# Water softener making noises



## CMys (Oct 9, 2012)

Hey all.

My GE Osmonics water softener (model 440i) is making strange noises when it does it's cycle, as if there is something wrong with the rotor or pump... it also seems to affect the water pressure, because when we tried turning on the faucet in the morning, it wouldn't start for about thirty minutes. Any advice on what the problem might be and how to troubleshoot/fix it?


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## Speedbump (Oct 10, 2012)

The 440I is the older version of the timer assembly on an Autotrol head.  They have changed again, but the 440I had gears that can make a little noise as the timer advances through the cycles during a backwash.  The timer motor always made a little noise that can be heard on most of them by standing next to it.

As far as the water not starting to run for 30 minutes, I have no idea.  When a softener backwashes, the head goes into a bypass mode which keeps the water flowing no matter what the head is doing.  You might want to make sure the timer is set to the correct time of day.  It's set to backwash at 2:00AM if set properly.


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## CMys (Oct 10, 2012)

Thanks Speedbump. I should have said that the noise the gears have been making is much, much louder than usual. We can hear it in the second level of the house and the unit is in our basement. We've never heard it this loud before and we've lived here for 19 years. 

The timer was set to 5 a.m. Why would the time of day affect the flow? 

Thanks again


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## Speedbump (Oct 11, 2012)

When the timer was set to 5:AM; was it in fact 5:AM?

The timer shouldn't have anything to do with the flow other than the softener may be using water to backwash when it's triggered to do so.

This loud noise isn't a hammering noise, almost like a vibration is it?


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