flynmoose
New Member
Hey Fleck-heads,
Some neighbors and I did a group buy a few years ago from one of our friends here on the board. Fleck 5800 valves over twin stacked tanks with Katlox/Ferrilite for low iron/manganese. Units have been working great.
Since I did the research, comparison, ordering, and plumber hiring, I've now inherited the "dealer responsibility" to my neighbors.
One neighbor had a hot water leak a few months ago and was too lazy to call a plumber right away. Kept turning the house main on and off when he needed water. Finally got a plumber out and replaced his old tank with a new tankless.
All was well... except that his softener seemed to leak water down the backwash drain all the time. So... who gets the call? Not the plumber! ;-)
Anyway - long story short, I followed the very simple disassembly instructions for the 5800 figuring he had blown a seal or had a piece of grit stuck somewhere.
Was surprised to find that the piston rod "nub" at the end where it connects to the piston was sheared off. The leak was caused by the piston being in an "intermediate" position.
I suspect that in all of the water cycling on and off, he created a water hammer at some point that slammed on the piston and sheared off the nub.
1) Online suppliers sell the entire piston rod, seal cage, and cover assembly as a single unit for about $80. Certainly can go that route if deemed necessary or prudent but...
2) It appears the 5000Pro piston rod is identical and it is sold as a single piece for about $4.
3) The "nub" end of the piston appears to be the same diameter at the piston rod bore and should fit through the piston rod housing seal.
Question 1) Is there a way to check if there is damage to the piston and/or seals in the cages (ie - could the failure be from a bound-up piston that the motor just "yanked" so hard that it sheared off in tension?) I cleaned the piston and cages off with a rag, applied new food grade silicone grease to the seals and piston and reassembled. It seems to move freely with a slight "ratchet/notch" feel as the piston faces move from one seal to the next.
If I were a plumber, I'm sure I would just say "your piston is broken and you need a new assembly" with a nice margin on parts and labor.
But since I'm doing this for a friend and my time is exchanged for beer.
Question 2) Am I wasting my time just replacing the piston rod (assuming the 5000 is the same as the 5800) or should I just tell friend he needs to pony up for the $80 and be done with it?
Not my money and I get the same amount of beer either way! ;-)
Some neighbors and I did a group buy a few years ago from one of our friends here on the board. Fleck 5800 valves over twin stacked tanks with Katlox/Ferrilite for low iron/manganese. Units have been working great.
Since I did the research, comparison, ordering, and plumber hiring, I've now inherited the "dealer responsibility" to my neighbors.
One neighbor had a hot water leak a few months ago and was too lazy to call a plumber right away. Kept turning the house main on and off when he needed water. Finally got a plumber out and replaced his old tank with a new tankless.
All was well... except that his softener seemed to leak water down the backwash drain all the time. So... who gets the call? Not the plumber! ;-)
Anyway - long story short, I followed the very simple disassembly instructions for the 5800 figuring he had blown a seal or had a piece of grit stuck somewhere.
Was surprised to find that the piston rod "nub" at the end where it connects to the piston was sheared off. The leak was caused by the piston being in an "intermediate" position.
I suspect that in all of the water cycling on and off, he created a water hammer at some point that slammed on the piston and sheared off the nub.
1) Online suppliers sell the entire piston rod, seal cage, and cover assembly as a single unit for about $80. Certainly can go that route if deemed necessary or prudent but...
2) It appears the 5000Pro piston rod is identical and it is sold as a single piece for about $4.
3) The "nub" end of the piston appears to be the same diameter at the piston rod bore and should fit through the piston rod housing seal.
Question 1) Is there a way to check if there is damage to the piston and/or seals in the cages (ie - could the failure be from a bound-up piston that the motor just "yanked" so hard that it sheared off in tension?) I cleaned the piston and cages off with a rag, applied new food grade silicone grease to the seals and piston and reassembled. It seems to move freely with a slight "ratchet/notch" feel as the piston faces move from one seal to the next.
If I were a plumber, I'm sure I would just say "your piston is broken and you need a new assembly" with a nice margin on parts and labor.
But since I'm doing this for a friend and my time is exchanged for beer.
Question 2) Am I wasting my time just replacing the piston rod (assuming the 5000 is the same as the 5800) or should I just tell friend he needs to pony up for the $80 and be done with it?
Not my money and I get the same amount of beer either way! ;-)