7000 SXT New member here needing HELP

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mOmar

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Hello everyone,

I bought a 7000 SXT on demand 60k grain water softener about a year ago. I feel I have yet to program the correct settings to my specific softener. I've looked at the settings others have programmed and tried it on mine. With some of the programming changes I've made I've noticed that recently the system uses a lot of salt. I've also noticed a lot of white build up in our master shower fixtures. I'm assuming that from the splashing water that the white build up has even gotten on the shower door hinges. Its gotten so bad that the oil rubbed bronze finish on the bath fixtures is starting to fall off. The whole reason I bought the system was to avoid having that build up on the fixtures.

I haven't gotten much help from the online dealer I bought my system from. Thats why I'm here.

Before I bought the softener system, the hardness of the water was 18.

I hope you guys can help me with the proper settings.

I am on city water
My BLFC is 0.125
 

Bannerman

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What is your water's hardness? You maybe able to obtain that info from your city's water report, often posted online. If hardness is not specified, you would need to determine the hardness through other methods such as purchasing a Hach 5-B water hardness test kit.

How many occupants in your home? Any above average flow requirements such a multihead showers?

Softener settings are not generic but need to be specific for your water conditions, consumption requirements and the capacity settings as related to the salt setting..

Edited to add: I had missed the 18 grains specified. Often, an average quantity is specified whereas the highest expected amount should be programmed if there is any variance in hardness.

Perhaps post your current settings.
 
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mOmar

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There are 2 adults, 1 teenager, 2 children in the household. We have body sprays and multiple shower heads in the master bath. I never use the body sprays and my wife on occasion uses the body sprays. Teenager likes to take long showers.

Any suggestions on the appropriate setting would be greatly appreciated!
These are my current settings..

DF- Gal
VT-dF2b
CT-Fd
C-35
H-20
RS-Sf
SF-11
DO-10
RT-2:00
B1-10
BD-60
B2-5
RR-10
BF-12
FM-t1.2
 

Reach4

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I presume your tank is 12" x 52" (2.00 cu. ft. ). Check that.

You are not using nearly enough salt.
System info (not programmed) salt lb/cuft : 6
BLFC : 0.125
cubic ft resin : 2.0
Raw hardness : 20.0
Estimated gal/day : 240.0
Estimated days each regen : 7.6



Fleck 7000SXT Settings:
DF = Gal
VT = dF2b
CT = Fd
C = 40.0
H = 20.0
RS = cr
CR = 0.0
DO = 14
RT = 2:00
B1 = 8.0
Bd = 60.0
B2 = 5.0
RR = 10.0
BF = 32.0
FM = t1.2 (usual)
 
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mOmar

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According to the specs from where I ordered the system I have a 12x48 Resin Tank and a 18x33 brine tank.

When you say I'm not using enough salt, what exactly does that mean. To me it seems like the system is consuming the salt quite quickly. But then again, this is my very first time owning a water softener system and I have nothing to compare it to.

Once I change the C and BF settings, do you think I will stop seeing that white build up on the shower fixtures?
 
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Reach4

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That changes things. Amended for resin capacity and 5 people. Here is what I would go for in that case:

System info (not programmed)

salt lb/cuft : 8
BLFC : 0.125
cubic ft resin : 1.7
Raw hardness : 20.0
Estimated gal/day : 300.0
Estimated days each regen : 6.2

Fleck 7000SXT Settings:
DF = Gal
VT = dF2b
CT = Fd
C = 40.8
H = 20.0 (could drop to 18 if testing confirms)
RS = cr
CR = 0.0
DO = 14
RT = 2:00
B1 = 8.0
Bd = 60.0
B2 = 5.0
RR = 10.0
BF = 36.3 (round)
FM = t1.2 (usual)

Also maybe do an extra regeneration or two to help make up for past under-brining.

There could be other good choices, such as going to 10 pounds of salt per cuft (BF=45.3 and C=45.9). Your softener is a bit smaller than what would be desired for this load.

Yes, the new non-soluble deposits should stop. Use your Hach 5B to confirm the water stays soft.

I wonder what your hardness is now just before regen. Just curious. It would not affect your actions.
 
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Bannerman

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Your Brine Fill (BF) setting of 12 minutes X the BLFC rating of 0.125 gal/minute, means only 1.5 gallons of water was entering the brine tank. As each gallon will dissolve 3 lbs of salt, your salt setting then was only 4.5 lbs.

