this is probably one of the side effects that Sears warns about when using this type of salt. (Corrosive fumes). Although it could also be the salt atmosphere inside the softener that's responsible. Whatever the reason, it's an easy fix.

 

[Mark Bower]

All of the switches on my Kenmore 300 series, Mdl No. 625.383 worked either intermittently or not at all. The switches on my softener starting giving trouble by the 3rd year of use; the unit is now in its 6th year of use. The suggestion to open up the unit and “massage” the switches gets some action, but the method proves to be inadequate for the REGEN, UP and DOWN buttons that utilize prolonged continuity (depress and hold button) for some of the buttons' functions. The SELECT button needs only brief contact when depressed.

To make the control/display panel usable, I mounted two SPST NO momentary push button switches on the display panel and connected one of them with a wire pair to the REGEN switch pins located on the rear of the controller board and connected the 2nd added switch similarly to the SELECT switch pins. Effectively the added switches are connected in parallel with the defective switches. (The defective switches are NO SPST momentary switches and have two pairs of pins. Each of the pin pairs are common, thus the SWs are SPST, not DPST).

Materials:
24AWG wire (24,26,or 28AWG)
(2) NO SPST momentary push button switches, 1/4” panel mount
solder

Steps:
remove Top Cover
unplug electrical connections to the Electronic Controller
remove Faceplate with Electronic Controller on rear
remove the Electronic Controller for soldering convenience (optional)
remove metal cover from Electronic Controller
solder wires to the appropriate SW pins
locate and drill 1/4” holes in the Faceplate for the new switches
mount the switches in the Faceplate
replace the metal cover for the Electronic Controller
reinstall the Electronic Controller if it was removed for soldering convenience
solder the wires to the new switches
complete the reinstallation of the Faceplate and Top Cover



The newly installed switches “work like a dream”. I will most likely add new switches for the UP and DOWN buttons in the future as those buttons (switches)
are also defective.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Mikey]

Excellent. I need to have a look at my microwave...