Fleck 7000sxt potassium setting help.

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just1rider450

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I have a customer I just installed a water softener for about a month ago. It's a fleck 7000sxt 2.0 cf with 10% crosslink resin. They are on city water with 19 grains of hardness. No iron.

There are only two people in the house but there are two hose faucets being fed off the soft water. The wife takes long showers, 30 min to an hour and the have multiple body sprays. Needless to say there is a lot of water being run through this thing.

I would really like some help trying to get this thing set up to run properly. They want to use potassium for regeneration, but I don't know how to compensate for the difference between salt and potassium.

At this point I would appreciate a complete list of proper settings to accommodate potassium. Once I get it set up properly I will re configure based on usage by looking back on the diagnostics to set for efficiency at a later date.

Thanks for your help in advance
 

ditttohead

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Potassium vs. salt is misunderstood to say the least. Some have claimed that you need to use more potassium to get the same results as sodium, while completely forgetting the effects of water temperature on the amount of sodium or potassium the water can hold.

I have written on it extensively in these forums, and since I just got back from a business trip and have not slept in 2 days, I will ask that you search for it, or I can post more details about it later. I hate the "search for it" answer, but...

All that being said, if the system is installed in a location that has varying temperatures ie: outside, in a non temperature controlled garage, etc..., use the brine fill first programming. Varying temperatures and potassium do not mix well and causes bridging. This can be almost eliminated with the brine fill first. If you want to keep it real simple without going through extensive temperature compensation calculations etc, for now, simply add 10% to the brine fill time.

Lastly, why are thy using potassium? If it is for "environmental" concerns, in California, chloride is usually the area of concern not the sodium. Inland states, it is often times the sodium that is a concern. A simple RO system for drinking water is adequate and it will produce the same water for consumption regardless of sodium or potassium.

Hope this helps.
 

just1rider450

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Hi Dittohead,
I have been trying to find some of your old post regarding potassium setting and the comparison, however I'm having no luck. I'm sure I'm just doing something wrong with my search technique so if you could post a link that would be very helpful.

As far as the reason for potasium, they are watering certain plants with soft water as some hose bibs are on foot water. And they just have a personal preference to it. If they want to pay the difference, who am I to tell them no?
I'm not the most knowledgeable person when it comes to setting on the fleck 7000sxt especially with potassium so any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

As far as temperature, we live in southern California, with nights being in the high 50's and days at 70 and above. Don't know how much weather effects the brine solution, but please let me know if it does.

Thankss
 
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ditttohead

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In general, setting the 7000 to a brine fill first setting with a 2 hour delay if you have a salt grid, or 1 hour without is usually just fine. Dfff is the setting in the 7000 master programming to look for. In so Cal, nights of 40 and days of 90 are common, so a 50 degree variance can cause major problems with potassium systems.

Caking of the potassium chloride due to standard brine fill last settings is very common and can result in bridging issues. When a softener is located in an environmentally controlled location, it is of little concern. When water temperature changes, re-crystallization of the potassium chloride occurs causing a mush rather than crystals which commonly occur when sodium chloride re-crystalizes. This is due to potassium chlorides solubility based on water temperature. The variance is far greater than sodium chloride.

One gallon of water will dissolve 46.1 ounces of salt (sodium chloride) at 50 degrees Fahrenheit. At 60 degrees Fahrenheit the amount increases to 46.4 ounces. A gain of only 0.3 ounces. or less than 1%
One gallon of water will dissolve 25.2 ounces of potassium chloride at 50 degrees Fahrenheit and 28.1 ounces at 60 degrees F, an 11% increase.

As you can imagine, a 50 degree variance in water temperature from days to night will cause major problems with a potassium chloride regenerated system. The 7000's ability to be easily programmed for brine fill first almost eliminates this problem. Systems located in warmer climates do not need to be adjusted on the salt settings, in colder climates, longer brine tank refill times will be necessary. I will try to post an old chart I have laying around somewhere when I return from my travels in a couple weeks.

A few other suggestions for those who are unable to program their systems for brine fill first.

1: relocate the brine tank to a climate controlled location if possible.
2: Don't fill the brine tank to the top. Less than half way full is preferred for easier servicing should a problem arise (the only time I recommend not filling the brine tank to the top)
3: Regulate the brine tank temperature, it may look silly, but an insulating blanket like what you would put on an old water heater can help by lessening the temperature changes.
4: reprogram the valve to regenerate more frequently. Lower salt settings, and therefore lower capacities will cause more frequent regenerations thereby lessening the problem

Most people who use potassium chloride do so without any problems, but if they do occur, these simple steps can usually eliminate the problem from recurring.
 
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