Kenmore 625.348321 User manual

PRINTEDIN U.S.A.
SAVETHISMANUALUseplasticbagandtieprovided, to hangmanualsnearby
thesoftenerforfuturereference.
SolidStateWaterSoftener
zWarranty
zStartUp/SettingTimer
zHowItWorks
zCareOf/Troubleshooting
zSpecifications
zRepairParts
Sears,Roebuck andCo., HoffmanEstates,IL60179 USA
OWNER’S
MANUAL
MODELNO.
625.348321
Caution:
ReadandFollow
All SafetyRulesand
OperatingInstructions
BeforeFirstUseof
ThisProduct.
If you havequestionswhen
installing,operatingormain-
tainingyoursoftener,and
whensettingthetimer,call
thistoll---free number...
1---800---426---9345

WARRANTY
2
SEARSRESIDENTIALWATERSOFTENER
FULL ONEYEARWARRANTYONWATERSOFTENER
Foroneyearfromthedateofpurchase,whenthiswatersoftenerisinstalledandmaintained
inaccordancewithourinstructions,Searswill repair,free ofcharge,defectsinmaterialor
workmanshipinthiswatersoftener.
FULL TENYEARWARRANTYAGAINSTLEAKS
Fortenyearsfromthedateofpurchase,Searswill furnishandinstall anewcurrentmodel
watersoftenertankorsaltstoragedrum,free ofcharge,ifeitherthetankordrumdevelop
aleak.
TO OBTAINWARRANTYSERVICE,SIMPLYCONTACT THENEARESTSEARS SERVICE
CENTERTHROUGHOUTTHEUNITEDSTATES.Thiswarrantyappliesonlywhilethisprod-
uctisin useintheUnitedStates.
Thiswarrantygivesyouspecificlegalrights,andyoumayhaveotherrightswhichvaryfrom
statetostate.
Sears,Roebuck andCo., D/817 WA,HoffmanEstates,IL60179
Ifyouwantyourwatersoftenerprofessionallyinstalled, talk to your Sears Salesman. He willarrange
for a prompt, quality installation by Sears Authorized Installers.
SEARSINSTALLATIONPOLICY
All installation labor arranged by Sears shall be
performed in a neat, workmanlike manner in
accordance with generally accepted trade prac-
tices. Further, all installations shall comply with
all local laws, codes, regulations, and ordi-
nances.Customershallalsobeprotected,during
installation, by insurance relating to Property
Damage, Workman’s Compensation and Public
Liability.
SEARSINSTALLATIONWARRANTY
In addition to any warranty extended to you on
the Sears merchandiseinvolved, which warran-
ty becomes effective the date the merchandise is
installed, should the workmanship of any Sears
arranged installation prove faulty within one
year, Sears will, upon notice from you, cause
suchfaultstobecorrectedatnoadditionalcostto
you.
FACTSANDFIGURESTOKEEP
Fill intheblanksbelowandkeepthisbookinasafe
placesoyou always havethesefacts.
WaterSoftener Model No.†
Serial Number
DateInstalled
WaterHardness Grains PerGallon
Iron ContentParts Per Million
*pHTasteAnd/OrOdor
WaterPressurePounds/SquareInch
WaterFlowRateGallons Per Minute
† Themodelnumberison therating decal,located
on therim,underthesaltholecover.

TABLEOFCONTENTS
3
PAGE
NO.
SECTION1SOFTENERSTARTUP
A.SAFETYGUIDES 4
B.CHECKLISTOFSTEP-BY-STEPGUIDES TOINSTALL 5
C.PROGRAMTHETIMER6
D.SANITIZINGTHEWATERSOFTENER7
E.FILL THE STORAGETANKWITHSALT8
SECTION2HOWYOURWATERSOFTENERWORKS
A.FACEPLATETIMERFEATURES 9-10
B.SOFT WATERSERVICE ANDREGENERATION11-13
SECTION3CAREOFYOURSOFTENER
A.SALT:REFILLINGSTORAGETANK,SALTBRIDGE14
B.KEEPINGTHEWATERSOFTENERCLEAN15
C.KEEPTHE SOFTENERFROMFREEZING16
D.HELPFULHINTSCHECKLIST17
SECTION4OTHERTHINGSTOKNOW
A.HOWTO“FINE-TUNE” YOURWATERSOFTENER18-20
B.DIMENSIONS/SPECIFICATIONS21
SECTION5SERVICETECH INFORMATION
A.ELECTRICALCONNECTIONS22
B.REGENERATION CYCLETIMES 23
C.TROUBLESHOOTING24-26
D.ROTARYVALVE SERVICE27
E.WATERFLOWTHROUGHTHE SOFTENERVALVE28-30
SECTION6REPAIRPARTS32-35

