TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Products Covered
- Summary
- Before We Get Started, The Basics
- Hooking Up Your Water Softener
- Water Softener Care, Maintenance & Storage Guide
Products Covered
Summary
In this article, you'll find instructions and best practices for the initial setup and maintenance of your Blu Tech water softener. Please bookmark this page for future reference.
WARRANTY DISCLAIMER: Blu Tech tests all of their water products individually before shipping for leaks and other issues. It is essential that you hook up and test your water system within the first 30 days or purchase and report any issues immediately to our team to prevent issues related to a warranty claim. Just like with any water system: Issues resulting from freezing, overtightening, dropping or system neglect are not covered by the manufacturer warranty.
Additional Resources: At the bottom of this article we link to our Blu Water Softener Care, Maintenance & Storage Guide with detailed instructions on maintaining your water softener.
Before We Get Started, The Basics
What's Inside the Box?
- Blu Tech Elite Stainless Steel Water Softener
- 10,000-grain softener resin (pre-installed, do not remove)
- Quick Connect to Garden Hose Set (1x Male 1x Female)
- Quick Connect Backflush Adapter
What's Inside the Canister?
The water softener ships ready to use and does not need to be opened. Inside the tank is a material used for softening your water called a Cation Exchange Resin. This resin is in the form of light gold or light amber to black spherical beads that are the key to your softener function. A 10,000-grain water softener contains approximately 1/3 of a cubic foot of resin. When most of the water is drained from the unit, the top of the resin bed will sit approximately 7 inches from the lip of the canister. This material is good for 7-9 years of use in normal conditions when maintained properly.
TOP TIP: Never remove, spill or contaimate the resin by tipping over the unit with the top off. Follow our Water Softener Care, Maintenance & Storage Guide with detailed instructions on maintaining your water softener.
Softeners vs. Filters, The Perfect Pairing
Water softeners and water filters work in conjunction with each other to provide optimal water filtration and hard water reduction. They use very different technologies and are designed to work together. Water filters do exactly what their name says, they filter out particulates including harmful or bad tasting/smelling contaminants through the use of a consumable "filter".
Water softeners use an ion exchange technology powered by a rechargeable resin to exchange calcium and magnesium ions for sodium ions resulting in softer water. Both components do very different things and neither is a substitute for the other. We'll get more into how to hook up these components later in the article.
Hooking Up Your Water Softener
Hooking Up Order & Best Practices
Most water softeners and water filtration systems are installed with the water going through the water filtration unit first followed by the water softener. This allows the water filters to remove any contaminants before they pass through the water softener, ensuring that sand and other contaminants do not enter your softener. For the majority of customers, this is the recommended installation order. If you are not sure, use this order.
- Option 1: Water Supply --> Pressure Regulator --> Water Filter(s) --> Water Softener --> RV / Vessel / Home
In rare instances where customers are in locations with exceptionally hard water (see map below for areas in red), it is possible to reverse the water softener and filter to extend the life of the water filters. While not necessary, this can extend the life of the water filters by removing high levels of magnesium and calcium before they enter the water filters. If you determine this configuration may be right for you, we recommend you add a sediment pre-filter to prevent any sand or other large contaminants from entering the softener.
- Option 2: Water Supply --> Pressure Regulator --> Water Softener --> Water Filter(s)--> RV / Vessel / Home
First Time Use
The first time you use your water softener and/or water filter system or if you are removing your system from storage, it is a good idea to flush your system before use. Follow these steps for initial or out-of-storage use of your system.
Ensure that the water supply feeding the intended location is turned off.
Attach the Blu Tech Water Pressure regulator (recommended) or other drinking water safe regulator to the water supply line
Review Option 1 or 2 above to determine your system configuration. If not sure, choose Option 1
Connect your Blu Tech Quick Connects to your drinking water safe hoses or Blu Tech Quick Connect hoses if applicable
Connect your hoses with the Quick Connects to the inlet and outlet of your Blu Tech Water Softener.
Confirm that the unit is positioned upright and ready for use.
Turn on the water at the source and allow your water softener system to flush into a drain for 2 to 3 minutes.
When the flush has run for 2 to 3 minutes, you can hook your outlet hose up to the City Water Inlet in your RV.
Your unit is now ready and prepared for use.
Water Softener Care, Maintenance & Storage Guide
It is important that you properly maintain and care for your water softener to ensure it provides you with years of trouble-free service. Please visit our Water Softener Maintenance Guide for information on the following:
- Backflushing Your Water Softener
- Regenerating Your Water Softener
- Properly Storing Your Water Softener
Requesting Assistance
If you feel you are not getting anywhere or there is another issue you can always reach out to our team directly by initiating a ticket here on the support portal or by emailing info@mobilemusthave.com
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