In my last column, I discussed several methods to regenerate a water softener. These included both manual and automatic procedures. In this column, I’m going to discuss more modern control valves, one of which appeared to be the real answer but, in fact, was not. I’ll also discuss the successful valves being used in 2018.
You will recall if you read my last column that I discussed problems with early automatic control valves. In the later years of the 20th century, there appeared a valve that was simplicity itself. This unit had no solenoids or pistons that moved by water pressure. It used flapper valves to control the regeneration cycles and these valves were opened by a slow moving camshaft — I believe they closed by water pressure. In addition, this valve had no brine valve in the brine tank — just a straight plastic tube to the bottom. This valve looked like the ultimate control, as I said before. What could be simpler? The answer was maybe not so much.