replacing your old water softener with the new whirlpool water softener is quick and easy following these steps will make your job simpler now your home may have copper CPVC PE X or steel piping each type of piping requires different materials to complete the job so make sure you have the right tools for your safety and the safety of others we've provided many safety messages in your product manual and on your appliance always read and observe all safety messages this is the Safety Alert symbol this symbol alerts you to potential hazards that could injure or kill you or others all safety messages will follow the Safety Alert symbol accompanied by the word danger or warning these are the danger and warning symbols you can be seriously injured or killed if you do not observe the following instructions begin by first removing the existing water softener to do this properly begin by turning off the incoming water supply and open nearby faucets to relieve water pressure also make sure your water heater is turned off be sure you leave as much of the piping as you can when you cut the plumbing on the existing softener now that the old water softener is out of the way remove your new whirlpool water softener from the carton make sure you remove the parts bag containing all of the installation materials from inside of the salt storage tank you'll also need to remove any additional packaging from the tank next remove all of the parts from the bag to make sure you have all of the parts needed for proper installation refer to the owners manual for details the parts may be slightly different depending on which model softener you are installing it's important to note that when you remove the clip and shipping cap from the outlet port on the control valve to ensure that the turbine or water meter stays in place and is not lost you'll notice the valve has the in and out marked clearly on the ports located on the back of the water softener your old water softener may have the in and out ports reversed if so it will require the plumbing for your new world to a water softener to be crossed for proper installation once you've prepared and the area move the new softener into place preferably a clean level spot for it to sit also make sure you have a hundred and ten volt outlet nearby it may be necessary to level the area with a piece of plywood and shims underneath next insert the rubber grommet and drain elbow into the hole in the back of the water softener now install the o-rings on the bypass valve before connecting to the units control valve on some models it's necessary to use the silicone grease provided while others have the o-rings greased and installed already next push the bypass valve into the control valve this valve can be oriented in the up position as shown or in the down position depending on your home's plumbing configuration now you can install the retainer clips making sure that all three tabs are fully engaged you'll need to repeat the last three steps for the installation adapters making sure the three tabs on the clips are engaged if you're using copper and soldering joints do not solder the plumbing well attached to the installation adapters because the heat will damage the adapters now connect the salt tank overflow hose to the drain elbow on the back of the unit using the clamp and tubing provided this line is a gravity feed and must be run to the floor drain or other suitable drain location you're now ready to connect your new whirlpool water softener to your existing plumbing solid rigid plumbing can be used to make the connection the threaded adapter supplied with the softener is a one inch NPT male connection note the tubing has already been cut to the proper length and the three-quarter inch NPT fittings have already been soldered onto the copper tubing flexible connections like these can be purchased from your nearest retailer connect the drain hose to the valve drain elbow on the back of the softener valve this line is a pressure drain used to discharge the regeneration water the line can be run a maximum of 30 feet in length and eight feet high it must drain to a suitable location such as a floor drain or laundry tub in this photo the nearest hose is the salt tank overflow hose from the back of the softener the hose furthest is a valve drain hose local Plumbing Codes may require this hose to have an air gap the air gap shown was built using C PVC fittings that can be purchased anywhere see PVC plumbing is sold air gaps can be as simple as securing the drain to the top of a brick over the drain if you have metal plumbing it may be grounded if so use the ground clamp provided to reestablish the ground this is the electrical shock hazard symbol install the metal ground clamp to your home's water supply pipe before beginning installation securely tighten the connection in the center of the metal ground clamp failure to do so can result in electrical shock or death now that your new whirlpool water softener is installed there are just a few more steps you should take to make sure it's done properly first slowly turn the water supply back on close all open faucets and check for leaks in the plumbing you can also turn the water heater back on open the bypass valve slowly allowing water to flow into the softener at approximately 3 gallons of water to the salt storage tank and then add salt typically it's not necessary to add salt past the number 5 on the salt level indicator the softener requires electrical power to operate although the softener operates on 24 volts the transformer needs to be plugged into a continuous live 110 volt outlet now you can program the water softener programming instructions are located under the salt opening lid and in the owner's manual finally sanitize the water softener see the owner's manual for detailed instructions on how to sanitize after sanitizing go through the home and open both hot and cold faucets to remove air in the water lines it may take a few days for your water heater to use all of the stored hard water however once your water heater has replaced that old hard water with soft water from your new whirlpool water softener you'll wonder how you ever lived without it