1032417 Autotrol 255 Air Check valve Float Chamber Kit 1/4 Thread with Elbow

The 1032417 is the float chamber and air check valve kit fitted to the brine well of Autotrol 255 series water softener control valves, with a 1/4" tube thread and elbow for the brine line connection. It controls how much saturated brine is drawn from the salt tank during regeneration and stops the softener siphoning the tank dry if the float fails to seat. Anyone whose softener is drawing brine erratically, or whose brine tank is emptying further than it should, needs this kit at WrekinWater.

Technical specifications

Symptoms that mean you need this part

• Softener draws little or no brine during regeneration
• Brine tank empties further than normal or siphons dry between regens
• Float chamber is cracked, stuck, or the float has waterlogged and no longer rises to shut off draw
• Gurgling, popping or loss of prime noises from the brine tank during the brine draw cycle

Why it fails / why it matters

The float chamber sits in the brine well and rises as brine is drawn, closing a poppet seat once the correct volume has been taken so the valve moves on to the next cycle with the right brine strength. The air check function then seats a secondary seal once air is drawn past the float, stopping the softener siphoning the whole tank empty if the brine line loses prime. Over years of exposure to saturated salt solution the float can waterlog, the seating face wear, or the moulded elbow crack from repeated flexing of the brine line, and once that happens brine draw becomes unreliable and salt dosing during regeneration is no longer accurate.

Why buy this from WrekinWater

WrekinWater has been supplying Autotrol, Pentair Fleck, Clack and Kinetico spares to installers and DIY customers for over 15 years from its base in Bettisfield, Shropshire (UK Company No. 11000488), and has helped more than 50,000 customers keep softeners running rather than facing a full valve replacement. Stock is held ready to dispatch and the business is rated Excellent on Trustpilot, which counts when a failed float chamber means your softener isn't regenerating properly.

How to fit it

1. Isolate the softener at the bypass and stop it drawing brine before starting work
2. Note the water level in the brine tank, then lift out the brine well tube containing the old float chamber
3. Disconnect the 1/4" brine line from the elbow fitting on the old air check assembly
4. Withdraw the old float chamber and air check valve from the well tube and check for debris or scale in the tube itself
5. Fit the 1032417 kit into the brine well, confirming the float rises and falls freely on its guide
6. Reconnect the brine line to the new elbow, refill the tank, and run a manual regeneration to confirm brine draw is correct