WATERSOFTENERSTART-UP
SECTION 1
4
1A.SAFETYGUIDES
YReadall steps,guidesandrulescarefullybe-
foreinstalling andusing yournew watersoftener.
Followall stepsexactlytocorrectlyinstall. Failure
tofollowthemcouldcausepersonal injuryor
propertydamage.Reading thisbookwill alsohelp
you to getall ofthebenefitsfromyourwatersoft-
ener.
YYourwatersoftenerwill removehardness min-
eralsand“clearwater” iron fromwater,uptothe
limits shownonpage 21.Itwill notremoveother
typesofiron,acids,tastesandodors,etc.Itwill
notpurifypollutedwateror makeitsafetodrink.
YProtect thesoftenerand piping fromfreezing.
Damagefromfreezing voidsthesoftenerwarran-
ty.See page 16.
CAUTIONS
PLEASEREADANDCOMPLYWITHTHEFOL-
LOWING GUIDESTOPREVENTDAMAGE TO
THESOFTENEROROTHERPROPERTY,
PERSONALINJURY,ORPOSSIBLEFATAL
SHOCK.
YTHIS SOFTENERWORKSON24 VOLTS
ONLY.BESURETOUSETHETRANSFORMER
INCLUDED,ANDPLUGITINTOA120VOUT-
LET.
YUnplug thetransformer rightawayifthe
powercableshould becomedamagedor
frayed.Makerepairsbeforeplugging back
intothepoweroutlet.
YAlwaysunplug thesoftenerfromelectrical
powerbeforeremoving outervalvecovers.

WATERSOFTENERSTART-UP
SECTION 1
5
1B.CHECK LISTOFALL STEP-BY-STEP GUIDES TOINSTALL
Refer to the Installation Manual, part no.
7159931, for step-by-step guides.
To be sure you have done all the steps to install
the softener, read the following list. Page num-
bers referred to are in the Installation Manual.
nIs the house water flow going INTO the soft-
ener valve INLET? Trace piping to be sure.
See pages 10 and 11.
nIstheplumbingbypassvalve(or3valves)set
forSERVICE?Bypassvalve(s)shouldalways
remain in soft water service position. Posi-
tion in “bypass”only if needed for softener
repairs. See page 18.
nIs the valve drain hose connected the right
way, and without sharp bends or kinks that
couldstoporreducewaterflow?Seepage16.
nIs the softener power cable connected to the
transformer, and is the transformer plugged
into an inside, 120V-60Hz electrical outlet?
See page 20.
nBe sure to restart the water heater. See page
20.
Note,forinstallationsintheStateofMassachusetts:
PlumbingcodesofMassachusetts shall be adheredto.
Consult withyourlicensed plumber.
brass 3--valve
plastic
Bypass
Valves
Water
Heater

