system Water Softening ge.com Safety Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Installation Instructions . . . . . . . .3–15 Step-by-step instructions . . . . . . . . . . . .6–15 Operating Instructions Breaking a salt bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Cleaning the injector and screen . . . . . . . .17 Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Water softener system . . . . . . . . . . . . .
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION. READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE USING. WARNING! For your safety, the information in this manual must be followed to minimize the risk of electric shock, property damage or personal injury. SAFETY PRECAUTIONS ■ Check and comply with your state and local codes. You must follow these guidelines. ■ Use care when handling the water softening system. Do not turn upside down, drop, drag or set on sharp protrusions.
Installation Instructions Water Softening System Models GNPR40L and GNPR48L Questions? Call 800.GE.CARES (800.432.2737) or Visit our Website at: ge.com WARNING: Read entire manual. Failure to follow all guides and rules could cause personal injury or property damage. • Check with your state and/or local public works department for plumbing codes. You must follow their guides as you install the Water Softening system.
Installation Instructions UNPACKING AND INSPECTION WHERE TO INSTALL THE SOFTENER Be sure to check the entire softener for any shipping damage or missing parts. Also note damage to the shipping cartons. Contact the transportation company for all damage and loss claims. The manufacturer is not responsible for damages in transit. • Place the softener as close as possible to a sewer drain, or other acceptable drain point or standpipe.
Installation Instructions PLAN HOW YOU WILL INSTALL THE SOFTENER WARNING: Use only lead-free solder and flux to prevent lead poisoning. You must first decide how to run the inlet and outlet pipes to the softener. Look at the house main water pipe at the point where you will connect the softener. Is the pipe soldered copper, glued plastic or threaded galvanized? What is the pipe size? See Typical Installation Illustration. Use this as a guide when planning your particular installation.
Installation Instructions BEFORE YOU BEGIN OPERATION • Turn off the gas or electric supply to the water heater, in the possibility that the water heater may be drained while draining pipes. To bypass the Water Softener with the bypass valve, rotate the handles clockwise so they are both perpendicular to the flow path of the inlet and outlet water stream, as shown below. • Turn off the water supply to pipes to be cut and drain the house water pipes.
Installation Instructions 3 PLUMB “IN” AND “OUT” PIPES TO AND FROM SOFTENER 4 CONNECT AND RUN THE VALVE DRAIN HOSE (CONT.) CAUTION: Observe all of the following • • • • • • • • • Locate the other end of the hose at a suitable drain point (floor drain, sump, laundry tub, etc.) that terminates at the sewer. Check and comply with local codes. cautions as you connect inlet and outlet plumbing. See Typical Installation Illustration.
Installation Instructions 5 INSTALL THE BRINE TANK OVERFLOW AND HOSE 7 INSTALL GROUNDING WIRE AND CLAMPS • Connect overflow drain hose to fitting on side of brine tank. IMPORTANT: A copper or galvanized house cold water pipe is often used to ground electrical outlets in the home. Grounding protects you from electrical shock. The water softener may have broken this ground path.
Installation Instructions START-UP RINSING PROCEDURE (BYPASS VALVE IS OPTIONAL) 1 OPEN WATER SUPPLY 4 RUN THE WATER With the plumbing, drain line and overflow connections completed, slowly open the water supply, allowing the lines to pressurize. After the 20-minute purge cycle, manually advance the main gear to the backwash cycle and allow to run for a minimum of 10 minutes. NOTE: The optional bypass should still be in bypass mode as shown.
Installation Instructions 6 ADVANCE CONTROL VALVE TO SERVICE POSITION 8 INSTALL 9V BATTERY FOR BATTERY BACKUP FEATURE (CONT.) After the ten-minute refill time, manually advance the control valve to the service position. To install a battery: 1. Remove the control valve cover. 2. The battery pocket is located in the upper left corner of the control as shown. 3. Connect the battery, matching up negative and positive posts. 7 CONNECT TO ELECTRICAL POWER • The softener works on 12 volt60Hz electric power.
Installation Instructions PROGRAMMING THE CONTROL PROGRAMMING THE CONTROL SET PRESENT TIME OF DAY PM Indicator light The green indicator lights up next to the name of the active control setting. Press UP DAY. Pressing the DOWN button displays the settings in order. By continuing to press the DOWN button, the settings start over, beginning with the time of day. Pressing the UP button displays the settings in reverse order. or DOWN button to select TIME OF 1. Press the SET button.
