Rainsoft Q2 drive motor spins continuously

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I have a Rainsoft water softener with a Q2 valve that I purchased in May of 1998. This week, the unit stopped regenerating. The computer board lights up and all settings appear accurate, but the drive motor runs continuously on the unit when it is plugged in. The only way to stop it is to unplug the unit. It also will not respond to a manual regeneration request.

I have the Rainsoft repair tech scheduled to come to the house tomorrow. For those of you with knowledge of this system, what is the likely cause of this problem?

Are they able to replace just the broken parts within the motor & valve rather than the entire Q2 valve system?

Lastly, are there alternatives to the Q2 valve available from non-Rainsoft sources? If so, is this a DIY repair?

Thanks!

Jason

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Sounds like a busted micro-switch,
but I want you to check the following:

Are the cams spinning?
Is the piston going up and down?

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H20_Man,

Thanks for the quick reply...awesome forum here!

I checked and the neither the primary nor the backup cams are spinning, nor is the piston moving.

Jason

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OK, it's a frozen piston and a sheared pin.
The piston needs to be removed, O rings replaced, the pin needs to be replaced and everything put back together.
It's a fairly simple and standard repair, hopefully the tech has the tools and parts.

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Well, that doesn't sound as bad as having to replace the entire valve. Smile

Based on your diagnosis, it sounds like then the piston froze, which caused the shear pin to, well, shear.

Any idea why the motor runs continuously, even after unplugging and resetting the computer? I would've thought that resetting the computer would've solved that problem until the next time the system called for regeneration.

On another note, I'd like you to ask you to get out your crystal ball and predict whether I'm going to hear the "We can't get parts for this valve anymore, so you'll have to upgrade to our Super Duper Gold valve at $$$$$ to fix this unit" pitch. Wink

Are parts still available for this Q2 valve?

Thanks much!

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jasolution wrote:

Well, that doesn't sound as bad as having to replace the entire valve. Based on your diagnosis, it sounds like then the piston froze, which caused the shear pin to, well, shear.

Correct!

Quote:

Any idea why the motor runs continuously, even after unplugging and resetting the computer? I would've thought that resetting the computer would've solved that problem until the next time the system called for regeneration.

The cam could be pressing against a micro-switch or one of them is busted.

Quote:

On another note, I'd like you to ask you to get out your crystal ball and predict whether I'm going to hear the "We can't get parts for this valve anymore, so you'll have to upgrade to our Super Duper Gold valve at $$$$$ to fix this unit" pitch. Are parts still available for this Q2 valve?

Thanks much!

Yes, you will be offered the chance to upgrade. This is RainSoft's SOP because the brass valve and Q are obsolete and no longer supported by the factory. There is no set price, I have seen $600 to $1800 -- Don't do it!

If the tech repairs the Q, it is nothing more than a band-aid. At some point you will need to replace the valve or the entire softener.
I prefer the time tested Fleck metered 2510SE for the valve upgrade, and I suggest EcoWater for a complete replacement system.

HTH ~

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H20,

Since you're up late and willing to share your obvious expertise, I'm going to indulge in your generosity one more time. Do you consider the valve replacement a DIY task, or is it something better left to the pros?

I'm comfortable with plumbing repairs, very mechanically inclined and willing to invest a few hours into a job like this. Having said that, I'm also willing to pay a professional to do a job that should only be done by a professional. Smile

If it's a DIY job, do you know of any good walk-throughs online (with pictures, or even videos)?

If it's a "call in the pros" kind of job, where is the best place to start my search for the pro? I'm assuming that RainSoft will tell me to go jump in a lake if I ask them to put a Fleck valve on, but I don't have any water treatment experts in my rolodex. I'm in Michigan in the metro Detroit area.

Thanks,

Jason

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I'm pretty sure the RainSoft tech will point out a lake ~ they can't
install anything that does not have the RainSoft name on it.

I can walk you through the swap. PM sent Cool

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Yes anyone with the desire and ability to read English can replace a control valve but... by the time you do it, it will usually cost 50% or more of the delivered price for a new softener bought online.

Also, a much better choice for a control valve is the Clack WS-1.

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Gary Slusser wrote:

Yes anyone with the desire and ability to read English can replace a control valve but... by the time
you do it, it will usually cost 50% or more of the delivered price for a new softener bought online.

Also, a much better choice for a control valve is the Clack WS-1.

Yes, swapping the control valve can save the consumer 50% or more
of the cost to replace the entire system with a new softener.

Also, I have looked at the Clack WS-1 and if I honestly felt it was a
much better choice for a control valve I would offer it to my clients.

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H2O_MAN wrote:

Gary Slusser wrote:
Also, a much better choice for a control valve is the Clack WS-1.

