Echo Water Softener Service Instructions

If your Echo Water Softener system requires service, follow the steps below.

Service Instructions

• Drive Assembly
  • The drive assembly consists of the following parts:
  • Drive Bracket
  • Printed Circuit (PC) Board
  • Motor
  • Drive Gears
  • Drive Gear Cover
• Drive Bracket & PC Board
  • The drive bracket holds the PC board, motor, drive gears, and drive gear cover in place. The PC board receives and retains information, displays it, determines when to regenerate, and initiates the regeneration process. It provides information on system setup (for softeners or filters), installer display settings, diagnostics, valve history, and user display settings.
• Motor & Gear Mechanism
  • The PC board powers the motor through a two-prong jack connecting wires to the direct current (DC) motor. The motor is secured onto the drive bracket by a spring-loaded clip and a small plastic bulge that fits into one of the slots on the motor housing. It rotates the drive gears, which move the piston to cycle through backwashing, regeneration, rinsing, refilling, or service modes. The motor is fully reversible, changing direction as needed to adjust piston movement. It is also easily replaceable if necessary.
• Drive Gears & Light Sensing System
  • Three identical drive gears are held in place by the drive gear cover. A reflective coating is applied to the gears, and as the center drive gear rotates, a light shines on this coating. A light-sensing diode detects whether a light pulse is returned. The PC board counts these pulses and determines when to stop driving the motor.

Take the following Steps:

1. Remove the valve cover to access the drive assembly.

• Disconnecting Electrical Components

2. Disconnect the power source plug (black wire) from the PC board prior to disconnecting the motor or water meter plugs from the PC board.

3. The power source plug connects to the four-pin jack.

4. The motor plug connects to the two-pin jack on the left-hand side of the PC board.

5. The water meter plug (gray wire) connects to the three-pin jack on the far right-hand side of the PC board.

• Removing the PC Board

6. The PC board can be removed separately from the drive bracket, but it is not recommended.

7. Do not attempt to remove the display panel from the PC board.

8. Handle the board by the edges.

9. To remove the PC board from the drive bracket:

   • Unplug the power, water meter, and motor plugs from the PC board.

   • Lift the middle latch along the top of the drive bracket while pulling outward on the top of the PC board.

   • The drive bracket has two plastic pins that fit into the holes on the lower edge of the PC board.

   • Once the PC board is tilted about 30° from the drive bracket, it can be lifted off of these pins.

• Reinstalling the PC Board

10. To reinstall the PC board:

    • Position the lower edge of the PC board so that the holes in the PC board line up with the plastic pins.

    • Push the top of the PC board towards the valve until it snaps under the middle latch.

    • Weave the power and water meter wires into the holders and reconnect the motor, water meter, and power plugs.

• Removing the Drive Bracket

11. The drive bracket must be removed to access the drive cap assembly and pistons or the drive gear cover.

12. It is not necessary to remove the PC board from the drive bracket to remove the drive bracket.

13. To remove the drive bracket:

    • Start by removing the plugs for the power source and the water meter.

    • Unweave the wires from the side holders.

    • Two tabs on the top of the drive back plate hold the drive bracket in place.

    • Simultaneously lift the two tabs and gently ease the top of the drive bracket forward.

    • The lower edge of the drive bracket has two notches that rest on the drive back plate.

    • Lift up and outward on the drive bracket to disengage the notches.

• Reassembling the Drive Bracket

14. To reassemble:

    • Seat the bottom of the drive bracket so the notches are engaged at the bottom of the drive back plate.

    • Push the top of the drive bracket towards the two latches.

    • The drive bracket may have to be lifted slightly to let the threaded piston rod pass through the hole in the drive bracket.

    • Maintain a slight engaging force on top of the drive bracket while deflecting the bracket slightly to the left by pressing on the side of the upper right corner.

    • This helps the drive gears mesh with the drive cap assembly.

    • The drive bracket is properly seated when it snaps under the latches on the drive back plate.

    • If resistance is felt before latching:

      • The notches are not fully engaged.

      • The piston rod is not in the hole.

      • The wires are jammed between the drive bracket and drive back plate.

      • The gear is not engaging the drive cap assembly.

• Inspecting the Drive Gears

15. To inspect the drive gears, the drive gear cover needs to be removed.

16. Before trying to remove the gear cover, the drive bracket must be removed from the drive back plate.

    • Refer to the instructions above regarding removing the drive bracket from the drive back plate.

17. The drive gear cover can be removed from the drive bracket without removing the motor or the PC board.

18. The drive gear cover is held in place on the drive bracket by three clips.

    • The largest of the three clips is always oriented to the bottom of the drive bracket.

