I have a Sears Kenmore Demand Water Softener
Model Number 625.3484490 Serial Number 14750
Date Code 962 ? 8

The unit is about 10 years old and I really can't afford to replace it right now. Yes, I'm capable of doing the repairs myself, just looking for a little insight before I dive in.

I believe the “Demand” function has failed. I can manual request a recycle and it will regenerate just fine. However, let it go for a week or so and it will never recycle on its own and the water will become hard.

So, my real questions are, what mechanical parts control the “Demand” part of the softener, and is there a place I can get a photo breakdown of these parts?

Thanks for the help! :)

Eric D

Do yo have a local kenmore dealer in your area? May be able to ask them questions.

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Originally Posted by mygirlsdad77

do yo have a local kenmore dealer in your area? May be able to ask them questions.

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With all the Kenmores out there I'm sure someone on here as had the same issue. Your right, I could contact the local dealer, and they may or may not be able to help.

Regards,

Eric D

I agree. But I would be willing to bet that most people called for onsight help and didn't really ask what caused the problem. Just paid the bill and slept better at night.

I do truly hope that there is a kenmore pro here that can help you fix the problem yourself. Merry Christmas and Happy new Year.

I`m having the same problem and have replaced the venturi assembly gasket, rotor disk assembly , greased all o-rings and still have no soft water. You may want to check this site if ordering parts, they are inexpensive. Softenerparts.com Softener parts, repair your water conditioner with replacement parts for Fleck and Autotrol control valves:

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Originally Posted by ntvkayn57

I`m having the same problem and have replaced the venturi assembly gasket, rotor disk assembly , greased all o-rings and still have no soft water. You may want to check this site if ordering parts, they are inexpensive. Softenerparts.com Softener parts, repair your water conditioner with replacement parts for Fleck and Autotrol control valves:

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Thank you! :) This site ended up being very useful. I hope you get yours figured out. I plan on working on mine over the holidays. If I find the fix I'll post it back up here on this thread.

Regards,

Eric D

The problem is probably the flowmeter is stuck in side the "out" port of the softener valve. This usually happens when sediment or debris gets inside the softener from unfiltered water sources. It is usually a simple fix. Put the softener into "Recharge Now" by pressing and holding the "Recharge" button. The valve will begin to move to the "Fill" position, then it will stop. When it stops, press the "Recharge" button again. The valve will now advance to the "Brine(Rinse)" position and stop again. Press the "Recharge" button again, and the valve will advance to the "Backwash" position. Now bypass the unit by pushing in bypass valve on back of softener valve. Now unplug unit to prevent it from automatically advancing to the next (Fast Rinse) position. Now remove top cover of softener by gently squeezing together the back sides of the cover to allow plastic strap to be removed. Lift off cover. Now remove clip from drain line, pull out drain adapter in drain port. Allow water in drain line to empty into brine tank if possible, or catch it in a bucket. Try to avoid water getting to the electronics.
Remove clips on bypass valve inlet and outlet ports by pushing the bypass valve body into the softener valve and lift clips from one side to the other. When clips are off, gently pull bypass valve out of softener valve. Water will come out of valve. Just let it run into top of softener cabinet. Afterwards, remove flowmeter and housing with needle nose pliers from outlet port of softener valve. Clean impeller and housing, and inside of both softener ports. Reassemble impeller to housing shaft. Blow on the impeller to make sure it spins freely. Reinstall back into same outlet port. Impeller should be toward the inside part of the port. Now reassemble valve in reverse order. Once assembled, put bypass valve into service position slowly to check for leaks. If no leaks, put cover back on, plug unit back into power outlet. After unit boots back up, it should be in "Backwash". Press "Recharge" to advance unit to "Fast Rinse". Then press "Recharge" again to advance back into "Service" position. This should take care of problem. Read the manual to see how to check the turbine. You have to turn the water on and check the turbine to see if it is registering flow. If it isn't, the problem is still not fixed. If it does, congratulations. You fixed it.
By the way, I am a water treatment service technician for Carroll Water Systems, an Ecowater dealership in Westminster, MD.

jmccu09,

Thank you for taking the time to write up your procedure. I will give it a try this weekend. You have provided just what I was looking for!

Thanks again! :)

Eric D

Glad to help... at least I hope it does. If that doesn't fix it, you may need a new sensor wire harness. You may also be able to set your softener to regen @ a fixed number of days. You will need to read your owner's manual to see if this is an option.