WATERSOFTENERSTART-UP
SECTION 1
6
1C.PROGRAMTHETIMER
FIG.1
PRESENT TIME
RECHARGETIME
RECHARGEDAY
SET/CLEAR
ON/OFF VACATION
HOLD RECHARGENOW
SolidStateWaterSoftener
SET THETIMER
Whenthetransformerispluggedintotheelectri-
cal outlet, 12:00 AM, SUnday began to flash in
the time display. Set the time ofday and present
day of week as follows:
A.SET TIMEOFDAY
1. Press the PRESENT TIME AND DAY button
¡once. The hour display continues to flash.
2. Press the SET/CLEAR button £until the
present hour of theday shows in the display.
Be sure AM for morning hours, or PM foraf-
ternoon and evening hours shows.
NOTE:
Press SET/CLEAR and quickly release to move
the hour display ahead 1 at a time to the correct
hour. Or, hold the SET/CLEAR button to move
the display ahead 2 hours each second, to the
correct hour.
3. Press button ¡once to steady the hour dis-
play, and minutes begin to flash. Repeat step
A2 to set the correct minutes.
4. Press button ¡again to steady the minute
display (day will begin flashing). Figure 2
shows the timer set at 3:30 PM. See step B to
set the present day.
B.SETPRESENTDAYOFWEEK
1. Press the SET/CLEAR button £to set the
present day of the week in the display.
NOTE:
Press SET/CLEAR and quickly release to move
the day display 1 at a time. Or, hold the
SET/CLEAR button to move the day display
ahead 2 days each second.
2. Press the PRESENT TIME AND DAY button
¡againtosteadythe entiredisplay. Figure2
shows the timer set at TUesday.
FIG.2
.
.
TU
PM
EXAMPLE:Thisdrawing
shows3:30 PMasthe
present time ofday,and
TUesdayisthe current
dayof the week.
ON/OFF VACATION
HOLDRECHARGENOW
PRESENT TIMEAND DAY
RECHARGETIME
RECHARGEDAY
SET/CLEAR
1
2
3
4
5
No other settings are needed after installing
yourwatersoftener.Thesoftener isfactorysetto
regenerate every Monday, Wednesday and Sat-
urday(beginningat2:00AM).Formostfamilies,
this gives enough soft water for their needs.
However, if you want the softener to regener-
ateatadifferenttime,orondifferentdays,orto
set for the most efficiency, see “Fine-Tuning
Your Water Softener,”page 18.
SEE PAGE 9FOROTHER TIMERCONTROLSANDFEATURES.

WATERSOFTENERSTART-UP
SECTION 1
7
1D.SANITIZINGTHEWATERSOFTENER
Care is taken at the factory to keep your water
softener clean and sanitary. Materials used to
make the softener will not infect orcontaminate
yourwatersupply,andwillnotcause bacteriato
form or grow. However, during shipping, stor-
age, installing and operating, bacteria could get
into the softener. For this reason, sanitizing as
follows is suggested¡when installing.
1. Lift the salt hole cover and use apail or hose
to fill the salt storage tank with at least 3
gallons of water.
2. Remove the brinewell cover (FIG. 3) and
pour about 3/4 ounce of common 5.25%
household bleach (Clorox, Linco, BoPeep,
White Sail, Eagle, etc.) in the softener brine-
well.
3. PresstheON/OFF-HOLDbuttonandholdfor
3 seconds to start a recharge. This first re-
charge does several things.
—It draws the bleach into and through the
softener to sanitize it.
—Itfillsthesalttanktothewaterlevelneed-
ed.
—It gets all the air out of the resin tank.
—It makesthe resin bed (seepage 11) ready
for service.
NOTES:
This recharge takes about 2 hours.
You can sanitize the softener with or with-
out salt in the storage tank.
¡Recommendedby the WaterQualityAssociation.On
some watersupplies,the watersoftenermayneed
periodicdisinfecting.Sanitizewithorwithoutsaltinthe
storagetank.
FIG.3
Water,
About3Gallons
Brinewell
Cover
(remove and add
about3/4 oz.bleach)

WATERSOFTENERSTART-UP
SECTION 1
8
1E.FILL THE STORAGETANK WITHSALT
Brine(saltdissolvedinwater)isneeded foreach
and every regeneration. The water for making
brine is metered into the salt storage tank by the
softener.However,youmustkeepthetankfilled
with salt.
Fill the tank with 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 filling, be sure the brinewell cover is in
place on the top of the brinewell. Salt storage
capacity is shown on page 21.
NOTES:
In humid areas, it is best to fill the storage tank
half-full,andtorefillit moreoften. Saltbridging
(seepage 14)occursmoreoftenwhenconditions
are humid.
WATERSOFTENINGSALTWITHIRONRE-
MOVINGADDITIVES—Some salts have an
additive to help the softener handle iron in the
water supply. Although this additive may help
to keep the softener resin clean, it may also
release corrosive fumes that will weaken and
shorten the life of some softener parts.
FIG.4
SODIUM INFORMATION: Water softeners us-
ing sodium chloride for regeneration add so-
dium to the water. Persons who are on sodium
restricted diets should consider the added so-
dium as part of their overall sodium intake.
For example, if your water supply is 15 grains
hard, you would have to drink 3 quarts of
softened water to consume 335 milligrams of
sodium. That is equivalent to eating 2-1/2 slices
of white bread.
Personswhoareconcerned about their drinking
water should consider a Sears Drinking Water
System that will remove or reduce in excess of
90% of the sodium and other drinking water
contaminants.
YOU HAVE NOW FINISHED THE WATER SOFTENER START UP. AFTER THE SANITIZING RE-
CHARGE, ON PAGE 7, THE SOFTENER WILL BE GIVING YOU SOFT WATER.

