Kinetico Model 60 - Dark water when switching tanks

[Steve P.]

Hello all, I have an early 90's Kinetico Model 60 softener and recently replaced the control disk and metering pawl. Before doing this I use to manually regen the system daily. Now that's its running as it should, when its switching tanks and starts the regen cycle, there is dark water coming into the house. This only last for a few minutes then the regen cycle completes.

When I did this manually, it was not an issue. It was still happening, but I told everyone in the house not to use any water for 15 minutes.

What can be causing this to happen?

Thank you for your help and advise.
Steve

 

[Steve P.]

Some additional info. When this happened last, the dark water was the brine solution if that is helpful. It was salty.
Thanks

 

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[Reach4]

Some additional info. When this happened last, the dark water was the brine solution if that is helpful. It was salty.
Thanks

I have not even seen a Kinetico softener, but I have read some stuff.

Did this latest post mean to indicate that the liquid in the brine tank is dark?

In a softener, the draw time after the brine has been sucked out becomes a slow rinse time. During that cycle, the brine is typically drawn (let's call that X minutes), and then the cycle continues for another 2.5 to 3.5 minutes.

As I understand it, the brine fill level is set by the float valve. Raise the valve, and more brine is made. Then more salt gets used.

So typically, a general softener cycle starts with backwash, for maybe 5 to 10 minutes, and then brine draw.

So anyway, I am wondering if the float is set too high. But you have been having a Kinetico person setting things up, so that seems unlikely.

The dark... that has me wondering how that could happen.

 

[Steve P.]

Thanks for the reply,. What im getting is dark water in the house that is salty. The brine tank is fine and the water is at the proper level. What im getting during the regen, is dark brine solution that should be dumped outside of the house, im getting some inside also.

Where these are on-demand systems, it will happen while you are using water. This happens with every regen cycle.

 

[Bannerman]

There seems to be an issue with your unit. It should be rinsing the resin following each brine draw cycle and regeneration water from the.tank being regenerated, should not be flowing to your faucets.

I've utilized K softener's in the past and have never experienced dark or salty soft water directly following regeneration or any other time.

 

[Steve P.]

I have had the head open a couple of times and everything looked good, but im no expert. All the valves/pistons moved freely. The 2 blue check balls were in place. The 2 water turbines work correctly.

The issue is very consistent and will do it with both tank change overs.

Thank you for the feedback!