An appropriate and efficient salt setting for a 2 cuft softener (ie: 60K grains total capacity) is 12 lbs which will regenerate 40K grains of usable capacity. As your capacity setting had been 35K, with a 4.5 lb salt dose, you were then using much more softening capacity than was being restored. In that situation, soft water was produced for a short time directly after regeneration, but then hardness minerals (calcium and magnesium) were passing through the softener to your fixtures just as though you didn't have a softener installed. I expect the Bronze finish is not falling off but the hardness minerals are collecting on the surface, giving the appearance that the dark finish is missing.

The settings which Reach4 initially specified, will restore 40K grains capacity with a 12 lb (6 lbs/cuft) salt setting in a system with 2 cuft of resin. As the usual tank size for a 2 cuft system is 12" X 52", we don't know for certain if your system actually contains 2 cuft of resin without a gravel underbed (normally utilized), or if it actually contains less resin. As you mentioned purchasing the 60K softener online (in the other thread), I expect it contains 2 cuft of resin without an underbed. Some online retailers will often leave out the gravel as shipping is usually included and gravel is heavy, thereby saving them some shipping expense.

As water consumption is typically 60 gals/person/day on average, your 5 person household is then expected to use 300 gals/day. As your hardness setting is 20 grains/gal, your softening requirements are then 6000 grains/day. With 40K capacity between regen cycles, the estimated regen frequency is then 40K / 6K = 6.67 (6) days.

As it is generally desirable to regenerate no more often than 1X per week, you could regenerate more capacity by using a slightly higher salt setting. A 16 lb salt setting (8 lbs/cuft) will restore 48K of capacity. Since 48K / 6K = 8, you would then expect the softener to regenerate approx every 8 days. To dissolve 16 lbs of salt, 5.3 gals of water will be required. With your 0.125 BLFC rating, your BF setting would need to be 42.7 minutes but as the time settings are in full minutes, set BF to 43.

Because your softener's capacity has been exhausted, you should restore the entire 60K capacity by performing a single regeneration using 36 lbs of salt or, if you reprogram with the 16 lb salt setting, perform 2 manual regenerations one after the other with no water use in between, The 2nd regeneration should be initiated at least 2 hours after the 1st regen has completed to permit the proper amount of salt to be dissolved prior to the 2nd regeneration.
 
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mOmar

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Yes, the new non-soluble deposits should stop. Use your Hach 5B to confirm the water stays soft.

I wonder what your hardness is now just before regen. Just curious. It would not affect your actions.[/QUOTE]

Where can I get this Hach 5B?
 

mOmar

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Your Brine Fill (BF) setting of 12 minutes X the BLFC rating of 0.125 gal/minute, means only 1.5 gallons of water was entering the brine tank. As each gallon will dissolve 3 lbs of salt, your salt setting then was only 4.5 lbs.

An appropriate and efficient salt setting for a 2 cuft softener (ie: 60K grains total capacity) is 12 lbs which will regenerate 40K grains of usable capacity. As your capacity setting had been 35K, with a 4.5 lb salt dose, you were then using much more softening capacity than was being restored. In that situation, soft water was produced for a short time directly after regeneration, but then hardness minerals (calcium and magnesium) were passing through the softener to your fixtures just as though you didn't have a softener installed. I expect the Bronze finish is not falling off but the hardness minerals are collecting on the surface, giving the appearance that the dark finish is missing.

This might explain why there are times that the water feels softer

The settings which Reach4 initially specified, will restore 40K grains capacity with a 12 lb (6 lbs/cuft) salt setting in a system with 2 cuft of resin. As the usual tank size for a 2 cuft system is 12" X 52", we don't know for certain if your system actually contains 2 cuft of resin without a gravel underbed (normally utilized), or if it actually contains less resin. As you mentioned purchasing the 60K softener online (in the other thread), I expect it contains 2 cuft of resin without an underbed. Some online retailers will often leave out the gravel as shipping is usually included and gravel is heavy, thereby saving them some shipping expense.

My system did not come with gravel underbed.


As water consumption is typically 60 gals/person/day on average, your 5 person household is then expected to use 300 gals/day. As your hardness setting is 20 grains/gal, your softening requirements are then 6000 grains/day. With 40K capacity between regen cycles, the estimated regen frequency is then 40K / 6K = 6.67 (6) days.