Here are some pics (attached) to give you an idea of what to look for.

I was wondering if you had any success with your softener, Eric D

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Originally Posted by jmccu09

The problem is probably the flowmeter is stuck in side the "out" port of the softener valve. This usually happens when sediment or debris gets inside the softener from unfiltered water sources. It is usually a simple fix. Put the softener into "Recharge Now" by pressing and holding the "Recharge" button. The valve will begin to move to the "Fill" position, then it will stop. When it stops, press the "Recharge" button again. The valve will now advance to the "Brine(Rinse)" position and stop again. Press the "Recharge" button again, and the valve will advance to the "Backwash" position. Now bypass the unit by pushing in bypass valve on back of softener valve. Now unplug unit to prevent it from automatically advancing to the next (Fast Rinse) position. Now remove top cover of softener by gently squeezing together the back sides of the cover to allow plastic strap to be removed. Lift off cover. Now remove clip from drain line, pull out drain adapter in drain port. Allow water in drain line to empty into brine tank if possible, or catch it in a bucket. Try to avoid water getting to the electronics.
Remove clips on bypass valve inlet and outlet ports by pushing the bypass valve body into the softener valve and lift clips from one side to the other. When clips are off, gently pull bypass valve out of softener valve. Water will come out of valve. Just let it run into top of softener cabinet. Afterwards, remove flowmeter and housing with needle nose pliers from outlet port of softener valve. Clean impeller and housing, and inside of both softener ports. Reassemble impeller to housing shaft. Blow on the impeller to make sure it spins freely. Reinstall back into same outlet port. Impeller should be toward the inside part of the port. Now reassemble valve in reverse order. Once assembled, put bypass valve into service position slowly to check for leaks. If no leaks, put cover back on, plug unit back into power outlet. After unit boots back up, it should be in "Backwash". Press "Recharge" to advance unit to "Fast Rinse". Then press "Recharge" again to advance back into "Service" position. This should take care of problem. Read the manual to see how to check the turbine. You have to turn the water on and check the turbine to see if it is registering flow. If it isn't, the problem is still not fixed. If it does, congratulations. You fixed it.
By the way, I am a water treatment service technician for Carroll Water Systems, an Ecowater dealership in Westminster, MD.

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Wow! This is exactly what I was looking for. I've been having this same problem with my Kenmore softener for months and had pretty much figured out the turbine was the problem could not for the life of me figure out how to remove the unit from the bypass to valve. Within minutes of reading this procedure I had a fully functioning flow meter and can cancel that service call I was going to need!

There is one small problem... what was preventing the turbine from spinning was a small rubber o-ring that was jammed in there and I don't know where it came from! Nothing seems to be leaking so should I just forget about it?

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Originally Posted by dishguy1977

Wow! This is exactly what I was looking for. I've been having this exact same problem with my Kenmore softener for months and had pretty much figured out the turbine was the problem could not for the life of me figure out how to remove the unit from the bypass to valve. Within minutes of reading this procedure I had a fully functioning flow meter and can cancel that service call I was going to need!!

There is one small problem....what was preventing the turbine from spinning was a small rubber o-ring that was jammed in there and I don't know where it came from!! Nothing seems to be leaking so should I just forget about it?

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The O ring may be the little one that goes between the sensor housing and the outlet valve port. I don't know how it could have gotten in there. Make sure it isn't the O ring that goes on the bypass valve port. You would have a serious leak if that was not on! I would say that if you don't have any leaks, and your turbine is registering flow when the water is running, then you are good to go. The little O ring on the sensor housing isn't necessary. There is no way it can leak there, even if the O ring is missing. Glad someone got some benefit from this post.

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Originally Posted by jmccu09

The O ring may be the little one that goes between the sensor housing and the outlet valve port. I don't know how it could have gotten in there.

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I thought it might be this one too but there is one there. I suppose it could have been lost and replaced before I owned the unit as it came with the house.

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Make sure it isn't the O ring that goes on the bypass valve port. You would have a serious leak if that was not on! I would say that if you don't have any leaks, and your turbine is registering flow when the water is running, then you are good to go. The little O ring on the sensor housing isn't necessary. There is no way it can leak there, even if the O ring is missing. Glad someone got some benefit from this post.

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No leaks so it can't be from the bypass valve and it is much too small for that anyway. Oh well... it's working and not leaking so I'm not going to lose sleep over it!