Installation Instructions TIME OF REGENERATION SALT PER REGEN AND CAPACITY The system has a default setting of 2:00 a.m. These two settings are required to provide the most efficient operation of the system in your installation. To change: • Use the UP or DOWN time for regeneration. Salt efficiency is improved by regenerating part of the capacity. For example, the GNPR40 has 37,100 grains of capacity.
Installation Instructions SYSTEM CAPACITY INPUTS SALT PER REGEN AND CAPACITY (CONT.) NOTE: Both SALT PER REGEN and CAPACITY inputs must be based on the SYSTEM CAPACITY INPUTS CHART. Example of Lbs of Salt req. per regen 3.0 3.6 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 7.5 8.0 9.0 10.0 11.0 12.0 13.0 14.0 15.0 16.0 17.0 18.0 19.0 20.0 21.0 22.0 23.0 24.0 25.0 26.0 27.0 28.0 How to determine correct salt dosage and capacity: The correct salt dosage and capacity are determined based on the family size and water hardness.
Installation Instructions NORMAL OPERATION ERROR CODES The control will cycle between TIME OF DAY and CAPACITY about every 10 seconds, as indicated by the green indicator light. This system continuously monitors itself and displays an error message if it detects something wrong. This typically happens when the valve has not advanced through the regeneration cycle properly. Capacity in Normal Operation mode is the gallons of water available until the next regeneration cycle.
Installation Instructions SANITIZING PROCEDURES 4. If, after sanitization, water from the house faucet tastes salty or has a slight color, this is a preservative from the resin tank. Turn on the cold soft water faucets and drain for a few minutes or until clear. To complete the installation, do the following sanitizing procedures. Care is taken at the factory to keep your water softener clean and sanitary.
About the water softener system. Service When the water softening system is providing soft water, it is called “Service.” During service, hard water flows from the house main water pipe into the water softening system. Inside the water softening system resin tank is a bed made up of thousands of tiny, plastic resin beads. As hard water passes through the bed, each bead attracts and holds the hard minerals. This is called ion-exchanging. It is much like a magnet attracting and holding metals.
ge.com Breaking a Salt Bridge Sometimes, a hard crust or salt bridge forms in the salt storage area. It is usually caused by high humidity or the wrong kind of salt. When the salt bridges, an empty space forms between the water and salt. Then salt will not dissolve in the water to make brine. If the brine tank is full of salt, it is hard to tell if you have a salt bridge. Salt is loose on top, but the bridge is under it. The following is the best way to check for a salt bridge.
Care and cleaning of the water softening system. Checking the Salt Storage Level and Refilling Brine (salt dissolved in water) is needed for each and every regeneration. The water for making brine is metered into the salt storage area by the water softening system valve and control. However, you must keep the tank supplied with salt. Use clean water softening salts only, at least 99.5% pure. NUGGET, PELLET or coarse SOLAR salts are recommended. Do not use rock, block, granulated or ice cream making salts.
Before you call for service… ge.com Troubleshooting Tips Save time and money! Review the chart on these pages first and you may not need to call for service. NO SOFT WATER – Most Common Problems: Check the following before calling for service: • Not enough salt—brine tank should be at least 1/3 full. • Bypass valve in “Bypass” position—flange on knobs should be in line with pipes (see page 6). • Hardness setting too low. Check hardness setting and adjust.
Before you call for service… Troubleshooting Tips Problem Possible Causes What To Do Water hard sometimes Using hot water while the water softening system is regenerating • Avoid using hot water during water softening system regeneration because the water heater will refill with hard water. Control HARDNESS number setting too low • Press the SET button to enter a new value. Be sure the number shown is the same as the actual grains per gallon hardness of your water supply.
ge.com Problem Possible Causes What To Do Salty tasting or brown/yellow colored water after installation Unit not sanitized • Complete the Sanitizing Procedures on page 15. • At completion of regeneration cycle (approx. 2 hrs), run water from faucets to purge the salty water. Low water pressure Check pressure. • Drain height 8′ or less, pressure should be minimum of 20 psi. • Drain height above 8′, pressure should be minimum of 50 psi. Restricted drain hose • Clean and reconnect drain line.