HOWYOUR WATERSOFTENERWORKS
SECTION 2
9
2A.FACE PLATETIMERFEATURES
RECHARGE NOW—If you have guests visit-
ing, or other times when you use more water
than usual, you could begin to run out of soft
water.Ifthesoftenerisnotscheduledtoregener-
ate for another day or 2, you would get hard
water until then. If this happens, or you think it
might happen, press and hold in the HOLD-RE-
CHARGE NOW button ¤for 3 seconds until
RCHG shows. RCHG will flash in the display
during the regeneration, which lasts under 2
hours.
NOTE:
Avoid using HOT water while the softener
regenerates, because bypass hard water will
refill the water heater (see “Automatic Bypass,”
page 13).
FIG.5
.
.
PM
RCHG
ON/OFF VACATION
HOLDRECHARGENOW
PRESENT TIMEAND DAY
RECHARGETIME
RECHARGEDAY
SET/CLEAR
1
2
3
4
5
VACATION—Thedayyouleaveon vacation,or
other long absence, press (do not hold in) the
ON/OFF VACATION button ¤. VAC begins to
flash in the display (FIG. 6). The timer will keep
time, but the softener will not regenerate to
waste water and salt.
NOTE:
Whie in VACATION, the softener will go
througharegenerationiftheRECHARGENOW
feature is used (see above).
To shut off the water supply to the softener, use
the plumbing bypass valve(s), FIG. 16, page 21.
WHEN YOU RETURN, press the VACATION,
buttonagaintoreturnthesoftenertoservice,and
thecorrecttimeofdayinthedisplay.Remember
to do this or the softener will not regenerate
and you will soon have hard water.
FIG.6
ON/OFF VACATION
HOLDRECHARGENOW
PRESENT TIMEAND DAY
RECHARGETIME
RECHARGEDAY
SET/CLEAR
1
2
3
4
5
ERRORCODE—Anerrorcodecouldappearin
the face plate display if a problem occurs in the
softener electronics. If you see an error code
insteadofthepresenttimeofday,pleasecallyou
local Sears Service Department for service. Continued

HOWYOUR WATERSOFTENERWORKS
SECTION 2
10
2A.FACEPLATETIMERFEATURES
TIMER“POWER-OUTAGE MEMORY”—If
electrical power to the timer goes off, the
“memory”built into timer circuitry keeps all
settings for 6 hours (minimum) or more. The
display is blank and the softener will not
regenerate.Whenelectricalpowercomeson,1of
2 things will happen.
1. The present time of day will show, meaning
the timer memory has kept all settings.
NOTE:
Ifthesoftenerwasinaregenerationwhenpower
was lost, it will now finish the cycle.
2. The display will show a time, but it will be
flashing.The timermemorydidnot keepthe
timesettingsandtheymustbereset(page6).
The flashing display is to remind you to reset
the timer.
NOTE:
When power comes on, the flashing display
returns to a time of 12:00 AM Sunday, then
begins to keep time again. If you do not reset all
time settings,the softener will regenerate 3 days
each week. However, regeneration will most
likely be on the wrong days and at the wrong
time.
Ifthesoftenerwasinaregenerationwhenpower
wentoff,thevalvewill returnto serviceposition
without finishing the regeneration cycle. If your
water tastes salty:
-- use RECHARGE NOW (see page 9) to start
another regeneration, or
-- open1ormoresoftwaterfaucetsandallowto
run until the salt taste is gone.