Master Water Conditioning Alliance MP-MCA Series User manual

MP-MCA Alliance Series
Anion Combination System
2022 Version
MASTER
Water Conditioning Corp.
Installation and Operation Manual

Table of Contents
Model Number......................................................................................1
Shipping Carton Description.................................................................1
System Description...............................................................................1
Combination Unit Positioning................................................................2
Combination Unit Tank Loading ...........................................................2
Control Valve.....................................................................................2-3
Service and Drain Piping...................................................................4-6
Electrical Requirements........................................................................7
Brine Tank............................................................................................7
Filling Combination Unit with Water......................................................8
Control Valve Timer Settings................................................................9
Final Check.........................................................................................10
Manual Regeneration.........................................................................11
Power Loss.........................................................................................11
Error Message....................................................................................11
Bypass Valve Operation.....................................................................12
Troubleshooting.............................................................................12-17
Error Codes...................................................................................18-19
Control Valve Parts List.................................................................20-24
Warranty.............................................................................................25

1
Installation and Operating Instructions for
Alliance Series Anion Combination Systems
Model #:
____ MP-CSU-20T Softener and URANIUM
____ MP-CSU-30T Softener and URANIUM
____ MP-CSU-40T Softener and URANIUM
____ MP-CST-20T Softener and Tannin
____ MP-CST-30T Softener and Tannin
____ MP-CST-40T Softener and Tannin
____ MP-CSN-20T Softener and Nitrate
____ MP-CSN-30T Softener and Nitrate
____ MP-CSN-40T Softener and Nitrate
Shipping Carton Description:
Contents
Description
Mineral tank
Distributor pipe installed
Brine tank
464 shutoff assembly
Control Valve
Control valve, bypass valve, and tailpiece kit
C-800
½ CF Boxes
*Note:The 20/30 units have Vortech and do not require gravel.
System Description:
The anion resin combination units have an MPMCA100 top mounted
automatic control valve with an impulse meter to initiate regeneration.
The Valve is constructed of non-corrosive Norylmaterial and is
rated at a maximum working water pressure of 100 psi. It uses a
microprocessor based timer in conjunction with an internal impulse
meter to actuate regeneration in the following ways:
a.Microprocessor based water meter to initiate regeneration
b.Manual regeneration button to start an emergency
regeneration
c. Calendar day override
Note: This combo is not intended to be used for treating water
that is microbiologically unsafe or of unknown quality without
adequate disinfection whether before or after the system

2
Combination Unit Positioning:
1. Place combination unit in desired position, far enough from walls
and other obstructions to allow for servicing the unit.
2. Place the combination unit within reasonable access to a
grounded 115V/60 HZ circuit and a legal drain line connection.
Combination Unit Tank Loading: NOTE: Anion resin is pre-loaded
in the bottom tank at factory.
1. Remove yellow caplug from top of tank. DO NOT CUT white riser
tube.
2. The top of the distributor pipe will be 5/8” above the top of the
tank.
3. Cover the top opening of the distributor pipe before filling the tank
with media.
Model
Gravel
Filter Media
MP-CSU-20T
N/A
½ CF C-800
MP-CSU-30T
N/A
1 CF C-800
MP-CSU-40T
25 lbs.
1 CF C-800
MP-CST-20T
N/A
½ CF C-800
MP-CST-30T
N/A
1 CF C-800
MP-CST-40T
25 lbs.
1 CF C-800
MP-CSN-20T
N/A
½ CF C-800
MP-CSN-30T
N/A
1 CF C-800
MP-CSN-40T
25 lbs.
1 CF C-800
4. Pour all C-800 media provided with the unit into the top of the
tank.
5. Remove the material used to cover the top opening of the
distributor pipe.
Control Valve:
1. When facing the front of the MP-MCA timer, the inlet connection
is located on the right and the outlet connection is on the left.
The control valve's inlet and outlet connections are either 1”
copper or PVC equipped with split ring and nut.

