How to Program a Clack WS1 Water Softener: Clock, Regen and Hardness
Oct 03, 2026The short version: a Clack WS1 has five buttons, and a homeowner only needs three things from them. SET CLOCK sets the time of day. REGEN starts a regeneration: press once to queue it for tonight, or hold for about 3 seconds to start it now. NEXT and the up arrow held together for 3 seconds open the installer settings, where hardness, day override and regeneration time live. Everything deeper than that sets the salt dose and cycle times, and is best left the way your installer set it.
The five buttons
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| SET CLOCK | Sets the time of day |
| NEXT | Moves to the next screen or the next setting |
| ▲ and ▼ | Raise or lower the value on the screen |
| REGEN | Starts a regeneration. Also steps back one screen inside a settings menu. |
Set the time of day
- Press SET CLOCK.
- Use the arrows to set the hour. AM and PM change as you pass 12.
- Press NEXT, then set the minutes.
- Press NEXT to exit.
The clock matters because the valve regenerates at a set time, normally 2:00 AM, when nobody is using water. If the clock is 12 hours off, it will regenerate at 2:00 in the afternoon. After a long power outage the time of day flashes to tell you it needs to be reset. The valve keeps its settings through an outage. Only the clock needs attention.
Read the display
Press NEXT to switch between screens. One is always the time of day. The other shows either gallons of capacity remaining or days remaining until the next regeneration, depending on how the valve was set up. On a metered valve, the capacity number counts down as water is used. If it drops quickly while nobody is home, something in the house is running. See water bill doubled and no leak found.
Start a regeneration
- Tonight: press and release REGEN. The words Regen Today flash on the screen and it will run at the normal regeneration time. Press REGEN again to cancel.
- Right now: press and hold REGEN for about 3 seconds. It starts immediately and runs the full cycle.
Run one after adding salt to an empty brine tank, after coming back from a long trip, or after the unit has been in bypass. Avoid using water while it runs. Most valves pass hard water to the house during regeneration.
The installer settings
Press NEXT and ▲ together for 3 seconds. Three settings appear in order. Press NEXT to move through them and to exit after the last one.
| Setting | What it means | When to change it |
|---|---|---|
| Hardness | The grains per gallon the valve uses to work out how many gallons it can soften before it regenerates | When a water test shows your hardness is different from what was set. On a well, iron is added to this number. |
| Day override | The longest the valve will go between regenerations, even if little water was used. It can be set from 1 to 28 days, or off. | Rarely. It keeps resin from sitting too long in a low-use home. |
| Regeneration time | The hour and minute a queued regeneration runs | If 2:00 AM doesn’t suit your household, such as a night-shift schedule. |
Hardness is the one that matters most. Set too low, the softener runs out before it regenerates and you get hard water at the end of each cycle. Set too high, it regenerates more than it needs to and wastes salt and water. County water around here runs roughly 6 to 16 grains, so a guess can be off by more than double. Use a tested number. See how to read water test results.
Settings to leave alone
A deeper menu sets the resin capacity, the salt dose and the length of each cycle: backwash, brine draw, rinse and refill. Those are matched to the size of the tank and the type of media inside it. Changing them without knowing the tank can leave the resin under-cleaned or use far more salt than needed. If you think they are wrong, have them checked against the equipment.
Locked settings
Installers often lock the deeper menus so they aren’t changed by accident. With the lock on, you can still set the clock, start a regeneration, and change hardness, day override and regeneration time. The lock is turned on and off by pressing ▼, NEXT, ▲ and SET CLOCK, one after the other. There is rarely a reason for a homeowner to unlock it.
If the screen shows an error number, see Clack WS1 error codes.
Common questions
How do I set the time on a Clack WS1?
Press SET CLOCK, set the hour with the arrows, press NEXT, set the minutes, and press NEXT again to exit.
How do I manually regenerate a Clack water softener?
Press and hold REGEN for about 3 seconds to start right away. Press and release it once to queue a regeneration for the normal time tonight.
How do I change the hardness setting on a Clack WS1?
Hold NEXT and the up arrow together for 3 seconds. Hardness is the first setting. Change it with the arrows and press NEXT to move on.
What is day override on a Clack valve?
The longest the valve will go between regenerations, even with little water use. It can be set from 1 to 28 days or turned off.
Why is the time flashing on my Clack softener?
The power was out long enough for the clock to lose time. Reset it with SET CLOCK. The other settings are kept.
Why can’t I get into the deeper settings on my Clack valve?
Installers often lock them. The clock, regeneration, hardness, day override and regeneration time stay available. The salt dose and cycle times are matched to the tank and are best left as set.
Not sure your softener is set for your water? We’ll test hardness at the tap and check the settings against it. Call or text 941-266-8991.
Related: Clack WS1 valve review · Clack WS1 error codes · Clack valve models explained · Softener not working: common fixes · Fleck vs. Clack valves
Sources: Clack Corporation, Water Specialist WS1 and WS1.25 control valve manual (user and installer display settings); Manatee County Utilities 2025 water quality report.
