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I have a Rainsoft water softener with a mechanical timer with 3 knobs I can turn.

The first (the small one with the arrows) turns a large wheel to adjust the time. This time, I assume, is supposed to be the current time.

The second is a dial that goes from 1 to 12 with little metal bits sticking out at each increment. I have no idea what this is for: Perhaps for setting the frequency in days?

The final is a little knob that sits on the large wheel. My best guess here is that this adjusts when the softener is supposed to run. (The problem with this theory is that I've seen it run even when it wasn't matching the current time, but that was when I was playing around with the knobs so I might have messed something up).

I cannot find any kind of manual (or even model #) for this particular water softener. I've attached a picture of it as well as a sticker that is on the back.

Any help to identify this water softener or the purpose of these dials would be appreciated.

Softener front Softener back

Nathan Merrill
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1 Answers1

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The first (the small one with the arrows) turns a large wheel to adjust the time. This time, I assume, is supposed to be the current time.

Yes

The second is a dial that goes from 1 to 12 with little metal bits sticking out at each increment. I have no idea what this is for: Perhaps for setting the frequency in days?

It runs on a 12 day cycle. You set the metal tab for the days you want to regenerate. Every other tab for every other day, every 3rd tab for every 3rd day, every 4th tab for every 4th day, etc. I can't tell from the picture which position will cause regeneration, if you look close you may be able to tell.

Every 4th day or 6th day would be typical. Note that you can't set it for every 5th day since 12 is not a multiple of 5.

The final is a little knob that sits on the large wheel. My best guess here is that this adjusts when the softener is supposed to run.

Yes. You want to regenerate when nobody is using water, usually 2 or 3 AM. It won't hurt anything to use water at this time, but you will fill the pipes and hot water tank with hard water.

If you were twiddling the wheels you may have triggered a regeneration.

New water softeners measure the water used and regenerate when necessary. This is less wasteful.

Mattman944
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  • Ah, I didn't notice that I could pull tabs in/out. That makes the 12-based system make more sense. Thank you! – Nathan Merrill Oct 11 '22 at 01:08
  • Seems to me that a 14 day cycle would make more sense? That way it fits into a regular biweekly schedule. 12 days is an odd choice, especially since 12 is a number usually associated with hours, so it's non-intuitive to see it used for days. (Not disputing your claim, I'm just wondering why it was designed that way.) – Darrel Hoffman Oct 11 '22 at 13:42
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    @DarrelHoffman - 12 is evenly divisible by more integers (2, 3, 4, 6). The water softener doesn't care what day of the week it is, and the user doesn't care what day the water softener regenerates, it happens when they are sleeping. – Mattman944 Oct 11 '22 at 13:54
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    12 is the third [superior highly composite number.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superior_highly_composite_number) It also evenly divides 360° (another SHCN), which probably made the mold-maker happy. – erickson Oct 11 '22 at 16:07
  • 14 days _would_ make more sense. People tend to do laundry on the weekends, so you could set a recharge on days 3, 6, 7, 10, 13, 14 to accommodate the higher weekend water usage. – FreeMan Oct 11 '22 at 17:10