Clack WS1 CI Softener, meter controlled valve, 1in or 3/4in V1CIDEME-05

The basic Valve order is shipped in a basic format, and relies on the customer to programme all the settings and fit the injector and Drain Line Flow Control to suit the size of softener. Let Wrekin do the basic formatting prior to despatch by adding on the Programming Option to the basket with your valve order. All we need to know is the size of the vessel in inches, Diameter x Height which can usually be seen on the vessel label 1054 is 10in Diameter vessel standing 54 inches tall. We know this is a 50L Resin bed and will programme the controls and insert the correct injector and DLFC control.

The Clack WS1CI meter-controlled softener valve (V1CIDEME-05) is the complete 1in control head that turns a bare resin tank into a fully working, demand-initiated water softener, and WrekinWater stocks it as a genuine replacement for UK households and installers whose existing WS1CI head has reached the end of its working life. Because it's meter controlled, the valve only regenerates when the household has actually used a set volume of soft water, rather than on a fixed timer, which makes it one of the more efficient control heads Clack produces for domestic and light commercial softeners.

Technical specifications

Symptoms that mean you need this part

• The softener regenerates erratically, too often, or not at all despite normal water use
• The digital display is dead, frozen, or throwing an error code that a reset won't clear
• Water is running hard even straight after a regeneration cycle
• Visible cracking, weeping, or a stripped fitting on the existing control head body

Why it fails / why it matters

A meter-controlled valve head like the WS1CI carries the electronics, the meter turbine, the piston and the drive motor that together decide when and how the softener regenerates, so it takes the brunt of the wear in the whole system. Over years of continuous use the internal seals and O-rings harden, the meter turbine can silt up or seize, and the circuit board can fail outright, and once any of these go the valve either stops metering water use accurately or stops regenerating at all — at which point replacing the individual part is rarely worthwhile and a full valve swap is the only reliable fix.

Why buy this from WrekinWater

WrekinWater has served more than 50,000 customers over 15 years from its base in Bettisfield, Shropshire, and stocks genuine Pentair Fleck, Autotrol, Clack and Kinetico parts including this Clack WS1CI meter-controlled valve, so you're buying the correct V1CIDEME-05 assembly rather than a guess at compatibility. The business is UK Company No. 11000488 and is rated Excellent on Trustpilot, giving installers and homeowners a properly established supplier to call on for advice before and after the valve arrives.

How to fit it

1. Isolate the water supply and drain down the softener's mains pressure before starting any work
2. Note the current bypass position and disconnect the drain line, brine line and any wiring from the existing control head
3. Unclip or unscrew the old valve from the resin tank, taking care not to disturb the riser tube
4. Fit the new WS1CI valve onto the tank, checking the riser tube seats correctly and the tank O-ring is undamaged
5. Reconnect the drain, brine and inlet/outlet plumbing, then restore power and water supply
6. Have a competent water treatment installer commission the valve — setting hardness, regeneration time and cycle parameters — and run a full test regeneration before returning the softener to normal use