3
Front View Top View
1. Turn the control valve upside down and ensure that the control
valve distributor o’ring is in place. Use silicone lubricant on the
o'ring.
**DO NOT USE PETROLEUM!**
**USE ONLY SILICONE **
2. Place the control valve onto the distributor pipe and into the tank
opening.
3. Thread the control valve hand tight . Do not overtighten.
4. Locate the bypass valve assembly that is packaged with the
control valve. The bypass valve has two red handles that
indicate flow direction, two threaded connections for the tail
piece kit and two o’ring seal connections with nuts for the control
valve. Align the insert connection ends with o’ring seals and
nuts to the inlet and outlet connections of the control valve.
Hand tighten the nuts. DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN THE NUT!
Control Valve
Control Valve
Bypass Valve
Tail piece assembly

4
5. Locate the tail piece kit that is packaged with the control valve.
The standard tail piece kit is 1” copper with optional 1” PVC
or 1” Shark Bite kits available as a special order. Each tail piece,
o’ring, split ring and nut is presassembled at the factory. Align a
tail piece assembly to the bypass valve threaded inlet and insert
until the nut can be tightened. Hand tighten the nut because
excessive tightening will damage the assembly. REPEAT THE
PROCEDURE FOR THE OUTLET CONNECTION.
Service and Drain Piping:
1. Pipe water combination unit into the service lines .The inlet and
outlet connections of the control valve are ¾” or 1” copper, PVC,
or sharkbite, and are located on the back of the valve body. As
you face the timer the inlet is on the right and the outlet is on the
left. Always follow local plumbing codes when installing our
water treatment equipment.
2. If sweat fittings are used, be sure soldering is done in such a
manner as not to allow heat to reach the control valve or bypass.
(If Schedule 80 PVC is used make sure to follow the proper
primer and solvent instructions.)
3. The drain line connection is 5/8” OD or ¾” npt and is located on
the top left of the valve as you face the timer. It is recommended
you install a ¾” union on the drain line for servicing if not using
5/8 OD. The drain line must be of adequate size to allow for full
regeneration flow.
DRAIN LINE
CONNECTION

5
•The control valve drain connection is 3/4" npt.
•Never decrease the drain piping size to below the
drain connection size.
•Maximum drain line length is 30 feet with proper
sloping the entire length.
•Maximum drain line height is 6 feet above the
control valve.
•The drain line must be piped to an open air gap
(See Figure above)
•Always follow local plumbing codes.
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD THERE BE A DIRECT
CONNECTION WITH SANITARY SEWAGE FACILITIES.

6

7
Electrical Requirements:
Always follow all local electrical codes when installing our water
treatment equipment.
1. Provide an 115v/60Hz properly grounded dedicated electrical
outlet. (It’s very important that the polarity be correct)
Avoid using outlets that are switch controlled.
2. Maximum amperage required is 5 amps.
3. Make sure the electrical service provides power 24 hours per day.
We recommend installing a surge protector to protect unit from
power surges, which are not covered by warranty.
Brine Tank:
1. The brine tank should be located directly beside the water
combination unit mineral tank.
2. Connect the 3/8" poly tubing to the 3/8” black elbow quick-connect
fitting located on the top left side of the MCA control valve.
3. Place 2 gallons of water directly into the brine tank.
See Figure Below.
The brine tank is equipped with a shutoff valve, the float height
was preset at the factory.
3/8”BRINE LINE
CONNECTION

8
Filling Combination unit with Water:
1. Connect the MP-MCA control valve transformer into the electrical
outlet provided.
2. Press and hold the REGEN button until the drive motor starts.
When the drive motor stops, the display will read “BACKWASH”
position.
3. Open the inlet ball valve a ¼ turn of its full open position to allow
water to enter the water combination unit mineral tank slowly. The
water is going to enter the tank from the bottom of the distributor
pipe and leave the tank from the top. This will slowly purge all the
air from the tank.
IF WATER ENTERS THE TANK TOO FAST, ALL THE CATION
RESIN WILL BE FLUSHED TO DRAIN DURING START UP.
4. When only water is running to the drain, open the inlet and outlet
ball valves fully.
5. Press the REGEN again until the drive motor starts. When the
drive motor stops, the display will read “BRINE” position.
6. Press and hold the REGEN button until the drive motor starts.
When the drive motor stops, the display will read “RINSE” position.
The fast rinse position will rinse the combination unit tank.
7. The control valve will automatically advance to the brine refill
position where the brine tank will fill with the proper amount of
water. The display will read “FILL”.
NOTE: THE TIMER WILL AUTOMATICALLY ADVANCE TO THE
SERVICE POSITION AND THE DISPLAY WILL READ THE
CAPACITY REMAINING, IN GALLONS.

