# Culligan Softener overflows the brine tank and getting brine into my house plumbing.



## Bookerjdu (Aug 30, 2012)

My Culligan Softminder overflows the brine tank when refilling it. I can manually stop it by pulling the stem seat assy up. After it has regenerated, I have a significant amount of brine water that is in my water supply. After running tap for 5-10min, it returns to normal. Any help troubleshooting would be greatly appreciated. I have taken some components apart but before I get in too deep, would love to know more where specifically to look! Thx


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## Akpsdvan (Mar 25, 2010)

The float assembly is not working correctly if you have to pull the stem up to stop the water flow in the salt tank.
The valve is also not stopping the water from going to the salt tank when it should.
What components have you worked on?


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## Bookerjdu (Aug 30, 2012)

Thanks for replying!

I haven't taken apart the float assembly - mostly because it didn't unscrew easily and I didn't want to break it. In looking at the parts list of what is inside (stem seat, ball, ball seat), I also didn't see much that could go wrong. The other reason I didn't pursue this part was the brine getting into my house water. I figured there must be something leaking elsewhere.

I did take apart part of the control valve (with Eductor)- to check o-rings. a couple are 'mushy' but i've seen worse that still function fine.


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## Akpsdvan (Mar 25, 2010)

How is the timer assembly? keeping good time?
For salty water to be in the house means that there was more brine brought into the softener than there was time to flush it out.
Is this a digital step up for a control?


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## Bookerjdu (Aug 30, 2012)

no it's not digital and yes, I believe everything is ok with the timer. The softner is about 10-12 yrs old.


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## Bookerjdu (Aug 30, 2012)

could it be just a matter of increasing the flushing time to solve the brine problem? that still leaves the overflowing issue though? are they frequently related, or two separate problems?


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## Akpsdvan (Mar 25, 2010)

Sorry about not getting back sooner, service calls.
There is no way with your system to change the times, they are all factory settings.
Has the valve ever been rebuilt? new pistons for the upper or brine and lower for the main?
If the injector under the silver plate is clean and it draws the brine out ok, then it most likely is an O ring or two on the brine piston that is in need of replacement as it is leaking to the brine tank after the system has finished the regen cycle.


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## Bookerjdu (Aug 30, 2012)

Nothing has been rebuilt in the last 10yrs that we have had it, and since the house is only 12 yrs old, my guess is that nothing was done in the two years before we bought it either.

Everything under the silver plate looks clean. (I'm assuming you're talking about the plate held on with three screws that is easily accessible without taking anything else apart.) I will try to post a picture of the two o-rings that look questionable.


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## Bookerjdu (Aug 30, 2012)

is it attached? The one on the blue piece is the worst of the 3. The other 'flat' ring on the beige peice could also be an issue... the round ring on the beige piece is fine.


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## Akpsdvan (Mar 25, 2010)

Either the o rings have melted or some one tried to paint an o ring in their place.

Any way one looks at it the o rings need to be replaced.

If the o rings there look like that there is the possibility that the o rings on the brine piston could be the same way, maybe even the o rings or seals on the main piston.


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## Bookerjdu (Aug 30, 2012)

haha, I'll go with melted. Why would they melt? Is that just normal wear? I'd like to find out if the others need to be replaced before I try to locate parts. I can't figure out how to get the cam off to get at the rest of it... I'm adding pictures again because I'm not real fluent with the parts.


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## Akpsdvan (Mar 25, 2010)

If the o rings on the brine piston are in bad shape they can be replaced, but it is a real challenge in finding them at a hardware store that has o rings... I have yet to find them.
I will work on the photo to show what parts need to be removed so that the brine piston can be checked.


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## Akpsdvan (Mar 25, 2010)

There is a screw that is at the top (A), behind the wires in the photo that will need to be removed.
There is a split washer that will also need to be removed for the white cam to be removed(B)... note... to not change the pin that you will see when that cam comes off.
Under the motor assembly there are 2 Phillp head screws that will have to be removed along with a pin that hold the white link to the metal shaft (C) that will let the back plate and timer , motor to be removed from the valve body.


