I don't have my silver puppy anymore but if memory serves me correctly in auto mode the light is like your indicator for water purity. Almost off or very dim is usually good water. If it's bright from the get go, bad water. When it reaches the preset conductance point (or ppm) the light goes out at the end of the auto process. In manual mode the light just stays on and you can go as high as you want. Ken from silverpuppy has gotten it as high as 50ppm.