We just have the 2040SOD Softener installed last night.
This morning when I went down to the basement to double check for leaks, I have noticed that there are arrows on the head unit for the two big intake and outlet ports.

But the interesting thing is ..... the hard water (outside pipe) is now connected to the port which has an arrow pointing outward from the center of the head unit. the pipe leading to the rest of the house is connected to the port which has an arrow pointing towards the center of the head unit.

So the water flow is the opposite of what the arrow are pointing.

I would think that the port with the arrow point towards the center of the head unit should be the inlet port ?
Could the installer did it the wrong way?
Is it something that I should worry about?
Water seems to be running fine inside the house, but the installer didn't test the water after the installation, so I am not sure if the softener is doing anything.

I have took some pictures but I am not sure how to post them here.

Can anyone with 2040s check to see what port is the water source connected to? Does anyone have an installation manual that can share?

Thanks.

 

I just received a call back from the installer. He said that he has configure it that way and assure me that everything is fine.

I couldn't find the installation manual / instruction for the unit on the internet. Don't quite understand why Kinetico and their dealer kept that as such a secret.

 

To post pictures, use sites like photobucket.com and copy and paste the url.



I am willng to bet there is a Kinetico by-pass above the softener, right? These are designed to be reversible for easy installation and to avoid criss-crossing pipes. This is a common question and a big mistake when home owners move the softeners to a new location and use the arrows for installation.

Andy Christensen, CWS-II

 

Thanks Andy. I feel better after reading your post.
So the arrow is in fact correct. But it is the by-pass module who have done the cross-over of the flow. Interesting.

Anyway, here is the photo of my setup ...


And here is a closeup of the water flow arrows ....


You can see that my water source (input) is now connected to the right hand side of the by-pass module, and the treated water are coming out from the left hand side of the by-pass module.

 

The reason Kinetico keeps those manuals so secret is because they don't want anyone working on the units except their "certified" service techs. They even discourage the customer from working on the unit. They also discourage the sale of any Kinetico parts so again you have to call them and pay a tech to come fix the problem for you.

I certainly understand a company wanting to service their equipment to make sure mistakes aren't made but my experience with them is that they are more interested in the service revenues generated from such policies, than ensuring proper repair procedures.

I'm not knocking the equipment or the company, just sharing my experience in dealing with them. The same procedure is practiced by most of the large national dealer programs so it's not only Kinetico. I often get called to look at systems where the customer tells me the installer left no manual and are telling the customer that a standard service call will be twice what other companies charge.

 

Good pictures.

Yes, the arrows can throw you off but as I explained, Kinetico's by-pass accommodates for varying plumbing locations/directions. The by-pass can be located remotely from the softener as well.

All dealers and service personnel should have the functions and proper operatins of their equipment as a high priority if they wish to be thought of as professionals. I find the fly-by-nighters and on-line dealers are more interestd in the sale than the service. True you can find the opposites in both.

Even with full service manuals in hand, I have seen homeowners really mess things things up. On the other hand, there are those that can take it apart and put it back together with little more than their good mechanical sense/memory.

Let me know if you need more information.

Andy Christensen

 

Thanks Andy.
I am one of those guy who usually would like to know how things work. The "black box" approach usually make me feels uncomfortable especially when I feel something is not quite right. (e.g. the confusing arrows in this case)

But I am not one of those guy who will take everything apart just to see how things work. I mean I had disassemble an alarm clock just to see the inside when I was a kid. But I centainly will not do the same on a $3000 equipment and risk voiding the warranty.

I will be happy if the installer just left me with the installation manual. Same thing applies to the K5 system. It is almost like .... taking installation manual away from the customer is their standard procedure ..... and as a customer .... I don't like that at all. If I knew they are going to do this, I might not buy Kinetico to be honest. I bought the equipment and I should be entitle to all the documentation and manual that came with the product.

Anyway do you have a copy (for 2040SOD and K5) that you can share with me?

If not, then I will have to try to fight for it with the local dealer. I will be surprise if they will accommodate as they have my money already.
From what I have read on the internet, I don't think Kinetico will do anything and they will just send me back to the local dealer if I try to contact them for anything. Honestly, I don't like that either, it means if a customer is not happy with the one and only one local dealer, they will receive no help from the manufacturer.

Anyway, I think Kinetico do makes good products, but the way they hide installation manuals and refuse to help customer directly is not a good business should do in my opinion.

Thanks.

 

That is why they sell equipment for $3,000 and don't furnish you paperwork. They keep their dealers happy by forcing you to go to them for EVERYTHING. It is SOP for all the Kinetico dealers around here so I am just assuming it is a company policy but I may be wrong about this.

I never quite understood why people install the units when they cost so much more and and force customers to use only Kinetico dealers.

To each his own I guess and I hope you everything works well with the unit since it's yours now.

 

Please email me. I can send attachments.

 

Andy, I have send you a PM with my email address yesterday.
Thanks in advanced.

 

So is what I'm reading here indicating that Kinetico purposely reverses the arrows so that if a 'non Kinetico' person were to install it in a new location it would basically blow all the media out to the household pipes??

Chris

 

I won't go that far. I think the installer made a decision based on my specific installation (location of the meter, etc).
Based on the explanation from Andy, the Kinetico by-pass module is capable to channel the water flow either with a straight-through configuration or a cross-over configuration.

And in my case ... based on my understanding now.... the hard water coming in through the top right connections is being delivered to the bottom left connections when exiting the by-pass module and therefore is going into the softener in the correct inlet port.

Now that I understand how it is configured, I actually think it is a pretty smart design. But I also think that it would be nice if there is something on the by-pass module that clearly indicate what is the current configuration (straight-through / cross-over)..... even a simple sticker will do.

I am happy with the Softener in general ...but I will be even more happier once I have access to the installation manual.

 

Very good explanation. The arrows are on the valve and are always intended to be followed.

The by-passes usually come with a sticker that says A-C as default setting. Installers all know this. It would be a yellow sticker on the B port.

Andy Christensen, CWS-II