I am so glad I didn't have to get a service man in here. I was actually calling around earlier this week before I found your post and most of the guys I talked to service AND sell... as soon as I mentioned it was a 10 year old Kenmore they pretty much all got into the spiel about throwing away money an old unit. With your help I was able to fix it in about 5 minutes! Thanks again!

If it's 10 years old, it may need some parts replaced in the valve, but that is much cheaper than junking the whole softener. I don't know if you noticed the valve blow up diagram I posted (which I borrowed from softenerparts.com), but if you need anything for your softener, that is a great resource, and they are very reasonable with their prices. The main things that need to be replaced are the valve seals. I think you can buy a seal kit that has all of them in a packet along with the silicone lube. It's not hard at all to replace these items. I'm glad I saved you some $$!

The resin in the main tank is what actually removes hardness and iron from the water. As long as you are not on a chlorinated water supply, the resin should last a good 20 to 30 years, barring it doesn't get fouled out with iron sludge or a lot of sediment that you would get from a well. Chlorine shortens the life of the softener resin, and it would need to be replaced in about 10 years because the resin begins to break down into a mush. Fortunately, you can get that at the same website, and do the job yourself as well. If you ever do decide to dump and rebed the softener tank, let me know. I'd be glad to give you the procedure.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jmccu09

If it's 10 years old, it may need some parts replaced in the valve, but that is much cheaper than junking the whole softener. I don't know if you noticed the valve blow up diagram I posted (which I borrowed from softenerparts.com), but if you need anything for your softener, that is a great resource, and they are very reasonable with their prices. The main things that need to be replaced are the valve seals. I think you can buy a seal kit that has all of them in a packet along with the silicone lube. It's not hard at all to replace these items. I'm glad I saved you some $$!!

The resin in the main tank is what actually removes hardness and iron from the water. As long as you are not on a chlorinated water supply, the resin should last a good 20 to 30 years, barring it doesn't get fouled out with iron sludge or a lot of sediment that you would get from a well. Chlorine shortens the life of the softener resin, and it would need to be replaced in about 10 years because the resin begins to break down into a mush. Fortunately, you can get that at the same website, and do the job yourself as well. If you ever do decide to dump and rebed the softener tank, let me know. I'd be glad to give you the procedure.

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This is good preventative maintenance - replacing the valve seals? What about the venturi parts? Should I replace those too? When I was troubleshooting I noticed some of the parts had marks worn on them and the kenmore site said they should be replaced.

I'm normally the kind of guy who loves replacing appliances/electronics with the latest and greatest but for some reason I'm in no hurry to replace the softener - I guess it's just not exciting enough for me!

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Originally Posted by dishguy1977

This is good preventative maintenance - replacing the valve seals? What about the venturi parts? Should I replace those too? When I was troubleshooting I noticed some of the parts had marks worn on them and the kenmore site said they should be replaced.

I'm normally the kind of guy who loves replacing appliances/electronics with the latest and greatest but for some reason I'm in no hurry to replace the softener - I guess it's just not exciting enough for me!!

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If you notice water continually running from the drain line, that is an indication that the seals, and/or the rotor needs to be replaced.

Check the venturi by removing the dome shaped cap by unscrewing it. It can be done while it is in the service position, in other words, you don't need to put it in recharge mode, in fact you shouldn't if you don't want to get a shower. Remove the plastic ring that seats the O ring, then the dome shaped screen, then nozzle & venturi, and check the bottom seal. Lift it out of the venturi valve, and check it for any tears or cracks. It may even be in pieces. If any of these is the case, you need to replace the bottom seal. If it isn't showing any of these signs, it is still good. Also it is a good idea to clean all of the parts while you have them out. Clean the nozzle venturi with an old toothbrush, top and bottom. Make sure there are no obstructions in any of the little channels on the bottom of the nozzle venturi. When everything is out of the venturi valve, blow into the valve, and listen for air bubbles coming from the brine well. That is the tube where your float resides. You should hear air bubbles, but if not, push the float down and do it again. This tells you that there is no obstructions in the brine tube or float. Replace all of the parts in reverse order, and hand tighten the dome cap.

You'll find everything you need to service your softener on the softenerparts website.

I know this is an old thread but I am hoping you are able to answer. I am experiencing exactly the same problems as the original poster and did exactly what you said. There was no debris or build up in the valve body or bypass valve. Do I check the turbine first or get a new wire sensor harness? My system manually regenerates no problem, but isn't auto regenerating. Thanks!