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Open a nearby cold water tap (after the SoftPlus™ system) and let the water run for 5 to 10
minutes until the water is running clear. Repeat for other faucets in the building starting at
the highest elevation and working down to the lowest point until all air is purged. The initial
flow of water may be slightly discolored. This is normal and will go away quickly.
It is now safe to turn the electricity back on to your water heater.
Congratulations!
Your system is now ready to provide treated water to your home!
Keep in mind that your hot water heater may be full of untreated water so it may take a
couple of days before all water used in your home is treated.
REGENERATION
Water softeners remove the minerals responsible for hard water through a process called
ion exchange
. Water softener resin attracts positively charged hard water mineral ions.
These contaminants cling to the resin and are removed from the water stream. As the resin
becomes saturated with contaminants over time, the water softener is designed to perform
an automatic a self-cleaning process called regeneration on a periodic basis. The softener
uses sodium ions from common salt to eject contaminants off of the resin - the sodium ions
are "exchanged" for the contaminants and the sodium ions cling to the media instead. The
contaminants and excess salt brine are backwashed / rinsed down the drain.
The salt used to regenerate the media is stored in a brine tank which sits beside the system.
All you have to do is add salt to the brine tank periodically (only once or twice per month for
most systems).
The regeneration process is automatically engaged and controlled by your Fleck 5810XTR2
valve based on your water demand. Your system was pre-programmed at the factory. In
most cases, your system will be programmed to regenerate every 5 to 7 days at 12:30am, but
this will vary depending on your water demand and water source.
There are 4 steps to the regeneration process:
Step 1: Backwash: factory pre-set for 10 minutes
Step 2: Brine Draw /Slow Rinse: factory pre-set for 60 minutes