Great tip on the bypass valve. Thanks for posting.

Did you put gravel in the bottom of your kinetico tanks? Does your system have a couple large plastic rings that you pull off to remove unit from water system. If yes how do you pull them off?

not rings more like c clips I mean

@@robandannetteful No, there was no gravel in the tanks when I cleaned out the old resin, so I just replaced with the correct resin. Did not add anything else. No c-clips on mine, I just pulled the metal pin from the retaining piece and the two pipes that stick out at the top of the tank just pulled right out of the bypass valve. I think I've seen videos on KZfaq of systems that do have the C-clips you're talking about

How full of resin should the tank be ?

Thanks Anthony.

I thought he was just advertising he was a Pastafarian--but that would have to be a colander...

Glad it was helpful! It is a lot easier than you think.

If you want to put those skills to use you could calculate the volume of the tank, then determine the surface area of the resin.

@@HouseDoctorRay Or you could learn more calculus in college or university, become an engineer, and earn enough in day to pay a professional to do this dirty work. 🙃

I hope you're right. Princess number 1 is in her senior year and going to engineering school next year.

There is nothing wrong with knowing the hard science and math AND being able to turn a wrench and swing a hammer. Any good engineer knows how to do both. (I like ot think of myself as a renaissance man.) - Renaissance man, an ideal that developed in Renaissance Italy from the notion expressed by one of its most-accomplished representatives, Leon Battista Alberti (1404-72), that “a man can do all things if he will.”

Great news Anna! Glad you were able to do it yourself.

It's not hard at all. You can do it!

Glad it worked out.

Glad you found it helpful. Always had city water before this so never needed a softener.

Thanks. You can do it!

Good luck!

Great news!

Glad to hear it.

Glad it worked out for you Ron.

😅😆😂🤣

Glad you liked it.

Especially important to buy something made in the US if it is going in your drinking water.

You'll be amazed at how much better your water is when you're done.

Thank you.

Thanks Mike.

Thanks for your kind words.

Thank you for your kind words.

Thanks.

It's definitely a way to save a lot of money.

Thanks Jim.

Glad it was helpful.

Thanks Jay. Now order that resin and fix your softener.

@@HouseDoctorRay This looks like a good place for my question: I need "high iron resin", which I take to mean high-mesh resin that will trap more of the iron, such as ALDEX C-800F Fine Mesh WATER SOFTENER RESIN, but am not sure. Any advice? And Princess #1 must stick with engineering to make that plan work. I switched to academia and am now retired at 85 and doing my own dirty work. 😥

Sorry, I'm not sure about the resin. Best l can tell you is try and find something made in the US.

Glad it worked out for you. I found another source for the made in USA Purolite resin. Just like everything else the price has gone up significantly. amzn.to/3k3x7U3

@@HouseDoctorRay Glad I didn't go with the Chinese stuff - there are horror stories all over the web about it being full of benzene (takes a long time to flush out) and it not having much capacity - poorly reacted functional groups.

Thanks Bill, glad you liked it.

Glad you liked it.

Thanks for the clarification.

We have the same issues here with compact florescent lights (CFLs). They are designated as hazardous waste. We're not supposed to put CFLs in recycling bins or in the garbage. Government drop off centers don't want them either. Go figure. Sorry, but I can't tell you how to dispose of it. Now you can't even feign ignorance because MI5 read your post.

You're welcome and thank you for watching.

Thanks. Glad you liked it.

But yet you spend $300 on a cell phone. I will gladly spend $10 on a funnel I'll only use once because when the time comes to use it again I will have it already in the cabinet and not need to jerry rig pieces of paper together and spill $170 worth of media resin all over the floor just to save $10 on a funnel.

It's not very difficult. Definitely get the funnel.

Filter should be the first thing in your system. Easy to make : kzfaq.info/get/bejne/p7uBqdR-t5nDeo0.html

Thanks John.

Thanks for watching.

It's an awesome feeling Wade. Thanks for watching.

