Kenmore ULTRASOFT 280 - Manual (Page 9)

SECTION 1 I WATER SOFTENER START UP
E. ADDING SALT TO
Brine (salt dissolved in water) is needed for each and
every regeneration. The water for making brine is me­
tered into the salt storage tank by the softener.
You must keep salt in the tank, but because the wa­
ter softener is very efficient, it is not necessary to
keep it full. Especially in humid areas, it is best to
fill the storage tank one quarter to one half full, and
to refill it more often. Salt bridging (see page 3-1) oc­
curs more often when conditions are humid.
Use NUGGET or PELLET water softener salt. DO
NOT use rock salts, as they have dirt and sediments
that will stop the softener from working.
Before adding salt, be sure the brinewell cover is in
place on the top of the brinewell. It is recommended to
set the salt monitor system, although it is not required
for proper operation (see page 2-1).
Note: The salt monitor system, page 2-1, is calibrated
to the density of nugget or pellet water softener salt.
The monitor will not work as accurately with other
types of salt including rock and solar.
If you choose Potassium Chloride (KCl) as a regener­
ant, following these suggestions will help give you
years of maintenance free service.
1) Place only one bag of KCl in your softener at a time
(the salt storage tank should contain no more than 60
pounds of KCl at any one time).
2) A softener using KCl should not be placed in areas
with temperature fluctuations and high humidity
(KCl will harden in these environments and may
make the softener inoperable).
3) Check the brine tank and brine well (black tube in
salt storage tank) monthly. If hardening is present,
pour small amounts of warm water on hardened areas
until they loosen.
4) If your softener does not have a KCl salt setting you
must increase your hardness setting by 25% to ensure
continuous soft water as in example below.
Raw Water Hardenss
(grains per gallon)
5gPg
logpg
ISgpg
20gPg
25gpg
30gPg
35gpg
40gpg
+ 25%
Softener setting when
using KCl
7gPg
13gpg
19gpg
25gPg
32gpg
28gPg
44gpg
SOgpg
THE STORAGE TANK
WATER SOFTENING SALT WITH IRON REMOVING
ADDITIVES
— Some salts have an additive to help the
softener handle iron in the water supply These salts
may be used if your water supply has a high iron con­
tent. It is recommended to use Sears Resin Bed Clean­
er 42- 34426, for periodic treatments to keep your resin
bed clean. This is available at your local Sears store.
Sodium information: Water softeners using sodium
chloride for regeneration add sodium to the water.
Persons who are on sodium restricted diets should
consider the added sodium as part of their overall so­
dium intake. For example, if your water supply is 15
grains hard, and you drank 3 quarts of softened water
you would consume 335 milligrams of sodium. That
is equivalent to eating 2-1/2 slices of white bread.
Persons who are concerned about their drinking water
should consider a Kenmore Drinking Water System
that will remove or reduce in excess of 90% of the so­
dium and other drinking water contaminants.
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Problems, Questions? Call 1-800-426-9345 Kenmore Water Line