As it is generally desirable to regenerate no more often than 1X per week, you could regenerate more capacity by using a slightly higher salt setting. A 16 lb salt setting (8 lbs/cuft) will restore 48K of capacity. Since 48K / 6K = 8, you would then expect the softener to regenerate approx every 8 days. To dissolve 16 lbs of salt, 5.3 gals of water will be required. With your 0.125 BLFC rating, your BF setting would need to be 42.7 minutes but as the time settings are in full minutes, set BF to 43.

How do I input a higher salt setting? Is that done by changing BF setting to 43 as you mention here?


Because your softener's capacity has been exhausted, you should restore the entire 60K capacity by performing a single regeneration using 36 lbs of salt or, if you reprogram with the 16 lb salt setting, perform 2 manual regenerations one after the other with no water use in between, The 2nd regeneration should be initiated at least 2 hours after the 1st regen has completed to permit the proper amount of salt to be dissolved prior to the 2nd regeneration.

If I wanted to do a single regeneration using 36 lbs of salt, which setting exactly do I need to adjust?



I was thinking of cleaning out the brine tank and putting new salt in. Would that be a wise idea?
 

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For one time, don't change the programming.

To do a single regeneration using 36 lbs of salt, pour enough water into the brine tank to bring the water up to 12 gallons. Let it sit for 3 hours or more, and then regenerate.

For example, if you add an extra 10 gallons, you would use an extra 30 pounds of salt on the next regen.

I would not clean out the brine tank. If you do, and I think you are a year or 3 away from considering that, let the salt level get consumed down to where the refill water just barely completely covers the salt. That way, the brine tank will be a lot lighter, and you will not discard as much salt. If it were me, at that time I would trigger a regen, but turn things off after brine draw and before the refill. That way there will be less water in the brine tank when you try to tip it over. Water and salt are heavy. I did not wait. It was very heavy, and I threw out a lot of salt. My method was to get a hand truck under the brine tank, and strap the brine tank to the hand truck with a ratchet strap. Only then tilt. And because you stopped adding salt long enough, you will not be tipping 300 pounds.
 
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mOmar

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I just went to change the settings on the softener and since my salt level is low, I noticed that there is no water in the brine tank. Should I just add water or does the system do that on its own?
 

Reach4

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I just went to change the settings on the softener and since my salt level is low, I noticed that there is no water in the brine tank. Should I just add water or does the system do that on its own?
Normally with the 7000SXT, the last thing the softener does during a regeneration is to fill the brine tank. If the unit has never been regenerated before, you would add about 6 gallons of water before your first regen. But you have regenerated before. The lack of water is troubling.

Some softeners don't add the water until a few hours before the rest of the cycle. (called "brine first) I don't think that happens in your case.
 

Bannerman

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I noticed that there is no water in the brine tank.
NO water or only a small amount?
Does your brine tank have a salt grid (platform) for the salt to sit on or does the salt sit on the actual bottom of the tank? If there is a platform, you may not see any water as your salt setting was only placing 1.5 gallons in the brine tank and that low volume of water will probably all be located below the platform. Even without a platform, 1.5 gallons will not appear as much in an 18" diameter tank.

Since you had stated that salt had been consumed previously, I expect the brine fill is operating properly but as Reach4 mentioned, your controller could be programmed for 'brine first' in which case, water will be added two hours before the remaining regeneration cycle occurs. You may want to add the appropriate amount of water to the brine tank, wait 2 hours and initiate a manual regen while you are available to observe the cycle, at least for part of the time. If the first part of the cycle adds more water to the brine tank, you will then know it is programmed for brine fill first. If more brine ends-up being created, that is not a problem since you have not yet restored all 60K, any additional brine will go towards restoring the total capacity.

As you asked about the settings to initially regenerate with 36 lbs of salt during one cycle, a concern is that you may find your water is a little salty initially following that regen cycle. Drawing brine is normally completed within 15 minutes of a 60 minute brine draw (BD) portion of the cycle, while the remaining time is utilized to slowly rinse the brine from the resin. As the time to draw all 36 lbs of salt is likely to exceed 15 minutes of the 60 minute setting, there maybe inadequate time remaining to thoroughly rinse all of the brine away. Performing two 16 lb regens back-to-back would be less likely to result in a salty water issue.
 

mOmar

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NO water or only a small amount?
Does your brine tank have a salt grid (platform) for the salt to sit on or does the salt sit on the actual bottom of the tank? If there is a platform, you may not see any water as your salt setting was only placing 1.5 gallons in the brine tank and that low volume of water will probably all be located below the platform. Even without a platform, 1.5 gallons will not appear as much in an 18" diameter tank.