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## Bookerjdu (Aug 30, 2012)

ok, I'll see what I can do! thx.


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## Bookerjdu (Aug 30, 2012)

Got all the screws and the split washer. Can't seem to get the pin out of C.


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## Akpsdvan (Mar 25, 2010)

It is screw and not a pin.
I will see if I can find a better photo of it.

What pin are you talking about?
The one under that white cam?
If that is the one you are talking about ... DO NOT REMOVE OR MOVE AS IT WILL CHANGE THE LINE UP OF HOW THE CAM MOVES THE MICRO SWITCHES.

Found the photo


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## Bookerjdu (Aug 30, 2012)

the vertical pin coming out of the white part is a screw - is this the one. I can't tell with the horizontal pin.


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## Akpsdvan (Mar 25, 2010)

Where is the metal tray with the white plastic slider?


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## Bookerjdu (Aug 30, 2012)

it came off when I took out the screws on the bottom -


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## Akpsdvan (Mar 25, 2010)

So if you have the two out at the bottom and the one on the top in my last photo and have the white cam off the top of the motor there should be nothing that is holding the controls and the back plate to the valve body.
Use care with the brine piston as it is plastic and can be broken if not careful.


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## Bookerjdu (Aug 30, 2012)

ok, so something is holding the white plastic cam on the top. I took the washer off - should the cam just pull off? Something seems to be holding it.


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## Akpsdvan (Mar 25, 2010)

Most likely the micro switches are holding the cam from coming off.. some times they can be left un touched and then there times that they need to be moved.
There are 2 screws that hold the assembly down.


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## Bookerjdu (Aug 30, 2012)

ok, cam is off. This is my current scene.


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## Akpsdvan (Mar 25, 2010)

Both of the assemblies should be able to be Pulled out from the front.
The upper is the brine piston with cage and the lower is the main piston.
The upper comes out more times than not easy, it is the lower that I am on one side of the fence from others , they say that it will come out whole from the front with a gentle pull, I say that more times than not it will need to be pushed out.. but first try pulling it from the front.


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## Bookerjdu (Aug 30, 2012)

top one looks good?


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## Akpsdvan (Mar 25, 2010)

The ones in the photo look like they will pass, what about the ones on the shaft that you are holding? how do they look?
What is that stuff on the screen?


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## Bookerjdu (Aug 30, 2012)

actually, no it doesnt


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## Bookerjdu (Aug 30, 2012)

the stuff on the screen is water beads on some white lube.


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## Bookerjdu (Aug 30, 2012)

and I can't get the main piston out by pulling from the front.


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## Akpsdvan (Mar 25, 2010)

Bookerjdu said:


> actually, no it doesnt


There it is..!! the missing o ring... there is a part but it needs to be whole.

The o rings on that shaft like the one that is only part there are the ones that I have not found.

There might be some more that are only partly there.. pull that shaft out from the front, you pushed it in to show the end one.


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## Akpsdvan (Mar 25, 2010)

Bookerjdu said:


> and I can't get the main piston out by pulling from the front.


Hold off on doing any thing with that one for right now.


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## Bookerjdu (Aug 30, 2012)

nope, the other 4 are good.


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## Bookerjdu (Aug 30, 2012)

Akpsdvan said:


> Hold off on doing any thing with that one for right now.


hmm, too late, lol. I've pulled the whole thing away from the water pipe to try access the back.


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## Akpsdvan (Mar 25, 2010)

All 5 need to be good so that the draw is correct and the refill is correct, any of them out of place will mean salt water in the house , high water in brine tank...


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## Akpsdvan (Mar 25, 2010)

Bookerjdu said:


> hmm, too late, lol. I've pulled the whole thing away from the water pipe to try access the back.


Ok, then the plug at the end can be removed and then a socket that will just fit inside the hole and fit over the 4 little legs and tap gently out the front.


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## Bookerjdu (Aug 30, 2012)

Akpsdvan said:


> All 5 need to be good so that the draw is correct and the refill is correct, any of them out of place will mean salt water in the house , high water in brine tank...


ok, so it sounds like this is the problem again? 

