Adding water flow meter to fleck 5600sxt

[twainer]

I purchased 3 fleck 5600sxt heads to replace the old rainsoft ones on my tanks at home. Two of the heads are setup as filters/backwash only, the 3rd is a softener with brine draw etc. I didn't realize the softener head didn't come with a flow meter and had to purchase that after the fact as an add-on.
My question is there any reason why I couldn't hook that fleck flow meter up to all three heads and switch them from timer mode to metered mode? I think I can use a digital IC to fan out the output pulses from the meter so I would have one for each unit. I'm just not sure changing the program for the filter heads will work out the way I want it to. My thought is to use the meter to trigger the backflushs for each tank and use the time setting to ensure they all took the right turns flushing so as not to interfere with each other.
This was always a problem with the rainsoft system--the timers would get off and they flushed randomly.
tks

 

[Reach4]

You normally want a filter to regenerate on a timed basis. The backwash for timers is short enough that you can just schedule them to regenerate at different times that do not overlap the time that the softener is set to regenerate (RT parameter).

https://terrylove.com/forums/index....urbine-assembly-to-function-plus-other.63209/ reply #3 lists what you would need to upgrade the controller for your softener.

In looking for a softener controller, the common key word is "metered". When looking at a softener system, the common key word is "demand".

 

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[twainer]

Yea. I thought I read 'metered' in the softener head description, but I must have imagined that bit Its going to cost more to order the meter package separately rather than getting it with the unit to start--about $120.
A couple reasons for using a metered flow for the filters is because I have three adult sons that sometimes are home, often not, so our daily usage varies widely. I'd prefer not to waste well water if possible. Also, the older rainsoft heads used clock timers that kept poor time so that I needed to keep them all on different days just to avoid overlaps--not a problem with digital clocks, but the desire was always there. To me it just seems like a better practice to back-flush after a set amount of gallons rather than a set amount of days.
I'm viewing the flow meter output as a series of 5v pulses, so many per gallon. I plan to plug the meter into a little divider box and provide those same pulses to all three valves. I don't know if the filter setups would allow for a meter on their programming side or if that feature gets locked out when 'filter' is selected as the valve type.

 

[Reach4]

A couple reasons for using a metered flow for the filters is because I have three adult sons that sometimes are home, often not, so our daily usage varies widely.

I would consider pressing the button to regenerate manually on those occasions. It would be nice if that became tedious. Poking the Extra Cycle button

schedules a regen to occur at the regular time tonight, and holding it down for 5 seconds starts an immediate regeneration. 10 or 20 minutes later, its done.

If things are demand driven, you tell the controller how much reserve is needed. To be automated, every night the filter would have to leave enough extra capacity to handle a son visit the next day. If at the RT time there is not enough reserve, the controller regenerates.

I'd prefer not to waste well water if possible.

If you have septic, the water is not wasted IMO. It will be feeding wells again with time.

I don't know if the filter setups would allow for a meter on their programming side or if that feature gets locked out when 'filter' is selected as the valve type.

You could check that to see if the CT item offers the FI and Fd choices. If it does not have those choices, you can select a different VT type, and I think you can just set the cycles that you don't want to 1 minute, or even zero. I am thinking that maybe the zero on a factor terminates the regen. There is an Other option for VT. I have not read up on that.

While I don't think I would do the metering to the filters, if I did I guess I would call that box a buffer box, since you would not be dividing down the pulses. I don't know what the output of the turbine is -- it may be a logic level which you could just buffer with a Schmidt trigger.

While you are thinking of upgrading, you might consider whether the filter media would benefit by a solution tank providing chlorine or other oxidizer during regeneration. This would be like the brine draw cycle of a softener.

Also, the older rainsoft heads used clock timers that kept poor time so that I needed to keep them all on different days just to avoid overlaps--not a problem with digital clocks

I agree. I have to believe that the 5600sxt timers don't have much drift. Ideally they would use a clock crystal.