Salty tap water from my Kinectico

Are you on city water or well water? What is the number of the disk on top and what hardness/iron conditions do you have? It may be using too much salt during reneration. Do you have a prefilter?

I can only see the number 2 on the white geared disk on top and there are two #2's. I do not have a pre filter. I am on city water and I am not sure of the hardness right now.

You're still under warranty, right? 4040 requires a prefilter, most other Kineticos do not.

Salty tastes usually result in too much salt or not enough backwashing pressure. Can you describe your household water use? What city are you from?

Andy (Justalurker too) all over the internet we are seeing more and more problems being posted by Kinetico owners! Even with new softeners. You and others have always been telling everyone how service free they are and that they last forever, and now, we see water powered softeners can have problems with water pressure and maybe prefilters too! Say it ain't so!!

If other models don't need a prefilter as you say now. BTW, in all these years, I think that is a first and I could quote you saying you believe all softeners should have a prefilter, what has changed and why do so many Kinetico softeners have a prefilter?

Andy, to help tlman1 troubleshoot his non electric water powered softener, maybe you should tell him how water pressure causes the Kinetico valve to allow too much salt. Maybe the bypass valve is not in the right position. Or mention the pressure range he must have. Or that funky Kinetico salt dose float might be set wrong or busted right? How about gaskets, orings or seals leaking? Although maybe that's why you mention it being under warranty, the float should be warrantied. But did you notice there was no mention of anything but a $120 service call? So are you sure the warranty would cover anything? But then labor probably isn't covered as Justalurker has told people to expect from local dealers.

The dealer says that I am not under warranty and they installed it without the "prefilter". Why would they do that if it is required? I live in Oviedo, FL.
I have a family of 4, but all are not here every day so the usage varies from day to day.

tlman1

I personally know staff at your local dealer. Email me and I can help get your problem solved. You have an excellent machine and can be corrected easily.

[email protected]

Andy Christensen, CWS-II

Andy to the rescue !!!

I have a Kinectico Water system about 3 years old and it also stopped working. No salt usage. Sometimes water taste like salt. What do you do to troubleshoot this. Also would this be the reason my water heater is now making noise like it is running all time

What model number do have? I am just wondering how you are getting a salty taste and yet it is not using any salt. How long has this been going on? Have you checked to see if the brine drum is bridged (salt hardening and not dropping)? What kind of salt are you using?

Are you getting hard water? Do you have a prefilter?

Andy Christensen, CWS-II

I've got a Kinectico that is about six years old now. In the past we would get the salty water taste about once per year. Since November 2009 this has been occurring 2-3 times per month. Running the water for a few minutes helps, but unfortunately you don't always catch this before it messes something up (e.g., with ice maker).

Still searching to find an answer. In the past the dealer (Water Doctors in WI) has told us that they have not heard of this problem. Finding more links now so it seems I'm not the only one.

Chip

Your problem is a cone shaped plunger that acts as a valve to isolate the twin tank system during regeneration. When this part breaks it will still seat when conditions are favorable. Then when it doesn't seat you get brine water intrusion due to the fact that the brine is not rinsed off with soft water. When the unit cycles again you get the salt water side of the twin system as your supply untill it switches again. This part is not expensive and fairly easy to replace. I am a plumbing contractor in Texas and Louisiana. Have installed kinetico both commercially and residentially. No matter these few infractions they have not in my mind developed anything that compares in the last 10 years. I have 35 years exposure to the industry. I will continue to reccomed this product and will continue to service it as long as it's available

Do you use a prefilter for the softener? Most salty taste cases occur when backwashing is inadequate, low water pressure or too short of a backwash cycle. It might also occur when resin levels have decreased or slat dosages have increased.

Doug, I too have the salty water in my Kinetico system. I have a pre filter and a quad system. If you think it is this "cone shapes plunger" were is it and can I fix it myself?

Jim

Hi,

I also have a Kinetico system. It was installed when I bought my home, and I have been here for going on 3 years. The home was not new when I bought it and i think the system was bought in 2002. I am getting a very salty taste as well. My system appears to be a K100 and I do not think there is a pre filter, I use the salt you buy from Walmart for water systems. I am on well water. I am in the Orlando Florida area

Any ideas?

Thanks.

[email protected]

Check water pressure, both high and low points.

Can you tell me how you have been there for three years and don't know if you have a prefilter, or not? One must assume, then, that if there is one, you have never changed it. Would that make sense?

Find outr these things and get back.
Andy Christensen, CWS-II

We also have a 6 yr old Quad system. We recently had the $400.00 carbon rebed. Since then we had to have them back out because the system would never shut off. Now, our water tastes salty and even the refrigerator filter and the under sink reverse osmosis system cannot filter it out. This is the 3rd home we have installed a Kenetico system. Never had a problem with the older system.
I am in Oviedo, FL.
Frustrated!!!

I really appreciate your insight. And I will tear down the regen head and check/change the cone. But when I had a service call, the repairman brought a manager. When they saw accumulation of rust and bacteria in the head they offered $1000 off on a new system. They charged us $140 for the call but never even cleaned the head. They just put it back together. I cleaned levels 1 and 2 after watching a YouTube video but still have brine during regen. I didn't want to go to all this trouble. I just wanted a competent repair person. I wish I lived in East Texas so you could fix this.

All I read is the random salty water from Kinetico water systems. It seems to be a major defect. I bought a new one a few years ago because I liked the old one on my other house so much. I am so disappointed. The company just blows it off with the short term warranty they now offer and want an arm and a leg to come look at it. I am still paying on this sucker that does not work correctly. Using different salts doesn't seem to make a difference either. I am in the Saint Cloud, FL area