9
Control Valve Timer Settings:
Note: The control valve is set at the factory. You only need to set
the time of day, hardness and regeneration time if required, which is
preset at 2 am.
Time of Day Setting
1) Press the CLOCK button. The screen will show the Time of
Day in blinking numbers.
2) To change the Time of Day, press CLOCK, use the UP and
DOWN arrows to set the Hour.
3) To change the Minutes, press CLOCK, use the UP and
DOWN arrows to set the Minutes
4) Press the CLOCK button.
Hardness Setting (the factory default is 10)
1) Press the NEXT and UP arrow , hold for 3 seconds. The
screen will show the Hardness as grains per gallon in blinking
numbers.
2) To change the number, use the UP or DOWN arrows.
3) Press the NEXT button.
If water was tested by Master Water Conditioning, follow
recommendations on water analysis, for hardness setting. If
tested by an independent lab, assume 5 ppm of
uranium/nitrate = 1 gpg of hardness.
For MP-CST Units Only: assume 1 ppm of tannin = 15 gpg of
hardness.
Use whatever gpg setting is higher for the appropriate unit.
Regeneration Day Override Setting (the factory default is 7)
1) The screen will show the Regeneration Day Override in
blinking numbers.
2) To change the number, use the UP or DOWN arrows.
3) Press the NEXT button.
Time of Regeneration Setting (the factory default is 2 AM)
1) The screen will show the Time of Regeneration in blinking
numbers.
2) If Regeneration time change is desired, use the UP and
DOWN arrows to set the Hour.
3) To change the Minutes, press NEXT, use the UP and DOWN
arrows to set the Minutes
4) Press the NEXT button.

10
NOTE: SALT SETTING AND CAPACITY ARE PRESET AT THE
FACTORY.
Final Check:
1. Fill the brine tank with Solar Salt.
2. Make sure the drain line connection meets all plumbing codes and
that the drain line size can handle the backwash flow rate of the
combination unit.
3. Make sure the Inlet and Outlet on bypass valve are open.
4. Make sure the control valve timer is plugged into an electrical
outlet with power 24 hours per day.
5. Check all piping for leaks.
Note: Do not use any iron cleaning treatments, such as Res-Up
or Iron Out, with these units.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The treated water alkalinity level will be slightly
reduced by the unit unit which decreases the pH level of the water.
You should consider installing pH control after this unit; it could be
an acid neutralizer or chemical feed system.

11
Manual Regeneration:
Note: For combination units, if brine tank does not contain salt,
fill with salt and wait at least 2 hours before regeneration.
To initiate manual regeneration immediately, press and hold the
“REGEN” button for three seconds. The system will begin to
regenerate immediately. The request cannot be cancelled.
To initiate a manual regeneration at the preset delayed regeneration
time, when the regeneration time option is set to “NORMAL” or
“NORMAL + on 0”, press and release “REGEN”. The words “REGEN
TODAY” will flash on the display to indicate that the system will
regenerate at the preset delayed regeneration time. If you pressed
“REGEN” in error, pressing the button again will cancel the request.
Note: If the regeneration time option is set to “on 0” there is no
set delayed regeneration time so “REGEN TODAY” will not
activate if “REGEN” button is pressed.
Power Loss
If the power goes out for less than two hours, the system will
automatically reset itself. If an extended power outage occurs, the
time of day will flash on and off which indicates the time of day should
be reset. The system will remember the rest.
Error Message
If the word “ERROR” and a number are alternately flashing on the
display, contact a service technician for help. This means the valve is
unable to function properly.

12

13
Troubleshooting
Problem: Water conditioner fails to regenerate. No soft water.
Possible Cause
Solution
Power supply to MP-MCA control
has been interrupted.
Determine reason for power
interruption and correct. Reset time of
day.
Water pressure lost.
Restore water pressure.
Corrupted programming of MP-
MCA timer.
Reprogram timer assembly.
Defective MP-MCA timer.
Replace timer assembly.
No salt in brine tank.
Add salt and regenerate.
Manual bypass valve is open.
Close manual bypass valve.
Leak at riser pipe seal.
Insure that riser pipe is properly
sealed at o’ring seal. Inspect pipe for
cracks.
Insufficient brine.
Check brine float height and clean
assembly if necessary. Check flow
rate capabilities of safety float and air
check assembly.
Plugged injector or injector screen.
Inspect and clean injector and/or
injector screen.
Problem: No Brine Draw
Possible Cause
Solution
Plugged injector or injector screen.
Inspect and clean injector and/or
injector screen.
Insufficient water pressure.
Increase water pressure above 25
psig (172kPa) minimum.
Corrupted programming of MP-
MCA timer.
Reprogram timer assembly.
Defective MP-MCA timer.
Replace timer assembly.
Obstructed drain line.
Remove obstruction.

