Rainsoft Gold Installation

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Hi, I have received a Rainsoft Gold Series system from a friend that did not have any info or knowledge on how to reinstall the unit. I am running blind here and would like some extra info to help myself with the maintenance and running of the system.
All I need...so far...is a manual and installation guide. Even some extra info on what to look out for on a unit that has been sitting for about 3 years in a storage shed.
I am concerned with 1) the drain line constantly draining water, small trickle all the time. 2) I am thinking this might need to be recharged, can i do this myself or have a RS person come do it for me?
Any and all help is so very much appreciated.
Great site to have stumbled across. I wish I would have found it earlier today before giving myself 2nd degree burns on my finger from sweeting pipes hooking this thing up. HA!!!!! I am fine, but my pride level is abit low. Oh well!

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I have what you need.
Email me with your mailing address and I'll mail you a copy.

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Is the drain line supposed to trickle water all the time? How do I know if anything other than the salt needs to be replaced or changed out?

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mudbeast66 wrote:

Is the drain line supposed to trickle water all the time?

How do I know if anything other than the salt needs to be replaced or changed out?

NO.

Bypass the system and wait until the set up manual arrives later this week.

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i got the packet in the mail. you are awesome, thanks.
i also tested my water with a water test kit from home decrepit, HA!!

ph 7.5
alk 240
chl 1
hardness 0/soft
iron 0
copper 0
nitrate 0
nitrite 0

now i have a few questions about the set up of the RS Gold. it says to pour 5 inches of water into the brine tank. i had put 150lbs of salt tabs in the tank and had filled water to just over that, just about half the tank was full. Did I mess this up?
Next question, it says "to backwash the system and any remaining air will be purged, then to open the inlet-by-pass knob back up. This procedure will prevent any resin from being pushed into the valve head." What happens if this is done incorrectly? I know I turned both the in and out valves open and closed quite a few times, and am not sure if I did get any resin into the head. Can I check this out or how can I tell if this did happen?
Sorry for all the questions and I do appreciate your time. I left H2OMAN an email and would like to help with his time he is giving me on this topic.

Thank you,
Mudbeast66

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I'm glad I could be of service.

I would just put the system into manual regeneration and see how it goes.
If everything works, you will hear water running to the drain twice and the water level in the salt tank will automatically be corrected.

Resin is really soft and any small amount will be flushed out of the head.
If the head is packed with resin, little or no water will flow throw it.

Let us know how it works out.

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Quote:

Resin is really soft and any small amount will be flushed out of the head.
If the head is packed with resin, little or no water will flow throw it.

So you are talking about the flow rate to the house as being little to no flow? Also, where does it get flushed too, down the drain hose or into the house?

When I first turn on the unit, does the water flow like a high pitched squeal? I would turn the bypass valves off after a few minutes not knowing what it was doing. Is this normal? How long should it take to equalize?

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The squeal is usually water going through the the brine control.

Make sure the system is not in any cycle other than service.
Slowly open the bypass valves incrementally over several minutes.

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mudbeast66 wrote:

Quote:
Resin is really soft and any small amount will be flushed out of the head.
If the head is packed with resin, little or no water will flow throw it.

So you are talking about the flow rate to the house as being little to no flow? Also, where does it get flushed too, down the drain hose or into the house?

When I first turn on the unit, does the water flow like a high pitched squeal? I would turn the bypass valves off after a few minutes not knowing what it was doing. Is this normal? How long should it take to equalize?

Resin is not soft. If you step on any it acts like tiny ball bearings.

If the control is packed with resin, the flow to the house and the drain can be reduced.

To prevent that packing, to initially add water to the resin tank, the control valve should be in the backwash position before turning the water on to the softener. Then you increase flow through the valve until the main water valve is wide open without losing resin out the drain line. Then you go on to the next position etc. all the way to the service position.

Check the manual or h20man for instructions as to how to step the control from one position to another.

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what is the easiest way to take the head off the unit? how can i make sure there is not any pressure in the system before i open it? I wanted to check the resin level to see if i should add any. there are no tags, how can i tell if it has a carbon filter?

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mudbeast66 wrote:

what is the easiest way to take the head off the unit? how can i make sure there is not any pressure in the system before i open it? I wanted to check the resin level to see if i should add any. there are no tags, how can i tell if it has a carbon filter?

There only one way, it unscrews out of the tank.

To release pressure you shut off the water before the softener, not with the by pass valve, and open a faucet in the house. Let the faucet drain and then close it.

How do you know how much resin is in that size softener, and then if you'd need to add any? Most resin tanks are never filled, the empty space is called freeboard and needed for successful backwashing. The freeboard space is usually equal to half the resin bed depth or more.

A carbon filter? There is no carbon filter in a softener but, there may be some carbon in a softener on top of the resin. It is not a good idea though and is called top dressing.

People should not buy/use old softeners or filters unless they know they 'work', or how to replace whatever needs to be replaced without proper instructions of how to do it, and that the thing is the correct size for their water quality, family size and the numbers of bathrooms and the type of fixture in those bathrooms.

