Living Waters AuaRinse LWMMF10 Installation and user guide

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HOW TO REPLACE MEDIA IN A
BACKWASHING FILTER
GENERAL INFORMATION
Point&of&entry+(POE)+water+treatment+appliances+are+designed+to+treat+water+as+it+
enters+a+building+or+a+home.++Unlike+point&of&use+(POU)+filters+that+treat+small+
amounts+(up+to+1+gallon+per+minute)+of+water+for+drinking+purposes,+POE+appliances+
are+usually+installed+on+¾”+or+larger+water+lines+and+treat+all+the+water+(flows+of+6+to+
10+gallons+per+minute+or+more)+after+it+enters+the+building.++
The+purpose+of+the+treatment+determines+the+type+of+equipment.+Hardness+is+
often+controlled+by+water+softeners+that+use+a+resin+to+remove+calcium+and+
magnesium+ions.+These+resins+must+be+regenerated+with+salt+from+a+separate+brine+
tank+and+backwashed.+Carbons+are+used+to+remove+a+variety+of+contaminants+like+
volatile+organic+chemicals+that+can+cause+off&tastes+and+odors.+Specialty+carbons+are+
used+to+remove+more+difficult+to+remove+contaminants+like+chloramines,+MTBE,+
hormone+disruptors,+etc.+A+variety+of+specialty+resins+are+used+to+remove+color+
caused+by+tannins.+Still+other+media+are+used+to+remove+excess+inorganic+
contaminants+like+hydrogen+sulfide+(rotten&egg+odor),+iron+and+manganese+that+
cause+red+and/or+black+staining,+or+treat+water+to+prevent+corrosion.+

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No+matter+the+type,+each+of+these+media+must+be+regenerated+and/or+
backwashed+periodically+to+maintain+their+effectiveness.+This+process+is+usually+
automatic,+being+controlled+by+a+valve+that+sits+on+the+top+of+the+tank.+Eventually,+
each+of+these+media+becomes+depleted+to+the+point+where+it+must+be+replaced+
completely.+For+some+media+this+might+be+as+often+as+a+year.+Other+media+lasts+as+
long+as+10+to+15+years.++
Media+loading+or+replacement+is+relatively+simple+if+done+properly.+It+is+possible+
for+non&professionals+to+do+the+job+given+the+proper+directions.+That+is+the+purpose+of+
this+manual.+
DIAGRAM OF A TYPICAL BACKWASHING FILTER
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DIAGRAM OF A LIVINGWATERS™
BACKWASHING FILTER WITH CLACK VALVE AND
VORTECH TANK VS. TYPICAL FILTER.
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GUIDE TO REPLACING MEDIA
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1. Get a copy of the service manual for the appliance, read it,
and keep it handy.
2. If this is a first time installation skip to step to Step 15 below.
Otherwise go on to Step 3.
3. Turn off the water to the unit by using the bypass valve.
(LivingWaters™ units come with bypass valves that easily
attach to the control valve body using nuts that only require
hand tightening.) Place the unit in bypass by turning the red
arrows to where they point to each other. The unit is now in
bypass mode.
4. Disconnect the appliance from the bypass valve by turning the
nuts that attach the bypass valve to the appliance.
5. Manually set the appliance to backwash position (Manual
Regeneration) to relieve vessel pressure.

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6. Unplug the electrical connection to the control valve.
7. Remove any tubes or plumbing that connect the control valve
to other equipment such as brine tanks, etc.
8. Remove any tubes or plumbing that connect the appliance to
drains for backwashing purposes.
9. Carefully unscrew the control valve from the top of the tank
and set aside.
10. Visually inspect riser tube in center of tank for any damage.
Put a piece of tape over the riser tube to prevent media from
entering the tube while you are emptying and reloading the
media.
11. Carry the tank to a location where the exhausted media can
be emptied and collected for disposal. (Don’t wash exhausted
media down drains.)
12. Lay the tank on its side and flush media out of the tank with a
garden hose into a container. Ideal containers are empty rice
bags or other porous sacks. You may also wash the media out
into a large container like a garbage can that has holes in the
bottom covered by screen material to let water out and keep
exhausted media in.
13. Discard old media. (KDF® media is heavy and metallic. It may
be reused for up to 10 years. If it is over 10 years old, it must
be replaced. It is valuable and may be taken to a place that
pays for used copper and zinc.)
14. Wash tank out with hose.
15. Place the clean tank in the desired location for connecting to
the system.

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16. Make sure distributor tube is properly connected to the
Vortech® plate.
17. Fill the tank approximately one-third
with water to act as a buffer so the
media will not break the distributor tube.
18. Slowly pour the appropriate amount of
media. For carbon/KDF® tanks pour
KDF® in first. For multi-media tanks that
do not have a Vortech® plate, pour
gravel or garnet in first. For tanks with
the Vortech® plate, no gravel or garnet
is needed. For multi-media tanks with
FilterLite®, top off with enough
FilterLite® to bring tank to no more than
¾full. This should be about 1/3 cubic
foot out of the 2 cf supplied. You may
discard the rest of this media.
19. After you have finished with filling the
tanks clean the top of the tank and tank
threads of any resin or gravel.
20. Remove tape used to cover the top hole of the distributor tube
and clean tube.
21. Next visually check and clean the valve and distribution tube
“o” ring of any foreign matter and lubricate with silicone
lubricant or soap. NOTE: Do not use Vaseline or grease as
these will degrade the “o” rings and cause leaks.
22. Locate control valve on tank making certain the riser tube is
centered.

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23. Screw the control valve on the tank until it becomes tight. (Be
sure to hold the control valve where there will be no damage
to the valve from the pressure you exert from tightening the
valve back onto the tank.)
24. Reposition and level the tank if necessary to assure proper
alignment.
25. Connect the drain lines, feed lines, and plumbing that
connects the control valve to the water supply.
26. Leave all faucets turned off inside the home. Turn the unit into
normal operation to restore water flow and check for leaks. If
there are no leaks, then turn on one faucet (preferably an
outside faucet) and let the water run for 3-5 minutes. This
rinses the new media off inside the tank and any particles or
color will rinse out through the one open faucet and not
throughout your home plumbing.
27. Now you are ready to set up the valve and program it for use.
(Consult operations manual for instructions.)
28. Initiate manual regeneration cycle. For appliances that contain
carbon allow media to sit wet for 2-4 hours before doing this.
29. Once media is conditioned and backwashed, the appliance is
ready for use.

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