14
Problem: Insufficient brine draw
Possible Cause
Solution
Partially clogged injector or injector
screen.
Inspect and clean injector and/or
injector screen assembly.
Restricted flow rate in brine line.
Check flow rate capabilities of the
safety float/aircheck assembly.
Insufficient water pressure.
Increase water pressure above 25
psig (172kPa) minimum.
Excessive back pressure on
injector due to elevated drain line.
Reduce drain line elevation to height
of valve.
Partially restricted drain line.
Remove restriction.
Problem: Insufficient Refill to Brine Tank
Possible Cause
Solution
Brine refill control
Remove and clean
Restricted flow rate in brine line.
Check flow rate capabilities of the
safety float/aircheck assembly.
Problem: Excessive Water in Brine Tank
Possible Cause
Solution
Plugged drain line flow control.
Clean flow control.
Plugged injector and/or injector
screen
Inspect and clean injector and/or
screen.
Problem: Loss of Media to Drain
Possible Cause
Solution
No flow control installed in drain
line.
Install drain line flow control.

15
Problem: Leak to Drain
Possible Cause
Solution
No flow control installed in drain
line.
Install drain line flow control.
Insufficient water pressure.
Increase water pressure above 25
psig (172kPa) minimum.
Problem: Loss of Water Pressure
Possible Cause
Solution
Fouled resin bed due to iron
accumulation.
Clean control valve and mineral bed
with cleaner.
Slots in riser pipe or laterals are
filled with resin fines.
Inspect and clean distributor pipe slots
as needed.
Problem: Salt in Water to Service after Regeneration
Possible Cause
Solution
Injector is too small for system size.
Install correct injector
Brine draw time excessively long
due to low water pressure.
Increase water pressure above 25
psig (172 kPa) minimum.
Restricted drain line.
Remove drain line restriction.
Insufficient rinse volume.
Increase slow rinse time, fast rinse
time, or both.
Plugged injector and/or injector
screen.
Inspect and clean injector and/or
injector screen.
Problem: Timer does not display time of day
Possible Cause
Solution
AC Adapter unplugged
Connect power
No electric power at outlet
Repair outlet or use working outlet
Defective AC Adapter
Replace AC Adapter
Defective PC Board
Replace PC Board

16
Problem: Timer does not display correct time of day
Possible Cause
Solution
Switched outlet
Use uninterrupted outlet
Power Outage
Reset time of day
Defective PC Board
Replace PC Board
Problem: Control Valve regenerates at wrong time of day
Possible Cause
Solution
Power Outages
Reset control valve to correct time of
day
Time of day not set correctly
Reset to correct time of day
Time of regeneration incorrect
Reset regeneration time
Problem: Control valve stalled in regeneration
Possible Cause
Solution
Motor not operating
Replace motor
No electric power at outlet
Repair outlet or use working outlet
Defective AC adapter
Replace AC adapter
Defective PC board
Replace PC board
Broken drive gear or drive cap
assembly
Replace drive gear or drive cap
assembly
Broken piston retainer
Replace piston retainer
Broken main or regenerate piston
Replace main or regenerate piston
Problem: Control valve does not regenerate automatically when UP
and DOWN buttons are held and depressed
Possible Cause
Solution
AC adapter unplugged
Connect AC adapter
No electric power at outlet
Repair outlet or use working outlet
Broken drive gear or drive cap
assembly
Replace drive gear assembly
Defective PC board
Replace PC board

17
Problem: Control valve does not regenerate automatically but does
when UP and DOWN buttons are depressed and held
Possible Cause
Solution
Defective PC board
Replace PC board
Set-up error
Check control valve set-up procedure

18
Error Codes