H2O_Man wrote:
I have looked at the Clack WS-1 and if I honestly felt it was a much better choice for a control valve I would offer it to my clients.

I'll remember that as I do your denial here that you are not an Ecowater dealer, and your statement that buying water treatment equipment as a consumer is a good investment for them.

But let me ask you, I make proposals to prospective customers, how do you do that with your clients?

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Gary Slusser wrote:

I'll remember that as I do your denial here that you are not an Ecowater dealer, and your statement that buying water treatment equipment as a consumer is a good investment for them.

I am not an EcoWater dealer. I have never claimed that I was.

Avoiding the cheapest thing available online or at the big box store and buying
higher quality water treatment equipment is a good investment for the consumer.

Quote:

But let me ask you, I make proposals to prospective customers, how do you do that with your clients?

What?

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H2O_MAN wrote:

OK, it's a frozen piston and a sheared pin.
The piston needs to be removed, O rings replaced, the pin needs to be replaced and everything put back together.
It's a fairly simple and standard repair, hopefully the tech has the tools and parts.

The problem turned out to be [drum rolling] a frozen piston, which caused the pin to shear. The tech replaced the o-rings, cleaned a few parts, put in a new pin and now it's back in working order. Excellent diagnosis, H20!

Total Cost: $72.50
Total Time: 18 minutes

I was surprised that there was no pitch to replace the valve, but the fella that came out was also not a salesman.

Thanks!

Jason

P.S. H20, I tried to PM you, but apparently PM is restricted on this forum, so no go.

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jasolution wrote:

Excellent diagnosis, H20!

Total Cost: $72.50
Total Time: 18 minutes

Reliable service from your Rainsoft since 1998, finally needs a repair after 9 years, quick response from service tech, parts on the truck, and it cost $72.50

Gee, dealing with an honest and competent local water treatment professional really sucks... and costs a fortune huh? :wink:

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I'm glad to know everything worked out.

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justalurker wrote:

jasolution wrote:
Excellent diagnosis, H20!

Total Cost: $72.50
Total Time: 18 minutes

Reliable service from your Rainsoft since 1998, finally needs a repair after 9 years, quick response from service tech, parts on the truck, and it cost $72.50

Gee, dealing with an honest and competent local water treatment professional really sucks... and costs a fortune huh? :wink:

I used to buy at retail the brass shear pins from a Rainsoft dealer some 50+ miles away for $0.98 each and IIRC, the o-rings for $1.09 each. He mailed them to me a couple times a year as needed. Anyway, the rest of the charge was service call.

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Gary Slusser wrote:

... the rest of the charge was service call.

From what jasolution posted, I think he is extremely happy with the results and the total price.

Professional installation and service from a qualified H2O tech is well worth the price.

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Gary Slusser wrote:

I used to buy at retail the brass shear pins from a Rainsoft dealer some 50+ miles away for $0.98 each and IIRC, the o-rings for $1.09 each. He mailed them to me a couple times a year as needed. Anyway, the rest of the charge was service call.

So, the price of the diagnosis, o-rings, and shear pin delivered at the softener's location, in a timely manner, and installed was $72.50... compared with the price of an oil change at the Jiffy Lube around $45 (and they don't come to your car) that seems pretty reasonable to me.

Sure beats waiting days for the UPS truck and hoping you diagnosed the problem correctly and that the right parts are coming and then still having to do it yourself and hope you do it right.

Paying a reasonable price for knowledge, tools, parts, and timely service is a good deal. The fact that the parts might be bought for less doesn't diminish the value of the on-site diagnosis, the parts, and the labor.

Jasolution thought the price, the service, and the response time satisfactory and it is his/her money to spend... and his/her soft water is restored quicker than any other option would have.

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Yes and he was very lucky they fixed it. I have nothing against a local dealer doing service when it turns out as his did. I do have a problem with a local dealer not servicing older equipment and charging premium prices. Like most Rainsoft, Ecowater, Hydroquad, Kinetico and a large percentage of the other national brand dealers.

BTW, you're right, you never claimed to be an Ecowater dealer, you have denied you are an Ecowater dealer.

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Gary Slusser wrote:

Yes and he was very lucky they fixed it.

What you call "luck" true professional technicians call "skill"

Gary Slusser wrote:

I have nothing against a local dealer doing service when it turns out as his did.

There are good local dealers and bad ones.

Gary Slusser wrote:

I do have a problem with a local dealer not servicing older equipment and charging premium prices. Like most Rainsoft, Ecowater, Hydroquad, Kinetico and a large percentage of the other national brand dealers.

If your sweeping generalization were remotely true then the market would have reared up and smote those dealers and companies long ago.

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Rainsoft Q2 drive motor spins continuously

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