Since you had stated that salt had been consumed previously, I expect the brine fill is operating properly but as Reach4 mentioned, your controller could be programmed for 'brine first' in which case, water will be added two hours before the remaining regeneration cycle occurs. You may want to add the appropriate amount of water to the brine tank, wait 2 hours and initiate a manual regen while you are available to observe the cycle, at least for part of the time. If the first part of the cycle adds more water to the brine tank, you will then know it is programmed for brine fill first. If more brine ends-up being created, that is not a problem since you have not yet restored all 60K, any additional brine will go towards restoring the total capacity.

As you asked about the settings to initially regenerate with 36 lbs of salt during one cycle, a concern is that you may find your water is a little salty initially following that regen cycle. Drawing brine is normally completed within 15 minutes of a 60 minute brine draw (BD) portion of the cycle, while the remaining time is utilized to slowly rinse the brine from the resin. As the time to draw all 36 lbs of salt is likely to exceed 15 minutes of the 60 minute setting, there maybe inadequate time remaining to thoroughly rinse all of the brine away. Performing two 16 lb regens back-to-back would be less likely to result in a salty water issue.

I took a closer look and there is a bit of water in the tank. The system did come with a salt grid.

I took a picture of the interior of the tank. Can anyone tell me if the dirt looking stuff around the tank and on some of the salt pellets is normal? Could it possibly be resin?
 

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Bannerman

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Could it possibly be resin?
I can't see how resin would be deposited into the brine tank, much less on the top of seemingly dry salt.

Are you able to remove the 'dirt' to obtain a closer look? Resin is very fine, similar to beach sand but often has an iridescent reddish or orange hue.

Has this 'dirty salt' situation occurred previously?
 

mOmar

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I can't see how resin would be deposited into the brine tank, much less on the top of seemingly dry salt.

Are you able to remove the 'dirt' to obtain a closer look? Resin is very fine, similar to beach sand but often has an iridescent reddish or orange hue.

Has this 'dirty salt' situation occurred previously?

I am able to remove the 'dirt' very easily. Although it seems the 'dirt' is very fine. When I rub it against my fingers it seems to dissolve quite easily.

This is the first time I notice this 'dirty salt'. I had never seen it happen before

Here is another picture with a closer look
 

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mOmar

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For one time, don't change the programming.

To do a single regeneration using 36 lbs of salt, pour enough water into the brine tank to bring the water up to 12 gallons. Let it sit for 3 hours or more, and then regenerate.

For example, if you add an extra 10 gallons, you would use an extra 30 pounds of salt on the next regen.

I would not clean out the brine tank. If you do, and I think you are a year or 3 away from considering that, let the salt level get consumed down to where the refill water just barely completely covers the salt. That way, the brine tank will be a lot lighter, and you will not discard as much salt. If it were me, at that time I would trigger a regen, but turn things off after brine draw and before the refill. That way there will be less water in the brine tank when you try to tip it over. Water and salt are heavy. I did not wait. It was very heavy, and I threw out a lot of salt. My method was to get a hand truck under the brine tank, and strap the brine tank to the hand truck with a ratchet strap. Only then tilt. And because you stopped adding salt long enough, you will not be tipping 300 pounds.

Look at the pictures I posted. I was thinking of cleaning the brine tank since its low on salt. Do you still recommend I wait?
 

Bannerman

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Resin wouldn't dissolve when rubbed between your fingers.

Cleaning the brine tank is usually only needed every few years but since you have a specific situation, you could proceed to do so now. If you have a wet/dry vac available, you could attempt to vacuum out the dirt while leaving the salt in-place. A loose weave rag fastened over the nozzle, will prevent salt pellets from being sucked-in while allowing the fine dirt and liquids through.

Alternatively, to reduce salt loss, use a sieve to scoop out the good loose salt to collect it in buckets or a wheel barrow so it maybe added back in after cleaning. Ensure you manually add enough water to make brine for the next regen cycle.
 

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Just thinking, did you happen to buy salt with any additives?

Some salts contain cleaners to help clean the resin when iron is in the water. While I haven't previously seen salt additives leave a visible residue, perhaps if a cleaner was included, maybe it dried-out or reacted with something in the brine tank, leaving a dark colored residue.
 
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