Autotrol 440i Timer Replacement help

[jjohnson]

I have a Autotrol 255 valve with the 440i timer. The system was installed 2 years ago.

Recently we noticed that the water was no longer soft. Upon looking at the unit, it is apparent that the timer is not moving.

I am not very handy, but after researching I put screwdriver in the pointer knob and manually ran a full cycle (with the recommended times for backwash, etc). So, the unit functions fine in manual mode and I think confirms that the timer is the issue. When I look a the time of day, it is not advancing.

The service call is $120 plus the cost of parts (which I am sure will be inflated). Having recently lost my job, I am looking to replace the timer myself as I see that the timer assembly is readily available online for around $85.

Is this something simple that a newbie can do? Could someone please give me step by step instructions? I know that I need to remove the locking pin, but do I need to do anything else to pull the timer housing up and out? Is there any trick to putting the new one in?

Thanks for any help

JJ

[NH Master]

Download the service and installation manual. It does not tell you how to change it stpe by stpe but it does give you an exploded view and from there it's pretty straight forward. go slow and remember, " if it's going hard, it's going wrong" don't break stuff

[jjohnson]

Thanks for the reply!

I do have the manual and can see the exploded parts. Given my lack of confidence in technical matters, it would be comforting to get some directions. I will be careful!

[Gary Slusser]

It's fairly easy and simple to change the timer but....

You will not have your data to program a new timer and the softener won't work well until and unless you get the data and input it in the new timer.

The solution is to get into the programming and write the data down. I cannot recall how to get into that programming.

[jjohnson]

Thanks for the reply Gary.

I thought the programming was simply pushing in the tabs for the nights you wanted regeneration to occur? I thought you could set the time of day and then i would regenerate every night around 2 AM for whichever nights the tabs were pushed in.

Is there more to it then that?

[NH Master]

just transfer the settings from the old timer to the new one. It's a manual timer, not digital.

[jjohnson]

Thanks!

I am about to order the new timer, so I want to make sure I do this correctly:

(a) Remove the old timer: unplug the 12V transformer, remove the locking pin and pull timer straight up and off the valve.

(b) Put in the new timer and plug in the transformer.

(c) push in the tabs for the days I want regeneration

(d) set the time of day by pulling out the timer knob and rotating until the small arrow points at the correct time of day.

Is this correct? I would appreciate some confirmation from people who are familiar with this unit/timer. TIA.

[NH Master]

I don't have that particular valve head sitting on my desk right at the moment but if memory serves that is the correct procedure.

[jjohnson]

Thanks, NH. Appreciate it.

[Gary Slusser]

But you said; "I have a Autotrol 255 valve with the 440i timer."

IIRC, that little i after 440 says electronic metered, not a 6 or7 day time clock timer.

Have you done what I told you on my forum?

[jjohnson]

I am pretty sure it is a 440i. That's what it says on the rear of the timer, and on the manual that came with the unit. Also, when I search the internet for replacement timers, 440i show up and they are indeed analog timers.

On your forum you said I needed to relieve the pressure before taking out the locking pin - I am talking about the locking pin that needs to be removed in order to remove the timer, so I do not believe that releasing the pressure is necessary.

Thanks for the reply and the help. Hopefully replacing the timer will solve my issues.

[Gary Slusser]

I've worked on a lot of 155 and 255 controls and the 6-7 flapper valves are closed by small springs and water pressure. When you pull that pin to take the timer off, the cam shaft relaxes and comes out of the timer and flops around or falls off the control as the pressure/strain etc. moves the flapper valves.

[jjohnson]

Gary, thanks again. You are absolutely correct - as I found out today removing the timer!

One puzzling item - I left the timer and camshaft off while I wait for a new timer to be delivered. I assumed - wrongly - that this would have no impact to my water supply. However, I could not get any water in the house - either hot or cold until I reinstalled the old timer back.

Any thoughts as to why this would happen? I would have assumed that I would get at least hot water since this comes from the hot water tank?

[Gary Slusser]

Well assumptions are more frequently wrong than right and you had this problem because you didn't take what I said to heart because you didn't want to shut off your water.

All the cold water in a house usually goes through a softener and without the cam to hold the flapper VALVES open they CLOSED, and you don't get water through closed valves, right? So there was no water going into the water heater; or anywhere else until you opened the valves on the control valve by reinstalling the cam shaft in the right position. And I'm getting worried about you if you can't figure that out.

[NH Master]

Well assumptions are more frequently wrong than right and you had this problem because you didn't take what I said to heart because you didn't want to shut off your water.

All the cold water in a house usually goes through a softener and without the cam to hold the flapper VALVES open they CLOSED, and you don't get water through closed valves, right? So there was no water going into the water heater; or anywhere else until you opened the valves on the control valve by reinstalling the cam shaft in the right position. And I'm getting worried about you if you can't figure that out.

Nice job of excoriating the OP. I'm sure he appreciates your " I told you so" Most helpful indeed. How many years " helping others help themselves"?

[jjohnson]

Thanks, NH.

I guess some of this is simple to people who are handy or more experienced, but certainly not to me.

In any case, the good news is that I now know how to install the new timer when it arrives. I am pretty sure that this will resolve my softener problems.

[NH Master]

Best of luck.

[Gary Slusser]

Nice job of excoriating the OP. I'm sure he appreciates your " I told you so" Most helpful indeed. How many years " helping others help themselves"?

Yeah he followed what you said by saying his list of things to do sounded right to you and it screwed him up. Had he done as I said he wouldn't have had the problem. So who helped who?

[NH Master]

Yep, no doubt about it, you are a genius in your own mind.

The world would be a better place if everybody just listened to Gary. Heil Gary