Water softener and UV lights while on vacation??

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Scottp999

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Hi, before we left for a week, I remembered to turn off the water at the home entry point and turn off power to both water heaters. I forgot to turn off power to a water softener and another anion exchange unit plus a 12gpm UV, and 1gpm UV lamps. How concerned should I be about that? For example the anion exchange unit has a max 28 days between regeneration and I have no idea how close that was. If it tries to regen with no supply water turned on, what could happen? Thanks in advance.
 
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Bannerman

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A water softener and annion system each utilize a control valve that control the direction of flow of water through each system.

Although you did not shut off the power to each system, each control valve may have proceeded to change the flow path through each unit, but because you shut off the water supply, there was no actual flow of water through each system. The control valve will not know there was no actual flow and so each will 'think' a regeneration was performed even as no regeneration actually occured.

To restore proper operation for each, upon restoring water flow, initiate a manual regeneration for each system, ensuring each is performed at a different time so they will not be regenerating at the same time.
 

Redrum

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I would like to bump this thread, which I found looking for an answer to my question. I am wondering if there is any harm done to either a greensand or softener system if it regenerates with the supply water turned off?

My situation - cabin with dug well->gould pump**->ball valve main shutoff->greensand**->softener**->ball valve->UV**->ball valve->plumbing. Everything with a ** is on the same electrical circuit.

I winterize, no problem, but otherwise, when I leave for a week or two, either my wife or I just shutoff the main ball valve and leave the pump/systems/UV powered. Primarily just to prevent flooding. Obviously, since they remain powered, a regen could occur, the greensand is metered.

I suppose I could turn off the UV isolation ball valves, the main water ball valve, and the ** circuit. Not sure if cycling the UV bulb adds any stress. But I don't, I just keep it simple..

Thoughts?
Jim
 

MaxBlack

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I would always insist to turn-off the circuit feeding the well pump, even if only leaving for a week or two. The "only" issue I see with that is the timer on your gizmos needing to be re-set.

If that causes any other problems (I dunno what, or how) I might be inclined to separate the well pump from the rest.

You trust your wife, Jim. I would not want mine fiddling with valves anywhere! :oops:
 

Redrum

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You trust your wife, Jim. I would not want mine fiddling with valves anywhere! :oops:
Ha! I have to. This is not our main home, and often she will open/close on her own or with friends, same with me, so, no choice...the dog has no need to learn how though...

In thinking about it, I agree with shutting the power to the pump. It's probably 100' from the cabin, and anything that might rupture between the house and the main shut off would cause the pump to run and run and run until it dies.

I rewired the place and I think at the time I thought it a good idea to run everything water (except heater) on the same circuit. I know that some of the control valves settings are non volatile, maybe the clocks, time to regen, etc are all stored as well. I'll check it out.

Thanks for your reply...
Jim
 

MaxBlack

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Hi Jim, while the settings I'm sure are non-volatile, notso sure about the clock. Easy to test that though, right!?

My wife learned early-on about the well breaker, and in fact we have a well at both our winter home (vacant in summer, though we visit to cut grass and etc so turn-on the well while we're there) and our summer home (rare visits in winter). Turning that off is easy; lighting propane hot water tanks notsomuch!

In our case we have just a small WaterBoss softener at the cabin, and a simple Culligan softener at the other house. I leave them both ON cuz w/o water being used they don't try to run, though if they did it would not create a problem as "no water pressure".
 

Redrum

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I leave them both ON cuz w/o water being used they don't try to run, though if they did it would not create a problem as "no water pressure".
I guess this was my original question, if there is no water pressure and a regen occurs, would the controllers know this and ???? (do something that does no damage to them selves) :confused:

BTW, I remembered we just had one of our frequent power failures a couple days back (Tall Eastern White Pine trees everywhere) I looked at the clock and it's correct!

Jim
 

Reach4

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I guess this was my original question, if there is no water pressure and a regen occurs, would the controllers know this and ???? (do something that does no damage to them selves) :confused:
Softener will think a regeneration has occurred, and will reset the count-down gallon counter. No damage to the equipment occurs.
 

MaxBlack

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I guess this was my original question, if there is no water pressure and a regen occurs, would the controllers know this and ???? (do something that does no damage to them selves) :confused:

BTW, I remembered we just had one of our frequent power failures a couple days back (Tall Eastern White Pine trees everywhere) I looked at the clock and it's correct!

Jim
If it were me then, assuming the clock continues to run through a week or etc of no power, I would just throw-off the breaker and be done with it.

If on the other hand the clock doesn't survive a week of No Power, assuming it's a PIA to reset every time, I would split the well pump from the other gear and just turn-off the well pump.

BTW I would guess that turning off and then on again the UV bulb would be less stressful on it than being ON all the time. But that might be a question for the UV supplier.
 
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