Waterco Commandomatic Owner's manual - page 5
Waterco Commandomatic
WHEN AND HOW TO REGENERATE OR BACKWASH
Please note that regeneration refers to softeners/ purifiers and backwashing refers to filters.
SEMI-AUTOMATIC REGENERATION
Normal regeneration time is 60 minutes; However, it may need to be extended up to 90
minutes in areas where the water pressure is low.
For Semi-Automatic Regeneration simply turn the dial on the Commandomatic timer, the
unit will automatically return to normal operation after the regeneration is completed.
Salt
Be sure to use Commandomatic salt (approximately 1/4” pellets), as it is specially
selected large granule salt, graded for maximum efficiency and packed in 25kg moisture
proof bags. This will prevent “ bridging ”, as would occur if fine salt were used. Your brine
tank holds 50kg – or 2 bags of salt. When salt level drops to approx. half the depth of the
brine tank, add another bag of salt.
SOFTENER AND SOFTENER/ PURIFIER REGENERATION
It is advisable to regenerate your water softener/ purifier on a regular basis. The frequency of regeneration will
vary according to the amount of water being used and its hardness. Find out the approximate hardness of the
water supply in question, this can usually be obtained from the local Water Authority.
A calculation can be made to estimate usage, to enable a regeneration schedule to be prepared. Each person will
use approximately 125 litres of water per day. An automatic washing machine and/or dishwasher each counts
as an additional user.
Therefore, a family of five with a dishwasher and washing machine will use approximately 7 X 125 litres of water
per day – total 875 litres. 875 litres per day X 7 days = 6,125 litres per week.
The following chart details the capacity of each unit. To find the frequency of regeneration, divide the capacity of
the unit by the calculated daily usage rate.
From the chart above, it can be seen if a W7 is used, the unit requires regeneration every 8 days if the water
hardness is 140 mg/ L. (i.e. 6964 ÷ 875 litres/ day = 8 days) If the larger S14 softener is used, the unit only requires
regeneration every 16 days. (I.e. 13928 ÷ 875 litres/ day = 16 days).
The chosen unit should offer the most convenient regeneration period to suit the user whether it be Semi-
Automatic or Fully Automatic.
HARDNESS
CAPACITY W7
CAPACITY WPS4
CAPACITY S14
CAPACITY PS9
Mg/ L Unit
(Litres)
(Litres)
(Litres)
(Litres)
10
25
50
75
100
125
140
150
175
200
225
250
275
300
325
350
375
400
425
450
475
500
97500
39000
19500
13000
9750
7800
6964
6500
5571
4875
4333
3900
3545
3250
3000
2786
2600
2438
2294
2167
2052
1950
65000
26000
13000
8667
6500
5200
4642
4334
3714
3250
2889
2600
2364
2167
2000
1857
1733
1623
1529
1444
1368
1300
195000
78000
39000
26000
19500
15600
13928
13000
11142
9750
8666
7800
7090
6500
6000
5572
5200
4876
4588
4334
4101
3900
130000
52000
26000
17334
13000
10400
9284
8668
7428
6500
5778
5200
4728
4334
4000
3714
3466
3246
3058
2888
2736
2600
UNIT CAPACITY CHART FOR COMMANDOMATIC MODELS
Salt Usage
COMMANDOMATIC UNIT
SALT USAGE PER REGENERATION (kg)
W7(A)
S14(A)
WPS4(A)
WPS9(A)
4.5
7
4.5
7
FILTER BACKWASH
Back wash time is approximately 15 – 20 minutes. Frequency is dependent on the amount of sediment in the
water. As a rough guide:
Bad water, backwash should be carried out every second day
Average water, backwash should be carried out once a week.
Semi-Automatic Backwash
To backwash sediment and carbon filters simply turn the timer the dial on the Commandomatic timer to the 15
minute mark, the unit will automatically return to normal operation after the backwash is completed.
Fully-Automatic Backwash – refer to Commandomatic Automatic Controller (Page: 9).
Check the wastewater at drains to ensure that backwash is complete i.e. the backwash water is clean
after 15 minutes.
Backwash water from filters can be run into gardens. If drain line is longer than three metres use a
20mm diametre hose.
Mixed media and carbon filters must be regularly backwashed and rinsed to help prevent
contamination from bacteria growths. Maintenance is customer’s responsibility.
NOTE:
All units have automatic by-pass, which enables water to be used inside the house during regeneration.
If the pressure is low the unit may take longer than the recommended backwash time.
The salt used for regeneration passes through the resin bed and out to the drain. It is not strong enough to harm a
septic tank and will not affect the bacterial action, which takes place.
These units are not designed for the removal of micro organisms and may result in the accumulation of micro
organisms. It is therefore important that filters are used on microbiologically safe water and that flushing
and maintenance protocols are strictly adhered to.
I pg 07