Thanks. It is usable right from the bag. I just hit the regeneration once to reset the system and fill the resin tank with water. You can prefill the resin tank with water before screwing the head back on. The idea is just to flush the air out so your pipes don't bang until the air reaches your faucet.

Thank you and thanks for watching.

True but... It is very mild and it's also unlikely those o-rings are rubber. They're likely nitrile. It is best to use a water based lube.

Thanks for watching Uncle Swing

You're welcome and thank you for watching.

Keeps me safe from 5g

@@HouseDoctorRay you need to line it with tinfoil lol. I soon will be doing a resin replacement on my softer as well.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Yes it did have gravel. Not all softeners require it but mine did. The gravel is supposed to help with water pressure loss and the resin beads from getting into your plumbing system.

@@HouseDoctorRay Great info thank you.

Thank you.

I would try that before replacing the resin. There is also a product called iron out that you can put in the brine tank. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/Zsqcdpumu6vIh2Q.html

You must've missed the part where I syphoned most of the water out before taking it outside.

If you have a brine (salt) canister then you use standard resin. There is 8% and 10% crosslink. The 10% is usually only used if you have a high chlorine content in your water that may damage the 8%. Short answer - the resin I linked to in the video description should be fine.

I closed the manual bypass valve and unplugged the unit. There may be a more elegant solution but this works.

Thanks for your quick reply, wish me luck.

No luck needed. You got this!

@@HouseDoctorRay Thanks for your positivity. Got the re-bed done & also cleaned out the brine tank...worked like a charm, water pressure's back to normal, thanks again.

Glad it worked out and glad you saved a ton of money.

If your pressure is good in bypass then replacing the gravel and resin could solve your problem. You should have a filter before the softener to prevent contamination.

Yes , I have 2 filters connected to it. I replaced them already. Tried a cleaner from Home Depot and did 2 manual regens. Didn’t help.

Both softeners likely have gravel. The gravel acts as a filter to prevent the resin from getting into your plumbing. Over time the resin can fracture, the gravel catches the pieces.

Dry everything really well and find the source of the leak. I doubt either tank is leaking. It is most likely a connection point or the seals in the softener head. Another option could be water coming through the walls or foundation. When that happens it leaves behind white mineral deposits.

See if you can find a manual online for your system. My understanding is that gravel is supposed to prevent pressure loss and prevent channels from developing in the resin. There is not a downside to gravel other than a slight reduction in the amount of resin.

@@HouseDoctorRay Thank you Ray

The gravel will help but it's likely the long black pipe is cracked.

Yes, while you're in bypass you should not have a leak.

@@HouseDoctorRay Ok, I shut the water off and opened a faucet too. This released pressure so that the Valve/Tank could disconnect from the Bypass.

Pretty sure I used the whole box from the link in the video description. You want the gravel to cover all of the slits in the bottom of the pipe.

" I had a resin tank leak at the neck in less than 3 years" What do you mean at the neck ? Is this the Riser Tube which has a filter at the end of it which points down to the bottom of the tank. Did that filter crack and let resin into your water system ? I just had a problem with resin leaking into the pipes. I was told that 8-10 year old resin will leak through to your pipes and you need to change to new resin. Thanks !

@@wanderingsoul2909 Hi, my cracks were at the threaded part of the resin tank that the control valve screws on to. I had to replace the entire tank. The riser tube and the filter at the end were fine so I reused those. I didn't have resin leaking into my plumbing. Your issue may be that the resin is breaking down so that it now can pass through the filter at the end of the riser tube, assuming the filter is not broken. You can inspect the filter and riser tube after you take the system apart. A new filter is cheap if it is cracked. My original installation had gravel at the bottom so there is no way to push the riser tube/filter back down to the base of the tank after taking off the control valve as the tube comes up with the control valve as it is a snug fit. I didn't use any gravel when I put the resin back into the tank in case I needed to disassemble again. Actually, I did have to disassemble a bunch of times because the water was not being softened after putting the system back together. It took me 5 or 6 times opening the system back up to finally figure out that I needed to push the riser tube into the control valve past the o-rings before screwing the control valve to the tank. I figured that the riser tube would engage the control valve once screwed on, but that was not the case. Without the riser tube sealed to the control valve, the water was not passing through the resin. Once you open your system, I would replace the resin if it is more than 5 years old which seems too soon but just prevents having to do it again that many more years. 8-10 years is the lifespan of the resin whether from breakdown or clogging. To save costs, I would use standard resin that you can get from Home Depot, Tier1 1 cu ft 50 lb bags free delivery which is at a fair price.

