Bleach line check valve replacement

[edleit]

My softener includes an external bleach jar which tees into the brass brine valve. The bleach jar has been overflowing during recharge cycles, so I disassembled it to find the inner parts coated in sediment and white goo.

I have not been able to find any indication of a part number that I can use to order a replacement. Any ideas?

Thanks, Ed

 

[Reach4]

Try "inline check valve" as a search engine search term. There are some really cheap ones, but I don't know how they would do with chlorine bleach. I am not experienced with these.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Bannerman]

Bleach ... fed directly into a softener?

Although a weak bleach solution is generally recommended to sanitize a softener when first installed, ongoing exposure of the softener resin with an oxidant such as Chlorine bleach will negatively impact the lifespan of the resin. Perhaps the bottle is intended to be a feeder for resin cleaners such as Rescare, Res-up or similar, to assist to remove or prevent iron accumulation from well water containing iron.

The softener control valve brand and model was not specified so as to review a parts list for that particular model.

Suggest closely inspecting the jar and associated components to identify a manufacturer. If you post some photos, forum members may be able to identify the unit and confirm the feeder brand.

 

[edleit]

The control is a Fleck 2510. I've attached photos to illustrate the location of the valve and its condition found on disassembly.

When the system was installed, we were instructed to run the bleach tube into a small (quart-sized) Mason jar containing a 50/50 mix of household bleach and water. This was described as a method to cleanse the resin bed and is done on a weekly basis. Your responses today were the first I have heard to the contrary regarding use of bleach in the softener system.

The white disk-shaped element included a projection which was seated in the larger valve body section (top right of cv_disassembled pic); the small portion at the 5:00 position apparently was part of the torn stub. This is a soft part and may actually be porous, but I cannot tell for certain now that it is dry. It is shown seated in the exploded view. My thought is that this is a rather specialized component, not just an off-the-shelf in-line valve.

 

[Bannerman]

In photo named in-line_location, I anticipate the hose fastened by the black nut, is the feed from the bleach jar. If so, where is the brine line from the brine tank connected to feed salt brine into the softener?

Perhaps this is not a softener but is a filter containing a type of media appropriate for an alternate water issue such as iron or sulfur odour. Some of those types of filters may utilize Chlorine bleach, Hydrogen Peroxide, air or other products as an oxidizer.

 

[edleit]

This is a three tank system: 2 media tanks and one brine tank. Our water contains a high level of iron, so perhaps my nomenclature is incorrect when I referred to the bottle/head assembly with the bleach line as a "softener". The brine tank lines (if I remember correctly) run to a separate media (resin) bottle, so perhaps that subsystem is the actual softener. In addition, I run two in-line filters: one immediately after the well expansion tank to trap incoming sediment, and a second after the water treatment system on the potable cold line.

Nevertheless, I will need to replace the previously described valve assembly, or find a source that could provide the disk element as a separate spare part.

 

[edleit]

Here's an overview of the water system installation...
Well controller and expansion tank on far left, sediment filter in front of EcoWater softener stage, water meter in front of tan tank with Fleck 2510 control valve assembly, brine tank to right. Bleach tube runs from Fleck unit into ball valve, the comes the check valve assembly and the lower section of semi-rigid plastic tubing dropping into the Mason jar that sits in the yellow bucket on the floor. The small diameter black line running diagonally (low right to high left) behind the tanks is the brine tank connection.

 

[Reach4]

1. is that a side port on the upper-right of the big tank?
2. You have city sewer, and hence the water meter? Usually in that case, the yard water is not metered.

 

[edleit]

1) I'm assuming you are referring to the tall tan tank and the black blob at the ~45 degree mark. Yes, that is a fill port for replacing media.
2) Yes, city sewer. And yes, we get charged for yard water as well since the septic bill is based on overall water usage, not just what goes down the drain.

 

[Reach4]

1) I'm assuming you are referring to the tall tan tank and the black blob at the ~45 degree mark. Yes, that is a fill port for replacing media.
2) Yes, city sewer. And yes, we get charged for yard water as well since the septic bill is based on overall water usage, not just what goes down the drain.

1. Often that fill port is used with calcite, which is a pH-raising treatment. What is the pH on the raw well water? If you don't have a lab water test report for your raw water, it would be good to get a lab water test.

2. You might ask the sewer department if it would be OK to replumb the outside hose bibs to use unmetered water. I know at least some jurisdictions permit that.

 

[Bannerman]

You may want to contact the water treatment dealer that supplied your system so as to obtain an identical check-valve as a replacement.

I have been unsuccessful locating an identical replacement online but there are various other check-valves that probably could be used if the identical one is not available. I suspect the check-valve your system is presently equipped with is not truly appropriate for chlorine contact which may be the cause for corrosion of the metal ball and degradation of the disk which I expect acts as a seat for the ball to seal against.

While it would be advisable to obtain a chlorine rated valve, if the existing valve lasted a reasonable length of time, it may not be worth paying a substantial premium for a chlorine rated version.

If you contact the supplying dealer, you may also wish to identify which media is installed in the iron filter tank. A tank with a dome fill port is normally used for calcite/corosex acid neutralization media as those will slowly dissolve into the water. The dome port will allow additional media to be easily added without needing to remove the control valve. Iron reduction media will not dissolve but will periodically need to be replaced which will normally require removal of the control valve. Perhaps the dealer simply had an appropriate size dome hole tank in-stock when the system was ordered and decided to use that instead of ordering a conventional tank.

It is usually useful for us to understand each system before providing advice. There have been others previously that have been misled or who misunderstand their equipment's purpose or operation. It is always best to ask questions to clarify as we are not there to view the setup for ourselves.