Hi, I have a Kenmore 625.348570 (or 625.348590, not sure, same manual is appropriate for both models -- I'll check later tonight). About 3 years ago the softener stopped working. Turned out that the gasket (part # 7204362) was completely destroyed. It was the red neoprene type. The replacement was a black rubber one. The softener has been fine since then. About a month ago I noticed some water in the main storage tank, but dismissed it. Well, started noticing sediment on dishes. Storage tank is still about half full with water,as is the brine well. Did some research, found this thread: [URL="http://forum.doityourself.com/showthread.php?t=174318&page=2"]http://forum.doityourself.com/showthread.php?t=174318&page=2[/URL] Also visited here, and walked through the troubleshooting steps: [URL="http://www.kenmorewater.com/website/animations/product-animation/ts_index.html"]http://www.kenmorewater.com/website/animations/product-animation/ts_index.html[/URL] Turns out that I'm not getting any suction from the venturi during the brine stage. In fact, waters pours out when I disconnect the brine line from the venturi assembly. So, I took apart the venturi, cleaned the pieces, lubed the o-ring, reassembled...same result. Noticed that the venturi had left somewhat of an imprint on the gasket. So, I ordered a replacement gasket from softenerparts.com. Gasket arrived after about a week, replaced old gasket, same result. I then took apart the valve assembly. I didn't notice any obvious issues. There was minimal wear on one or two of the o-rings, but most of the o-rings were in perfect condition. I didn't notice anything wrong with the rotor & disc (part # 7103964). I also took out the drain hose adapter (part #7024160) and drain line. Didn't find any blockage in the drain line. Cleaned the drain adapter and lubed up the o-ring as well. I also checked the 2 o-rings that separate the venturi from the valve assembly (part #7170319) and they seemed fine. The one thing I haven't messed with is the turbine & shaft & o-ring in the "out" pipe of the valve (parts # 2204101, 7117858, 9000803). Those are going to be difficult to access, especially because I'm not very handy. At this point, I'm probably going to take the venturi apart again and double-check all the parts. One thing I did notice is that the manual and animations on the kenmore site list the venturi and flow plug as two separate parts. My venturi has a flow plug that is embedded within it (it's plastic), essentially it's all one piece. Does anyone else have this same piece? Also, I'm not talking about the flow plug beneath the gasket. I also have that piece. I plan on taking apart the valve assembly again and double-checking the Rotor & Disc and Rotor seals. Anyone have any ideas? Is there anyway way for me to test the venturi for suction without it being connected to the water softener? Here's a link to the manual: [URL="http://www.kenmorewater.com/website/customer-assist/manuals/625.348570.pdf"]http://www.kenmorewater.com/website/customer-assist/manuals/625.348570.pdf[/URL] Thanks, pimy

I would appreciate any help as I am investigating a solution for our neighborhood. We live in a neighborhood where everyone is on a well with homes on 1-1.5 acres of land. For our in house service almost everyone has some kind of water treatment system. The problem watering the lawns the water is high in iron and stains the sidewalks, sides of houses, fouls the solenoid valves on the irrigation system, etc. Of course the water softener companies want to put in a gigantic system on each house. I think this is a terrible solution because of the cost of salt, maint., putting salt on water. We will need to get everyone’s water tested. For comparison sake, our water is as follows: 12-13 GPM from our pump 7.5-8 Ph (Central Florida's aquifer percolates through limestone and I would expect everyone's water to be basic). 1 ppm of Iron, soluble Everyone runs their sprinklers about 6 hours 2-3 days per week in the summer. I've read about Berm, Pyrolox, MTM, and even a company that makes Terminox filters. Which would be best for our wells and application? I like the idea of a filter that backwashes and is fairly maintenance free. As an aside, how do I get the iron out of the irrigation pipes? Thanks in advance.