Resin Cleaner

Can anyone point me to a link that compares resin cleaners that remove iron deposits from softened water?

I have a Fleck 5600 system that I suspect has a fouled resin because as water goes through it, it comes out tinted slightly brownish at first, and then becomes more clear the longer you keep the water running. I just had the regular 5600 meter replaced with a 5600SE but the tech never did any resin testing on the unit.

I've done 2 regenerations with the same results and I've never used a resin cleaner on it before. I've seen products like Filter-Mate Liquid Softener Cleaner and was wondering if that's a decent brand to go with (Ironout.com)?

I'm hoping I'll be able to pick up this type of a cleaner at Lowes or Home Depot but couldn't find this specific brand on those websites. Does it really matter which brand I go with and can I do any damage to my water softener with these cleaners. I know the colored water is coming from the softener because the regular tap water has no coloration issues.

Also, the softener was in bypass mode for a week. Is the cleaning of the resin more of a maintenance issue, or just something that needs to be done on a fouled resin? I'm seeing some products that look like they are just part of a routine that I should get used to doing but haven't done in the past.

Thanks

 

The resin cleaner you're talking about actually removes iron deposits from the resin. Normal regen's clean resin of the solids removed from your hard water. So...if you've got an iron problem in your water, then yes, you need to clean it with this stuff. And it's all pretty much the same. Look at the ingredients and you'll see for yourself. If your water is brown, then turns clear, your resin might be bad. How old is it? Try a couple more regens. Or take the head off and dig out a small spoonful to take to your local water softener place and have them evaluate it. If you still think it's iron in the resin, test the water and you'll know for sure.

 

Look for a resin cleaner that uses phosphoric acid or citric acid with a surfactant instead of hydrochloric as they tend to be less damaging to the resin. Lower crosslink resins ( <8% ) don't handle resin cleaners as well as ther higher cross linkage cousing ( > 8%, macroporous or structured matrix resin).

Brown color can be more than just iron. It could be color throw from the reisn or even organic fouling.

Have you tested the influent and effluent hardness/iron levels ?
Do you know what resin your system has and how old it is ?