Master Water Conditioning MP-MCA Series User manual

January 2019
MP-MCA RESIDENTIAL
ANION UNITS
Installation and Operation Manual
www.masterwater.com

1
Installation and Operating Instructions for
MCA CONTROL VALVE
Top Mount Anion Resin Unit
Model #:
____ MP-MCAD-30T 1.0 CF Dealkalizer
____ MP-MCAD-45T 1.5 CF Dealkalizer
____ MP-MCAD-60T 2.0 CF Dealkalizer
____ MP-MCAN-30T CS Crawl Space Nitrate Removal
____ MP-MCAN-30T 1 CF Nitrate Removal
____ MP-MCAN-45T 1.5 CF Nitrate Removal
____ MP-MCAN-60T 2.0 CF Nitrate Removal
____ MP-MCAT-30T 1.0 CF Tannin Removal
____ MP-MCAT-45T 1.5 CF Tannin Removal
____ MP-MCAT-60T 2.0 CF Tannin Removal
____ MP-MCAU-30T 1 CF Uranium Removal
____ MP-MCAU-45T 1.5 CF Uranium Removal
____ MP-MCAU-60T 2.0 CF Uranium Removal
Shipping Carton Description / unit:
# of
cartons
Contents
Description
1
Mineral tank
Distributor pipe installed
1
Brine tank
*NOTE: MCA valve is shipped in brine tank.
1
MP MCA control
valve
MP MCA timer and backwash flow control
and bypass with tail piece kit
NOTE: THIS ANION UNIT 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
Anion Unit Positioning:
1. Place Anion unit in desired position, far enough from walls and
other obstructions to allow for servicing the unit.
2. Place the Anion unit within reasonable access to a grounded
115V/60 HZ circuit and a legal drain line connection.

2
MP-MCA 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.
Front View Top View
2. 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 **
3. Connect the D1255-03 strainer onto the control valve.
4. Place the control valve onto the distributor pipe and into the tank
opening.
5. Thread the control valve hand tight . Do not overtighten.
5. 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

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6. Locate the tail piece kit that is packaged with the control valve.
Align a tail piece assembly to the bypass valve threaded inlet and
Outlet until the nut can be tightened. Hand tighten 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 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.
Control Valve
Bypass Valve
Tail piece assembly

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•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.
DRAIN LINE
CONNECTION

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MASTER
Water Conditioning Corp.
Well Tank
NOTE: All Master Water Conditioners must be
installed after the well tank or water meter if its
public water supply.
Master Water
Conditioner
Brine tank
Air Gap Drain
Overflow
fitting to
floor drain
gravity
Untreated
Treated
Model #
Service
GPM
Backwash
GPM
Salt Required
per regeneration
Salt
Storage
Height
Diameter
MP-MCAN-30T CS
5-7.5
1.3
15 lbs.
300 lbs.
30.0”
10.0"
MP-MCAN-30T
5-7.5
1.3
15 lbs.
300 lbs.
48.0"
10.0"
MP-MCAN-45T
7.5-11.25
1.3
22.5 lbs.
400 lbs.
62.0”
12.0”
MP-MCAN-60T
10-15
1.7
30 lbs.
400 lbs.
56.0”
16.0”
MP-MCAU-30T
5
1.3
15 lbs.
300 lbs.
48.0"
10.0"
MP-MCAU-45T
8
1.3
22.5 lbs.
400 lbs.
62.0”
12.0”
MP-MCAU-60T
10
1.7
30 lbs.
400 lbs.
56.0”
16.0”

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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 Anion
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

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Filling Anion 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 Anion 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”.

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NOTE: THE TIMER WILL AUTOMATICALLY ADVANCE TO THE
SERVICE POSITION AND THE DISPLAY WILL READ THE
CAPACITY REMAINING, IN GALLONS.
MP-MCA 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 and the hours will be blinking.
2) To change the hour, 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 simultaneously 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.
Note: 1 ppm tannin = 1 gpg of hardness.
5 ppm of Nitrate = 1 gpg of hardness.
5 ppm of Uranium = 1 gpg of hardness.
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.

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NOTE: SALT SETTING AND CAPACITY ARE PRESET AT THE
FACTORY.
Final Check:
1. Fill the brine tank with Solar Salt and the Res-Up Feeders with
Res-Up (one quart is provided).
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
Tannin unit.
3. Make sure the Inlet and Outlet on the 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.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
The treated water alkalinity level will be slightly reduced by the
Anion 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.
We include a mixing valve to assist in blending treated and untreated
water to achieve the water quality desired and simultaneously
increase the alkalinity and pH. The mixing valve may have to remain
closed because of the severity of the water condition. In that case, if
pH is too low, then treatment would be required.

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Manual Regeneration:
Note: For Anion 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.

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12
ERROR CODES

13

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Troubleshooting
Problem: Water conditioner fails to regenerate.
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.

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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.
Damaged valve disk.
Replace all valve disks.
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.

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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.
Damaged valve disk or obstruction
in valve disk.
Inspect and if damaged, replace all
valve disks or remove obstruction.
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.
Damaged valve disk.
Replace all valve disks.
Plugged injector and/or injector
screen.
Inspect and clean injector and/or
injector screen.

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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
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

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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
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

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