Water Softener

[duk]

I have Alamo softener that it cuts city water to all equipment it has R.O system.Had to install bypass valve, just wondering if this has happened to someone else. New to forum and car wash but ,I"m loving it:

 

[Rudy]

A "bypass" valve is a valve that allows you to circumvent or bypass the water softener(s). I'm not sure this is what you are talking about. You'd normally ONLY use it during troubleshooting...or maybe during a time when the softeners break and you'd need to keep water going to the wash.

One danger, you do NOT want hard water going to your RO. The membranes will get fouled and probably become damaged. If you do "bypass" the softener(s), make sure you turn your RO off.

 

[MEP001]

If you have a 2900 softener, one of the two diverter pistons or their controls may be bad. It's two separate softeners with a control and meter on the plumbing. What it's supposed to do is put the one that's in offline mode into service, then switch the other and run the regeneration cycle on it, and they're each set up to flow no water when offline. If one isn't switching, when it goes to regenerate it just stops all flow.

 

[pitzerwm]

I think that he is saying that the softener is restricting his water volume, so he has bypassed it, which is bad for the RO as well as the soaps don't work as well. IMO, the softener needs fixing or replacing.

 

[MEP001]

I have Alamo softener that it cuts city water to all equipment

Is the flow weak when the softener is in service, or does it stop completely?

 

[diycarwash]

Sounds like it may be time for some new resin.

 

[Ghetto Wash]

A "bypass" valve is a valve that allows you to circumvent or bypass the water softener(s). I'm not sure this is what you are talking about. You'd normally ONLY use it during troubleshooting...or maybe during a time when the softeners break and you'd need to keep water going to the wash.

One danger, you do NOT want hard water going to your RO. The membranes will get fouled and probably become damaged. If you do "bypass" the softener(s), make sure you turn your RO off.

All of my softeners have internal bypass when regenerating and I have often wondered about this but never asked or figured it out.

With bypass, the carwash still has water and can still wash cars - even at 2:00am when it is set to regenerate, but the RO can still run if it needs to leading to potential membrane problems.

Without bypass, the carwash would have to be shut down while the softener regenerates, but the membrane is safe.

Which way is right?

 

[pitzerwm]

It isn't the softwater itself is it, but the carbon filter to get rid of the chlorine?

And the time regenning isn't enough to damage the membrane or everyone would be bitching. OR You could hook up a by pass to the RO, when it was regenning.

 

[MEP001]

Ghetto, all single-tank softeners will bypass water while they're regenerating. One "right way" would be to install a pretreatment interlink on the RO system to prevent it from filling the tank while the softener is in bypass.

It depends on how hard the water is and how often the RO has to run while the softener is regenerating that would affect the life of the membranes.

 

[duk]

Water softener

Thanks for all imput, I just found out had main water problem little while back,going to check for trash in upper and lower pistons, have to bypass this to work on it, it had no bypass valve.