Water Softener Bypass
When to utilize a bypass
- When changing a whole home filter
- When there’s a leak at the water softener, whole home filter, or brine tank
- When the system is in constant regeneration
- Confirm that it is stuck in regeneration by timing the discharge. Some larger softeners take over an hour to regenerate. Treatment systems with multiple filters can run in tandem, for example: softeners with an added whole home iron, chloramine reduction, aresenic guard, sulfur guard, or dechlorinator filtration systems.
- If moving from an electric system that is designed to regenerate during the night to a Kinetico® that regenerates on demand, it might be odd to hear the system running. You will notice it running typically during and after using water – bath time, taking a shower, or running the dishwasher.
- When the system is put into bypass, it will take a minute or so for the water to slow to a stop whether it is an overflowing brine or unit running to the drain. This is due to built up water pressure in the tanks that needs to level out.
Your system may unknowingly be in bypass when
- You’ve recently changed your filters or serviced your equipment
- You’ve recently had plumbing work completed in your home
Whenever water seems hard throughout the house our first two recommendations are to check your system’s bypass valve and see if you have salt in the brine tank. Running out of salt for even a day can cause hard water to get into your plumbing that will need to be flushed out to get back to soft water.
Pro Tip
Most Common Bypasses in Service and Bypassed
Push/Pull bypass
Most commonly found on Kinetico Signature Series® Units
In service
Blue sticker showing or pushed handle extended away from inlet/outlet of system.
Bypassed
Red sticker showing or pushed with handle extended on the shorter side of the bypass closer to the inlet/outlet of the system.
Pro tip – If after turning on the closest sink faucet to help release the pressure doesn’t help with this push/pull model, use a rubber mallet to gently tap it into bypass.
Knobs
Most common on Twin Cities Series, Kinetico Essential Series®, and Powerline Softeners
In service
Handles in line with pipes
Bypassed
Handles perpendicular across pipes
Three valve copper bypass
In service
Handles all pointing to the ground. Outside handles allow water flow as they are in line with the pipes. Middle handle stopping flow between pipes, forcing water into the water conditioning system.
Bypassed
All handles are parallel to the ground. The two outside valves are against the direction of the pipes and are stopping water from flowing into or out of the water conditioning system. The middle valve, in line with the pipe it is installed on, is now open allowing raw water to pass through.
Off
All valves are against the direction of the pipes and are stopping water from flowing into the water conditioning system and your home.
Mach
Kinetico Premier Series® models. With patented technology to allow incoming water to flow straight line or cross valve into your system allowing for simpler installation with fewer plumbing changes to your home. This can be a cause for concern for people who are unaware of the cross-valve ability.
In service
Handle turned to green
Bypassed
Handle turned to yellow
Off
Handle turned to red. This will turn off water to your entire home.
Red Blue Bypass Gate Valves
Similar in theory to a copper three ball bypass. Blue handles control the water flow in and out of your system and the red handle controls the flow around the system.
Bypassed
Blue handles are turned closed to the right and the red handle is turned to the left to open the valve to allow raw water to flow into your home.
Off
All handles are turned to the right to close their valves.
In service
Blue handles are turned open to the left and the red handle is turned to the right to keep this gate valve closed.
Drinking Water System Valves
Kinetico K5® Drinking Water Station, AquaKinetic® A200 Reverse Osmosis System, and MACguard® Filters
Start by determining the feed line to your drinking water system by tracing the line from your whole home equipment to the drinking water system. This can also be done by following the lines running to your drinking water system and back toward your plumbing or whole home filtration systems. This is different from the line that runs finished product water into your smaller water storage tank and ultimately to your faucet or refrigerator. Along this feedline, you will encounter a valve like one of the valves below.
In service
Handles align with the tubing
Off
Handles are perpendicular, against the tubing
To turn water on or off directly to your drinking water faucet, follow the line at your faucet until you run into one of these valves.
Please contact our office team with any questions on locating your shut-off valves.
By request on your next service call, our trained, certified technicians can check that these valves are working as they should and label them for easier locating if desired.
