Culligan Safety float reusable

[Eljay]

First post from an inexperienced DIYer. Professional advice here in the post and in future ones is GREATLY appreciated.

A Culligan Medalist control valve began leaking from a side seam where a top plate meets the bottom assembly. This leak is not at any connection point for any pipes or tubing. I assume this is something that is not repairable with some plumber's goop.

I have been shopping online for a Fleck 5600 for a city water home and having a local professional install it. I'm wondering if some components might be salvageable from the old Culligan unit. From what I've read here, the Culligan media tank is proprietary and incompatible with other systems. But would other parts such as the safety float and brine tank be reusable? Again, it's a Culligan Medalist from the mid 2000s.

 

[Reach4]

What size is the media tank?

Maybe you could salvage the gravel, but that would be a lot of work. Better would be to buy new gravel with your softener. You want 10% crosslinked resin for city water.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Eljay]

@Reach4, the media tank is 10x40" according to the manual and uses at 3/8" brine line. If I'm not mistaken, the Fleck 5600 uses 3/8" as well. I'm just wondering if the Culligan safety float might somehow be functionally different. Though it may be a moot point if it isn't cheaper to buy the components I need as opposed to a complete system from an online vendor. It just seems like a big waste to toss out a perfectly good brine tank and other components that may be reused.

I'll go ahead and replace the resin because of age. I'd definitely prefer 10% crosslinked. One vendor wants $45 to upgrade 8% Aldex to 10% Aldex. Assuming the 8% costs a maximum of $100, is worth one half more in cost? I don't mind changing it out myself.

 

[Old]

The brine flow control for the Culligan is inside the float assembly on that model. It is located inside the elbow at the top where the brine line connects. There should be a sticker with ".45 gpm" on it. You will need to remove the elbow (remove the clip and pull the elbow off) and pull out the flow restrictor. It will be the small rubber disc. If you have an older model the elbow will not be removable, instead there will be a cap (with .45gpm sticker) that you can unscrew to access the flow control.

After you remove the flow control it will be compatible with a fleck valve (the fleck has the brine flow control in a fitting on the valve itself)

You will probably find you can purchase a whole system as a package cheaper than peicing it together yourself though.

 

[Eljay]

@old, I pulled off the elbow and found two parts. One resembles a top hat with vents directing water horizontally just above the top hat brim. The other is a plastic pin which the top hat rests above. Together, they form a sort of umbrella restricting water flow down the tube (P1020198 Air check assembly) which directs water to and from the bottom of the brine tank. I wasn't able to locate a rubber disc below the elbow.

Is this the flow control you mentioned? Is it possible this is a newer float assembly design? We always assumed, possibly incorrectly, that the Culligan was installed when the house was originally built.

 

[Eljay]

The brine flow control for the Culligan is inside the float assembly on that model. It is located inside the elbow at the top where the brine line connects. There should be a sticker with ".45 gpm" on it. You will need to remove the elbow (remove the clip and pull the elbow off) and pull out the flow restrictor. It will be the small rubber disc. If you have an older model the elbow will not be removable, instead there will be a cap (with .45gpm sticker) that you can unscrew to access the flow control.

After you remove the flow control it will be compatible with a fleck valve (the fleck has the brine flow control in a fitting on the valve itself)

You will probably find you can purchase a whole system as a package cheaper than peicing it together yourself though.

I hit the wrong reply button yet again. See my reply above.

 

[Old]

It's been so long since I've disassembled one of those I must not be remembering correctly.

Look at this diagram, the flow control is the part below the elbow at the bottom of circle "1"
http://www.manualsdir.com/manuals/71101/54/culligan-gold-series-page54.png

 

[Eljay]

It's been so long since I've disassembled one of those I must not be remembering correctly.

Look at this diagram, the flow control is the part below the elbow at the bottom of circle "1"
http://www.manualsdir.com/manuals/71101/54/culligan-gold-series-page54.png

It doesn't quite match what's under the elbow in that diagram. But here are some photos. I dug around again and found nothing else is under the elbow.

If the goal is to remove any restrictions to the flow of water aside from the the float valve when closed, then removing those two pieces forming a leaky umbrella should do the job. I wonder however if by removing the restriction whether the float valve is designed to handle the additional volume and pressure of fresh water refilling the brine tank after regeneration.

I think I might be giving myself an unnecessary headache. That also applies to anyone reading this thread as well. I just have a general rule of thumb to reuse stuff whenever possible.

 

[Old]

Ok that is part of the safety float shutoff mechanism. The flow control *should* be inside the elbow itself.

This whole thing is probably moot as you can usually order a whole new system cheaper than you can piece one together.