I'll continue with the main piston just to make sure its fine since it's all aprt.


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## Bookerjdu (Aug 30, 2012)

Akpsdvan said:


> Ok, then the plug at the end can be removed and then a socket that will just fit inside the hole and fit over the 4 little legs and tap gently out the front.


does the plug unscrew or pull out?


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## Akpsdvan (Mar 25, 2010)

I would say from the photos that the reason for the salty water is the o rings on the injector , the blue and tan.. and then the o ring on the piston that has one of 5 missing.
There might be some thing wrong with the main piston and its cage but that will show once you get that apart.

You might have to see about a replacement set, upper piston and cage and the lower with cage.

The plug at the back of the valve body pulls out, be gentle with it, straight out.


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## Bookerjdu (Aug 30, 2012)

ok, this is out - the rings on this one all look fine. - loose in their places, but not damage to the rings. is there anything else to see on this part?


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## Akpsdvan (Mar 25, 2010)

The piston should have no marks on it, and each stage of the cage should be tight to the stage next to it.
The piston should be able to move back and forth from front to back maybe with the help of a pair of pliers but it 
should move smoothly.


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## Bookerjdu (Aug 30, 2012)

ok, I don't see anything wrong with the piston. It definitely takes pliers and some force to move it, but it will go.


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## Akpsdvan (Mar 25, 2010)

So right now the only thing that needs to be fixed ...
A. the brine piston's o rings, either a new set of o rings or finding a new piston and cage for yours and using what you have as spares if needed.
B. the injector ,, the blue part and the tan part. one might find the o rings or one might have to find a replacement set.

The main piston is an ... replace while out or wait til there is the need for it.. that is a personal choice in that if it is still good it could go back in.

Some times there is a kit , short of the injector and holder showing up on Ebay... but have not seen one for while.


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## Bookerjdu (Aug 30, 2012)

So, I'll replace the main piston and get that much put back together. Then I'll try to locate some o-rings, 2 of the bigger ones on the blue/beige parts that I first got out, and one smaller one for the other piston. If I can't find anywhere that sells them, then I'll try to get a kit from culligan. sound reasonable?

Edit: just saw your reply... . Thanks for the help! I'll see what I can find! And hopefully it won't take so long that I can't remember how everything goes back together!


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## Akpsdvan (Mar 25, 2010)

If you can find the o rings locally.. it would save you ... 
I know that I have found some o rings that will come close to the fleck valves and some others at a True Value Store here in my area.
So if there is some thing like that in your area it would help in finding the replacements.

If you have to order the parts in , if you know some one on the American side to receive the parts you need and then pick them up would be faster.
Parts that I have sent to people in Canada has often taken 2-3 weeks because of the customs deal.
There was one from Canada that had an address just over the line and had me send them there.. had them in about 9 days..


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## Bookerjdu (Aug 30, 2012)

one more thing - all that clear gunk (lubricant) that was covering everything - should I be using more of this as I put parts back in?


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## Akpsdvan (Mar 25, 2010)

You will need to use food grade silicone if you are going to do any new lube on the rubber parts.
It will stand up to the water and not break down and make a mess of things or eat the rubber.


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## Bookerjdu (Aug 30, 2012)

Found the one o-ring, Still looking for 2 of the other one...


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## Akpsdvan (Mar 25, 2010)

Which o ring did you find and which ones are you still looking for?


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## Bookerjdu (Aug 30, 2012)

I found the one for the brine piston (store here called Princess Auto). I put it all back together including the two other 'bad but not completely broken' o rings on the 'inductor?' part. It is working now and I'm back to having soft water without the tank overflowing or the brine coming through my taps! (big happy face) I'm going to keep looking for the other two o rings as I'm sure before long I will have another problem. However, they are at least easy to get to when I do find them! Thank you for all your help - not sure how you were able to give so much direction without actually being in front of it, but it sure was appreciated!


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## Akpsdvan (Mar 25, 2010)

Pleased that you where able to find the o rings and that they worked and your system is up and running again.


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