@@sydneybird116 Thanks for the in depth explanation. So, I took out my riser and the bottom filter was slightly cracked ( was told that as the resin breaks down it compresses the filter and cracks it causing resin to leak out ). So, I bought new resin and a new riser. Waiting for it and will install it myself hopefully. Thanks !

You *can* do a mix of tannin removing and softener resin but it could cause problems. During backwash/regeneration the released tannins and minerals can combine in your backwash line to the drain. If you haven't had a problem yet I guess give it a shot using the same ratio of resin that you have now. Best practice is separate systems but that sounds expensive.

@@HouseDoctorRay Thanks for the reply. Its a culligan system like the one you were working on. So far so good. I have been considering a separate system also. Cheers!

That center tube probably wasn't seated properly or is cracked. When in regeneration if you shine a bright light on the mineral tank you'll see the resin gently rising.

@@HouseDoctorRay Got it figured out. My unit has a quick release hook up for the drain line. I had the tube removed when I put the unit in regen to relieve the pressure in the tank. As a result a blast of water came out of the head where the drain tube fitting attaches. Inside is a rubber flow regulator. Basically a rubber bung with a small hole in the center. I managed to blow this out and into my basement sump pit. So when restarting the unit, after replacing the resin and this flow regulator missing, there was so much pressure that it sent most of the new resin down the drain! Thanks for your help and great video.

Glad you figured it out. Feels good to do it yourself.

Try and find the service manual online and find out if there are settings to run it without the probe. You can sometimes find Culligan parts on eBay.

Could be from the gravel or sediment in your pipes. Run the cold water for a while at your tub spout. This is usually the faucet that has the best flow. You want to avoid getting sediment in your water heater.

Check the video description. There is a link to a chart to give you an idea how much resin you'll need. There are also links to the products I used. I used all of the 15 lbs of gravel I bought. You want enough gravel to cover the slots in the bottom of the tube.

The gravel acts as a filter to keep the resin beads from getting into your water lines. The beads can crack and the small pieces are caught by the gravel. As far as overfilling: Go to your unit and put it into regeneration mode. Hold a strong light against the side of the resin tank. You'll see the resin start to undulate and rise up. Keep watching until the resin stops rising. Mine goes up about 6-8 inches. As long as it stops rising a few inches from the top of the tank you should be fine. The resin needs room to move around for the salt to strip the minerals away but shouldn't reach the head unit.

I'm not familiar with gravel filters. I would say no, you probably need to use something like sandstone. Garnet is hard and is used in the water softener to prevent the resin from clogging the tube. It doesn't really behave as a filter.

You need to put in enough gravel to cover the little slots in the bottom of the pipe. The amount will vary based on the size of your tank. The most commonly used is garnet. There's a link in the video description of the resin that I used it works great. As a bonus it was way cheaper than I could have bought it for from one of the water softener suppliers near me.

There is a link in the video description. Garnet is preferred just rinse it thoroughly.

If you are talking about the 3 small blue canisters they are water filters. I don't have a chlorinator. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/p7uBqdR-t5nDeo0.html&t

I made a multi stage filter. I change the first one more often. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/p7uBqdR-t5nDeo0.html

Yes. The one I put it in is a Culligan.

Diameter is the width of the tank.

Wrapping around is the circumference, to get the diameter you could divide the circumference by 3.14

You got that right brother. If you find out who it is drag them through the mud.