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i appreciate the info. H2OMAN mailed me some info on my RS Gold system. So I will follow the directions and see what happens. I did get this used from a friend that moved into an apt and can no longer use this. He lived in a 4bd 2bth with two people in the house. I have a 3bd 2bth with 2 people in the house also. I have tested my water as I mentioned in a previous post. my water is pretty good I think, but I would like it to be a bit softer if possible. I will leave the head alone for now and just play with it till I feel comfortable. I visited your website and see that you are a Texas boy like me. I appreciate your helping with my virginness on water softener systems.

Mudbeast66

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Gary Slusser wrote:

Resin is not soft. If you step on any it acts like tiny ball bearings.

Only when it's dry. It's soft like fish eggs when wet.

mudbeast66 wrote:

i appreciate the info. H2OMAN mailed me some info on my RS Gold system. So I will follow the directions and see what happens. I did get this used from a friend that moved into an apt and can no longer use this. He lived in a 4bd 2bth with two people in the house. I have a 3bd 2bth with 2 people in the house also. I have tested my water as I mentioned in a previous post. my water is pretty good I think, but I would like it to be a bit softer if possible. I will leave the head alone for now and just play with it till I feel comfortable.

That sounds like a good plan Very Happy

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H2O_MAN wrote:

Gary Slusser wrote:

Resin is not soft. If you step on any it acts like tiny ball bearings.

Only when it's dry. It's soft like fish eggs when wet.

Mushy resin is damaged resin. Good resin is hard.

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mudbeast66 wrote:

I did get this used from a friend that moved into an apt and can no longer use this. He lived in a 4bd 2bth with two people in the house. I have a 3bd 2bth with 2 people in the house also. I have tested my water as I mentioned in a previous post. my water is pretty good I think, but I would like it to be a bit softer if possible. I will leave the head alone for now and just play with it till I feel comfortable. I visited your website and see that you are a Texas boy like me. I appreciate your helping with my virginness on water softener systems. Mudbeast66

Then it should work as it worked for him. Good luck with it.

Yes we are (transplanted) Texans but live in our motor home traveling around the country. Currently we are drycamping/boondocking by some pine trees in a USFS campground in the Colorado Rockies 100' off the water's edge of a gorgeous lake at like 10,200'. Beautiful blue sky, about 75*, no humidity and a nice breeze off the lake. All we can hear is waves lapping the shore and a seagull or crow/raven once in awhile. It costs us $7.50/day. We look out the windows at possibly the highest peak in CO, Mt Elbert at 14,433'. It is one of IIRC 12 14,000'+ peaks in this area; I'm not sure which one it is but all of them still have picture perfect snow on the ridges. We'll probably be back in Texas sometime in the late fall or early winter.

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okay, i took the head off the canister. looks like the resin is about 3/4 full, just guessing here. The resin is like very small balls, soft to touch, but very firm when pinched between my fingers. Tan in color and has black specs or shavings mixed in. here is some photos...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/86628094@N00/2723509061/

i ran through all the parameters and ran though all the regeneration parameters. the backwash hose still pours water out from the time i open the bypass valves till i shut them off. any idea why this would be. is there a solenoid that is stuck open? no matter what position i have the head setting at, the hose still flows water out.

i am hoping this is an easy fix, my next step is to have a tech come out. Not something I want to do, but I really would like to use this.

Gary....i hope you have a great time away from our heat and humidity. i wish you safe travels and would like to see pictures sometime.

Mudbeast66

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Gary Slusser wrote:

H2O_MAN wrote:
Gary Slusser wrote:

Resin is not soft. If you step on any it acts like tiny ball bearings.

Only when it's dry. It's soft like fish eggs when wet.

Mushy resin is damaged resin. Good resin is hard.

There are many different types of resin ...

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H2O_MAN wrote:

Gary Slusser wrote:
H2O_MAN wrote:
Gary Slusser wrote:

Resin is not soft. If you step on any it acts like tiny ball bearings.

Only when it's dry. It's soft like fish eggs when wet.

Mushy resin is damaged resin. Good resin is hard.

There are many different types of resin ...

All resins are hard unless they are damaged. Point of fact, mudbeast66 just told you his quite old resin is hard.

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mudbeast66 wrote:

okay, i took the head off the canister. looks like the resin is about 3/4 full, just guessing here. The resin is like very small balls, soft to touch, but very firm when pinched between my fingers. Tan in color and has black specs or shavings mixed in. here is some photos...

i ran through all the parameters and ran though all the regeneration parameters. the backwash hose still pours water out from the time i open the bypass valves till i shut them off. any idea why this would be. is there a solenoid that is stuck open? no matter what position i have the head setting at, the hose still flows water out.

i am hoping this is an easy fix, my next step is to have a tech come out. Not something I want to do, but I really would like to use this.

Gary....i hope you have a great time away from our heat and humidity. i wish you safe travels and would like to see pictures sometime.

Mudbeast66

The control valve is stuck in a position of regeneration (the piston isn't moving) or it has an internal seal leak.

Thanks. Sorry, I'm not allowed to post pics here, h20man, justalurker and Andy complained.

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Gary Slusser wrote:

Sorry, I'm not allowed to post pics here, h20man, justalurker and Andy complained.

What?

mudbeast66

You need a service call - put the system on bypass.

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Rainsoft Gold Installation

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