Advanced programming and troubleshooting section. WARNING: Advanced programming should only be performed by a qualified technician. This section was designed for the use of water treatment professionals. Default settings are based on water conditions at a typical installation. Before making any changes, consult a water treatment professional, as incorrect settings may result in a system malfunction. Programming the control is not covered under the warranty.
ge.com Default Settings The following table represents preset values programmed into the system at the factory for both levels for the model shown. Required Parameters Name Description GNPR40L GNPR48L P1 Time of day Set in field Set in field P2 Time of regeneration 2:00 a.m. 2:00 a.m. P3 Hardness Set in field (25 grains) Set in field (25 grains) P4 Salt amount 7.5 lbs 9.0 lbs P5 Capacity 24.4 Kgr 26.
Advanced troubleshooting. Manual Indexing for Each Regeneration Errors The control valve may be manually indexed to each regeneration position as follows: This system continuously monitors itself and displays an error message if it detects something wrong. 1. Remove the control valve cover. When an error is detected, the display shows the letters “Err” with a number from 1 to 4. The table below lists Err numbers, a description of each error, the cause of the error and the solutions. 2.
ge.com Troubleshooting Procedures Problem Possible Causes What To Do Capacity display stays at “9999” even though there is water usage Control does not respond to REGEN button Control does not display time of day Total system capacity was calculated to be a value greater than 9999 • As the water usage continues, the remaining capacity will drop below 9999, then other values will be shown.
Advanced troubleshooting. Problem Possible Causes Run out of soft water between regenerations • With water pressure > 70 psi, use 4 bump injectors (WS15X10059). Improper regeneration • Repeat regeneration, making certain correct salt dosage is used. Fouled resin bed • Use resin cleaner. Incorrect salt dose and capacity setting • Set Salt per Regen and Capacity setting to proper level. Refer to the Programming the Control sections. Incorrect hardness • Set to correct hardness.
ge.com Problem Possible Causes Flowing or dripping water Drain valve (2 or 6) or brine valve (1) at drain line or brine line held open by foreign matter after regeneration Weak valve stem return spring on top plate Resin in valve Hard water leakage Improper regeneration during service Leaking bypass valve O-ring around riser tube damaged Incorrect salt type or use of grid plate (salt shelf) in brine tank What To Do • Manually operate cam gear to flush out foreign matter holding disc open.
Flow diagrams. 1 Service Position 2 Refill Position Inlet Inlet Outlet Outlet Drain Drain Treated Water Treated Water Untreated Water Untreated Water Valve No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Description Brine Upper Drain Inlet Bypass Outlet Lower Drain Center Dist. Position Closed Closed Open Closed Open Closed Closed 3 Brine Draw Position Description Brine Upper Drain Inlet Bypass Outlet Lower Drain Center Dist.
ge.com 6 Fast Rinse Position 5 Backwash Position Inlet Inlet Outlet Outlet Drain Drain Treated Water Treated Water Untreated Water Valve No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Untreated Water Description Brine Upper Drain Inlet Bypass Outlet Lower Drain Center Dist. Position Closed Open Closed Open Open Closed Closed Valve No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Description Brine Upper Drain Inlet Bypass Outlet Lower Drain Center Dist.
Checking the brine draw and refill function. 1. Disconnect power to the control by unplugging the wall transformer or unplugging the power cord from the bottom of the control. 2. Press down on the top of the drive gear to disengage the cam gear. 3. With the cam gear disengaged, rotate the cam gear counterclockwise to the REFILL position until the air check fills with water, and water flows through the brine line into the brine tank. Do not run for more than three minutes. 4.
Control valve diagram. ge.
Systems diagram.
Parts List. ge.com GENERAL ELECTRIC PARTS CATALOG REF. NO. GE PART NO.
GE Water Softening System Warranty. (For Customers in the United States) All warranty service provided by our SmartWater™ Authorized Servicer Network. To schedule service, call 800.952.5039 (U.S.) or 866.777.7627 (Canada). Please have serial number and model number available when calling for service. Staple your receipt here. Proof of the original purchase date is needed to obtain service under the warranty.
GE Water Softening System Warranty. (For Customers in Canada) All warranty service provided by our Factory Service Centers or an authorized technician. For service, call toll free 1.866.777.7627. Please have serial number and model number available when calling for service. For The Period Of: We Will Replace: One Year From the date of the original purchase Any part of the Water Softening System which fails due to a defect in materials or workmanship.
Consumer Support. GE Appliances Website ge.com Have a question or need assistance with your appliance? Try the GE Appliances Website 24 hours a day, any day of the year! For greater convenience and faster service, you can now download Owner’s Manuals or order parts online. Schedule Service ge.com Expert GE repair service is only one step away from your door. Schedule your service at your convenience by calling 800.GE.CARES (800.432.2737) during normal business hours. Real Life Design Studio ge.