The media or resin should last a minimum of 5 years under the worst conditions of heavy iron well water. The resin can last up to 20 years. If your water supply is always flowing through the softener you should have no issues. If the water is just sitting in the mineral tank for a long period there is a possibility of bacteria developing.

The filter is usually installed right after the expansion tank and before the water softener. You want to keep the sediment out of your water softener. I made a video on how I put the filter together and installed it. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/p7uBqdR-t5nDeo0.html

House Doctor Ray thank you. I’m glad I installed mine properly than lol. I couldn’t get a straight answer on the best place to install it so I guessed. Would you recommend a resin cleaning solution? Or is it best to just replace it? I’ve owned my softener for less than a year, but just recently added the whole house filter. I have well water. I was wondering since the water was really bad before the filter installation, do I need to clean or change the resin to get the best water?

The resin should be fine. The backwash cycle will eventually flush out the sediment.

You could shut off your water main and just turn on a faucet to make sure the pressure is released.

@@HouseDoctorRay OK. I can do that.

You're correct that Vaseline being a petroleum based product is not good for rubber. However almost nothing nowadays is rubber. Silicone grease is a good idea but make sure it is food grade if you go that route.

@@HouseDoctorRay Good point!

There is a link in the video description.

The O-ring is what seals the tank. Your local hardware store will likely have them for common brands.

I'm thinking that you are referring to the top of the tank that is not covered by fiberglass where the controller screws in. The tank is a plastic bottle that is wrapped with fiberglass. On my tank, the threaded part developed two cracks. See my other replies on how I reused the resin. I am getting a new tank under warranty but I have to pay $100 for shipping. That's the problem with not buying your system local, but local was at least 50% more expensive. Cracks at the top are a common problem.

Garnet is the normal gravel. You need enough to cover the holes in the bottom of the tube. There are links in the video description for the materials I used.

From what I've read there are very few situations where you need to buy the 10% crosslink or fine mesh resin. The standard resin I linked to is going to last 15-25 years unless you have drastically acidic or chlorinated water. $100 every 15 years is not a big deal. The only people who would probably disagree are those who sell the high-end resin.

@@HouseDoctorRay No chlorine here just hard well water.

@@HouseDoctorRay I have this exact same question. My guess (and it is only a guess) is that with normal use and normal chlorine levels in chlorinated water (say 1.5ppm) the 8% crosslinked resin will last 10 to 12 years, and if instead using 10% crosslinked at $200/cf vs $100, will only last 12 to 15 years, not the 2x or more (20 to 24) that i hear people hint at (no one seems to actually test and report on that in a given area with real water. Everyone seems to say that with proper care, resin lasts 10- to 15 years, with no mention of the cross linked percentage. Note, if 10% lasted 20 years and 8% only lasted 10 years, it would be worth it to pat $200 vs $100 for a cubic foot, but as i said, my gut is it is more like 10 years increasing to 12 years at 1.5 ppm. Thoughts?

I would say put the extra $100 in the bank and in 10 years worry about it. These units are generally designed with excess capacity so unless you have 4 bathrooms and 8 people in your house it's not going to make much of a difference.

@@HouseDoctorRay I ended up buying a bottle of "Pro Rez Care" and followed the instructions and it worked incredibly well. I have treated the system twice and have barely used any of the bottle. I have enough to treat it for years. Was much easier than swapping out the media. Our water is perfectly soft now.

I ordered a kit for my water softer that didn’t have gravel but the kit includes gravel so just wondering if it helps or if I should leave it out

There was gravel in it at the bottom. The gravel keeps the resin from getting into the plumbing system. The resin can break down over time especially if you have chlorinated water.

You want enough gravel to cover the slots in the bottom of the center tube.

The mechanical parts are really all that fail. My Culligan is 20 years old and still works fine. It did get jammed up with dirt but it was an easy fix. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/p5-fgKpnz8qVhXU.htmlsi=9ED3olrWptf-cNm0

The gravel stops the resin beads from getting into your plumbing system. It also helps with water pressure dropping.