Short answer: on most Clack WS1 controls you clear an error by pressing NEXT and REGEN together for 3 seconds, or by unplugging the power supply at the circuit board for about 5 seconds and plugging it back in. On the three-button TC controls, the reset is SET and DOWN (▼). A reset resynchronizes the piston to the service position. It does not fix whatever caused the error. If the code comes back, the problem is still there, and the reset just bought you one regeneration's worth of quiet.
I'll show you the exact sequence for each control, then the four situations where reaching for the reset is the wrong move.
Reset sequence
Pick your control, see the buttons
Go by the buttons on the board in front of you, not the name on the cover.
Or: Disconnect the power supply from the PC board for 5 seconds and reconnect.
Clack's service manual calls this the reset for 'all other valves' — everything that isn't a TC.
Or: Disconnect the power supply at the PC board and reconnect.
Straight from the error screen instructions in each of those programming manuals.
Or: Power off at the PC board for 5 seconds and reconnect.
The CI manual doesn't print its own error-reset step; the service manual's reset for all non-TC valves applies.
Or: Unplug the 4-pin power plug on the circuit board, wait 3 seconds, plug it back in.
The cover button may be labeled SET HOUR, CLOCK or SET CLOCK. The board itself is labeled SET.
Feel the timing
Most "the reset didn't work" calls are a hold that was let go at two seconds. Press and hold this until it fills.
What a reset actually does
The service manual describes it plainly: it resets the electronics and establishes the service piston position. The display flashes all its wording, flashes the software version, then returns the valve to the service position. The EI, EE and SP manuals say the same thing a different way: the software version is displayed and the piston returns to home, resynchronizing the valve.
What it doesn't erase: the error history. The CI manual says the values in Steps 2VH through 6VH can't be reset, and Step 6VH is the error log. The WS1 manual says the same for Steps 3VH through 7VH, where 7VH is its log. That's useful. After a reset, pull the log and you'll see what the valve has really been doing, no matter how many times someone has cleared the display.
When a reset is the wrong move
When the code keeps coming back. Every motor code in Clack's troubleshooting table pairs a physical cause with a physical fix: reseat the motor, reseat the drive bracket, replace a piston and stack. The reset comes after the fix. Resetting over and over without fixing anything hides the fault until the next regeneration, and the homeowner stops trusting you.
In the middle of a regeneration you want to finish. The WS1, CS, EE and EI manuals say an immediate regeneration can't be cancelled except by resetting the control with NEXT and REGEN. So a reset during regeneration stops it. (The CI manual simply says an immediate request can't be cancelled.) If the valve is halfway through a brine draw, let it finish.
When the real problem is power. The service manual lists improper voltage to the PC board as a cause of E2 / 102. A reset won't fix a power supply. Check the transformer and the plug before you blame the valve.
When you're about to do a reset-to-defaults by mistake. Clack's WS1/CS master reset (NEXT and ▼ together, release, then ▲ and ▼) and the CI reset (NEXT and ▼ to Treatment Type, then ▼ and ▲) return the programming and diagnostic settings to factory defaults. That wipes the system's setup. It is not an error reset, and I've seen a tech do it on a customer's valve and spend the next half hour reprogramming hardness, capacity and regeneration time from memory.
About "Error 101 service required"
People search this phrase a lot, and I'll be honest: I can't find "service required" in any Clack manual. Here's what Clack does document:
- Err 101 / E1 / Err 1001 means the control can't sense motor movement. Clack's causes: the motor isn't fully inserted to engage the pinion or its wires are broken or disconnected; the PC board isn't snapped into the drive bracket; reduction gears are missing. Full E1 / 101 page here.
- The older CH control flashes ERROR, a number and the word CALL together for an error. It also has a separate service-call reminder, set in years (Step 14S, a quarter year up to 9.75 years), which shows CALL and clears with ▲ and ▼ together.
So "service required" is most likely an OEM's own display wording, or someone's paraphrase of ERROR / CALL. Either way, an Err 101 means checking the motor, the board seating and the gears. Not just resetting.
Questions I get on this one
How do I reset my Clack softener error? On most WS1 controls, hold NEXT and REGEN together for 3 seconds, or unplug power at the circuit board for about 5 seconds. On three-button TC controls, SET and DOWN.
The error came back after I reset it. Now what? The cause is still there. Clack pairs each motor error with a physical fix, like reseating the motor or drive bracket or replacing the piston and stack. Call the dealer who installed the system.
My Clack says error 101 service required. What does that mean? Clack defines Err 101 (also E1 and Err 1001) as the control being unable to sense motor movement. "Service required" isn't in Clack's manuals; older CH controls flash ERROR, a number and CALL, which may be what you're seeing. Have a tech check the motor connection, board seating and reduction gears.
Does resetting erase the error history? No. The CI and WS1 manuals say the Valve History values, including the error log, can't be reset.
Will resetting stop a regeneration? Yes. The WS1, CS, EE and EI manuals say an immediate regeneration can't be cancelled except by pressing NEXT and REGEN together, so a reset during regeneration ends it.
Is resetting to factory defaults the same as clearing an error? No. The master reset returns programming and diagnostic settings to defaults and erases the system's setup, which then has to be reprogrammed.
If you're the one who gets these calls
Aquonyx builds city-water treatment systems and sells them only through dealers, and we back the techs who do this work in customers' homes. If you'd rather sell a line that sends the service call to you instead of around you, become an Aquonyx dealer.