19. With the PC board facing up, push in and down on the large clip on the drive gear cover.

20. Handle the cover and the gears carefully so that the gears do not fall off the pegs in the cover.

Drive Gear Replacement and Handling

1. Replace broken or damaged drive gears.

2. Do not lubricate any of the gears.

3. Avoid getting any foreign matter on the reflective coating because dirt or oils may interfere with pulse counting.

• Installing the Drive Gear Cover

4. The drive gear cover only fits on one way, with the large clip oriented towards the bottom.

5. If all three clips are outside of the gear shroud on the drive bracket, the drive gear cover slips easily into place.

• Motor Removal

6. The drive bracket does not need to be removed from the drive plate if the motor needs to be removed.

7. To remove the motor:

   • Disconnect the power and motor plugs from the jacks on the PC board.

   • Move the spring clip loop to the right and hold.

   • Rotate the motor at least a ¼ turn in either direction so the wires are vertical (up/down) before gently pulling on the wire connectors to remove the motor.

   • Pulling directly on the wires without rotating the motor may break the wires off the motor.

• Drive Cap Assembly, Main Piston, and Regenerant Piston
  • The drive gears turn the main gear of the drive cap assembly, which moves the piston.
  • The screw-driven piston moves horizontally and stops at specific positions to direct water flow for backwash, regeneration, rinse, or refill.
  • The PC board determines the piston’s position by counting pulses produced when the piston moves.
  • An optical sensor monitors one of the reduction drive gears to generate these pulses.
  • Each cycle position is defined by a number of pulses.
  • The counter resets each time the valve moves to the service position.
  • The PC board finds the service position by detecting the increase in current delivered to the motor when the mechanical stop at the service position is reached.
  • This method of controlling piston position allows for greater flexibility and requires no switches or cams (U.S. Patent 7,177,877).
  • A regenerant piston must be attached to the main piston.

Spacer Stack Assembly

• The spacer stack assembly provides the necessary flow passage for water during the different cycles.
• The all-plastic spacer stack assembly (U.S. Patent 7,315,777) is a one-piece design, allowing the stack to be removed using your fingers.

Sealing Mechanism

• The exterior of the stack is sealed against the body bore with self-lubricating EPDM O-rings.
• The interior surface is sealed against the piston using slippery, self-cleaning, directional (one-way) silicone lip seals.
• The lip seals are clear in color and have a special slippery coating, ensuring the piston does not require lubrication.

Injector Cap, Screen, Injector Plug, and Injector

• The screen injector and/or injector plug(s) are installed under the injector cap in an easy-to-access location on top of the valve.
• The injector cap contains four slots, preventing water accumulation in the cap.
• The injector cap is designed to be hand-tightened.

Components Under the Injector Cap

• A removable, easy-to-clean screen prevents injector fouling.
• Two holes labeled "DN" and "UP" are located under the injector cap, which will be filled with either a plug or an injector.
• The plug (Order: 9-41314=) prevents water from traveling through a certain pathway.
• The injector allows water to pass through the pathway.

Injector Functionality

• The self-priming injector increases water velocity, creating a negative pressure zone that draws in the concentrated liquid regenerant (e.g., sodium chloride brine, potassium permanganate, etc.).
• The regenerant blends with the water stream, which then passes through the media to regenerate the bed.
• The injector ensures a consistent regenerant-to-water mixture ratio over the entire operating pressure range of the control valve.
• It performs well across various applications, including elevated drain lines and long regenerant draw lengths.
• Injectors are selected based on the type, amount, and regenerant flow rate required for a specific media type.
• Guidelines can be found in the media manufacturer's literature.
• Color-coded injectors provide different regenerant draw, slow rinse, and total flow rates over the pressure range.
• Note: Field conversion of valves from upflow to downflow (or vice versa) is not recommended. Separate areas in the valve supply water to the injector for upflow and downflow valves.

Refill Flow Control Assembly / Refill Port Plug

• The refill flow control assembly consists of:
  • Refill flow elbow
  • Refill flow control retainer assembly
  • Refill flow control
  • Poly tube insert and nut assembly
• The refill flow control retainer fits into the refill elbow and houses the refill flow control, which regulates the flow rate when the regenerant tank is being refilled.
• The refill flow control is a flexible washer-like part with a small orifice and precision-molded contour that delivers a steady .50 gpm regenerant tank refill rate at varying inlet pressures.
• The refill is accomplished with treated water.

Installation

• The refill flow control assembly is installed in an easy-to-access refill elbow located on top of the control valve.
• It is attached to the control valve with a locking clip, allowing the elbow to rotate 360 degrees for proper outlet orientation toward the regenerant tank.
• The control valve has a standard refill elbow to which a 3/8" flexible tube can be connected.

Parts