Howdy again, gang:

I've finally gotten a successful Fleck 5600SE installation completed (after bad bypass thread/pipe dope problems resulting in unsweating/resweating fittings, etc. ), and I have some questions about "tweaking" the settings on my 5600SE.

We have "unique" requirements vs. industry standard settings, we have a 32k grain capacity (1.0 cu.ft. Nelsen C-100 resin) 9x48 tank -- however we are only 2 people, and probably use < 50 gal per day/per person. We have no water treatment issues other than 20 gpg hardness (no iron, etc. etc.)

I'm surprised I haven't found a "guide" to making ideal settings using Fleck's "advanced" menu interface (1980's Hewlett-Packard printers come to mind )

Anywhoo -- my concern is with the lengths of time used for each stage or step of the regeneration cycle -- for instance, during step 2 "brine fill" -- the Fleck draws water out of the brine tank for about 10 minutes, then the Fleck continues pulling air from in the brine line for the remainder of the (factory default) 60 minutes -- is this correct?

Feel free to scold me for being a newb, perhaps I'm not coming up with valid search terms? I'd like to optimize the settings for each "stage" of the regeneration process, as using the industry-standard calculations, the softener should only regen every

 

Determining those custom settings requires an understanding of water treatment specifics that are uncommon in novices. That kind of fine tuning is where a good dealer really pays dividends.

I like the HP reference

Do you have these master programming instruction sheets?

click here for Fleck 5600SE down flow master programming instruction sheets

You can experiment as much as you like. A prudent step before changing anything would be to record all your current settings so you can do a graceful retreat if necessary.

 

Thanks for reading my short novel, justalurker, and for yet MORE invaluable feedback -- it's greatly appreciated.

I'm working with my dealer to better understand some of the settings, and I actually have gotten a couple conflicting bits of information, so I have 2 more very general questions:

Fleck 5600SE -- during "Step 2" (brine draw) -- the system draws as much water as it will out of the brine tank within the first 10 minutes, even though the step is set for 60 minutes -- is this correct behavior?

Also, during "Step 4" (brine refill), the brine tank is refilled to nearly 6" of water above the mineral grid (roughly 12" of water in the tank, measured from the very bottom) -- this seems excessive to me and the manuals say to expect water 1" above the grid...

Thanks in advance!

 

Short answer... yes.

Once the control valve has sucked all the brine it can from the brine pickup the air check valve in the brine pickup stops the control valve from sucking air.

The volume of water replaced into the brine tank to make brine for the next regeneration is determined by the programming and the BLFC (brine line flow control). See #6 on page #4 of the master programming instruction sheet I linked to in my previous post.

Each gallon of water sent to the brine tank dissolves 3lbs of salt.

The height (depth?) of the water in the brine tank is determined by the shape of the brine tank.

For example, if your control valve has a 12 lb salt dose then it will put 4 gallons of water in the brine tank but if you have n 11"x11" brine tank the water level will be at one height as opposed to the water height in a 15"x17" brine tank or an 18" diameter round brine tank.

Here's another curve ball, salt in the brine tank displaces water so that effects the height of the water too.

It's an optical confusion.

If your soft water is holding all the way until regeneration and the softener is regenerating every 7 or 8 days and you're not using a mountain of salt everything is working properly.

 

Is there a reason that this was automatically assumed to be downflow?