Need to replace water softener?

[leelee77]

After 11 good years, my WaterBoss 950 is putting dirty looking, blackish water through to the house. I was advised by them I may need to replace it, or I could try replacing the media, but no guarantees. I've been reading over the threads on this site and seems like WaterBoss is not recommended? I have to fit it into a small space, though (that was why we went with it to begin with).

I understand it is difficult to replace the media in this softener? Has anyone done it and have any tips? Or would you recommend just replacing the whole unit at this age?

 

[Reach4]

After 11 good years, my WaterBoss 950 is putting dirty looking, blackish water through to the house.

It is not the softener's job to deal with dirty looking water. You should filter sediment before that. You have a well? Do you smell "sulfur" (H2S)? When you drain the WH, does blackish water drain out first?

You may need new resin or a new softener, but the softener can only do so much.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[ditttohead]

Well or city water supply? Definitely replace. Good cabinet units are available. This is a very high end one and can use many different control valves including Fleck 5600, 5800, and Clack. https://view.publitas.com/impact-water-products/2018-catalog-final/page/64

 

[Matt Peiris]

Resin is not that expensive. Assuming the controller is working fine, you only need new resin. A quick search online tells me that your system has a built in sediment filter and is also rated for chlorine taste and odor reduction. Chlorine treatment is usually done by activated carbon. Locate the sediment filter and clean (or replace it). My guess is that blackish water you see is carbon particles.

Use and care manual for the system indicates you have " Redox Media–4 lb (1.8 kg), Activated Carbon– 0.25 cu. ft. (7 L), Super Fine Mesh Resin–0.7 cu. ft. (20 L), Total: 1 cu. ft. (29 L)"

Mixing resin and activated carbon together is a bad idea in my opinion. Also, since contaminants in water upstream are already oxidized by chlorine, I don't see the need to add redox media here.

My suggestion is to replace all the media inside with only resin. A 1 cu.ft bag of 10% cross-linked resin should be enough to replace all media in your 22,000 grain system. Since city water is chlorinated and chlorine is bad for ion exchange resin, think about adding in two 20" big blue 5 micron carbon filters in parallel upstream of the softener.

Finally, use a hardness field test kit to compare before and after results. Keep us posted.

 

[leelee77]

Thanks for the replies! I am on city water. No iron but there is some sediment.

The WaterBoss worked well for 11 years but just recently I noticed the brine tank had a lot of dark sludge on the bottom so I removed all the salt remaining and rinsed it out several times with the hose, then used the shopvac to clear it out. It took a lot of rinses; dark stuff kept coming from behind the resin tank where I couldn't get at it except to spray the water back there against the side. I contacted their tech support, which is not very good, and they told me it was most likely the media breaking down and I probably needed to replace the unit. I don't understand how the media breaking down would get in the brine tank unless there was a crack in the media tank? Plus this looked like sediment and maybe mold to me, not like resin beads, but what do I know.

The second issue I had is I've noticed lately the water sitting in the toilet tank was full of black stuff. I had cleaned it out and I noticed it came back really bad after I finished cleaning out the brine tank and ran the WaterBoss through a couple regenerate cycles. I read on here of another guy whose charcoal was breaking down and coming into the house water supply after regenerating so I'm wondering if it might be that?

As far as I can tell, the machine runs fine still so I think it is functioning but I don't know how to tell if there is a crack in the media tank without disassembling the whole thing- is that pretty difficult?

 

[Reach4]

I think that with city water, it is good to have a whole-house cartridge filter.

I contacted their tech support, which is not very good, and they told me it was most likely the media breaking down and I probably needed to replace the unit. I don't understand how the media breaking down would get in the brine tank unless there was a crack in the media tank?

I think BS.

I read on here of another guy whose charcoal was breaking down and coming into the house water supply after regenerating so I'm wondering if it might be that?

Do you have a charcoal something before your softener?

 

[leelee77]

It has 3 kinds of media in it: charcoal, something called redox and resin beads. They want $220 for replacement media.

Does anyone know if it sends softened water into the brine tank?

 

[leelee77]

It is not the softener's job to deal with dirty looking water. You should filter sediment before that. You have a well? Do you smell "sulfur" (H2S)? When you drain the WH, does blackish water drain out first?

You may need new resin or a new softener, but the softener can only do so much.

I have a tankless water heater and then a small electric one in line after it, I can check it but the toilet tank water would be from the cold line.

 

[Reach4]

It has 3 kinds of media in it: charcoal, something called redox and resin beads. They want $220 for replacement media.

Does anyone know if it sends softened water into the brine tank?

Many do use softened water, which is the better way.

I had not considered having charcoal in the media. That could explain black.

 

[leelee77]

I checked with WaterBoss tech support and they said the unit does use softened water in the brine tank, so that would explain how the same gunk is getting in the brine tank and the house pipes.