Control Valves

The control valve sits on top of a softener or filter vessel and decides when the media is regenerated or backwashed. It is the part that determines how much salt and water the system uses over a year — which makes it the component worth choosing carefully rather than by price alone.

Valve types

• Timer: regenerates on a fixed schedule regardless of consumption. Simple and cheaper; wastes salt when use is low.
• Metered (volumetric): counts litres and regenerates on actual use. Lower running cost and no loss of soft water during peaks.
• Filter valves: backwash media beds — sand, carbon, iron removal — rather than regenerating with brine.
• Tandem (duplex): alternates two vessels so soft water is never interrupted.

Matching a valve to a vessel

Three things must line up: the vessel thread, the riser tube diameter and the valve's rated flow. A valve rated below the system's peak flow becomes the bottleneck no matter how large the vessel is. If you are replacing a valve, send us a photo of the existing one and the vessel label before ordering.

Service parts and warranty

Pistons, seal-and-spacer kits and O-rings are the parts that wear; they are stocked separately in this category. Valves themselves are durable spare parts and carry a 2-year warranty. The seals and pistons inside them are wear items.