Different settings for Fleck 5600-SXT on different sites...

[Ukrop]

Hi everybody!

I just found this forum and hope to get some professional opinion.

I just installed softener with Fleck 5600-SXT controller and 1.5 cu ft of resin. And now trying to set the best settings

I read through posts here and also I found quite informative site https://www.aquatell.ca/blogs/aquat...eck-5600sxt-softener-valve-for-max-efficiency.

But there are some big discrepancies...

The first question is about parameter C:
here everybody uses 32k as a multiplier for 1 cu ft of resin. So I should put 48.
But aquatell site tells about EFFECTIVE capacity and they put 30 as C...

Which one should I choose?

And the second one is about BLFC.
I read discussion here:
https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?threads/recommended-fleck-5600sxt-program-settings.61696/

and went to check my softener. It has the same black sticker with 0.50 GPM but on the other side there is white sticker with written number 1 and printed INJECTOR DRAIN FLOW (see picture).
EDIT: looking at the picture for couple minutes I think that it could be just directional sticker??? (where injector side and where drain side?????)

So what is the BLFC in my case?


The hardness is around 25. How my settings should look like?

Thanks in advance!
Aleks

 

[Bannerman]

32,000 grains per cuft is the total resin capacity when first manufactured, so your 1.5 cuft softener will have a total softening capacity of 48K grains. Some of that capacity will be lost due to resin bead breakage and back washing wear and tear and, regenerating that capacity would require a large and inefficient quantity of salt (27 lbs).

The 'C' setting is to be the usable capacity between regeneration cycles. The usable capacity and salt efficiency are conditional on which salt setting is chosen.

The following are recommended salt and capacity settings and the resulting maximum salt efficiency for your 1.5 cuft unit:

12 lbs salt > 36K grains usable capacity = 3,000 grains/lb efficiency (slightly less efficient but high quality water)
9 lbs salt > 30K grains usable capacity = 3,333 grains/lb efficiency (higher efficiency but slightly lower quality water)

As you specified 0.5 gpm, that is the BLFC rate which is the refill rate of water entering the brine tank. The brine draw rate is controlled by the installed injector which you specified is a #1.

Your 1.5 cuft will likely use a 10" diameter tank which will require 2.4 gpm Drain Line Flow Control rate.

If you are using a municipal water source, it will have been chlorinated so iron compensation will not be required. As the hardness level can vary throughout the distribution system depending on demand, season and maintenance requirements, it is generally advisable to program 2 or 3 additional grains hardness to the hardness level tested at your location. (ie: program as 27 - 28 gpg)

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

The first question is about parameter C:
here everybody uses 32k as a multiplier for 1 cu ft of resin. So I should put 48.
But aquatell site tells about EFFECTIVE capacity and they put 30 as C...

Which one should I choose?

The Aquatell article numbers are much better.

BLFC = 0.5
cubic ft resin = 1.5
lb/cuft ; C= ; BF= ; grains/pound of salt
4 ; 22.8 ; 4 ; 3800
5 ; 27.3 ; 5 ; 3640
6 ; 30.0 ; 6 ; 3334
7 ; 33.1 ; 7 ; 3148
8 ; 36.0 ; 8 ; 3000
9 ; 38.5 ; 9 ; 2853
10 ; 40.5 ; 10 ; 2700
11 ; 42.0 ; 11 ; 2546
12 ; 43.1 ; 12 ; 2396
13 ; 43.9 ; 13 ; 2254
14 ; 44.6 ; 14 ; 2121
15 ; 45.0 ; 15 ; 2000

Don't worry about the small differences. There is a little margin built into the numbers. In the list above, the first number of each line is the pounds of salt used per cubic ft. The next is C. Next is BF in minutes. The forth number is the amount of softening you get per pound of salt.

The sweet spot for many would be the once I colored blue. Higher in the list will have more residual hardness. Lower in the list will consume more salt for a given amount of softening.

Why would a marketer call this a 48000 grain softener? With enough salt, the resin can do that. With less salt, you get more salt efficiency. Now the earliest marketer chose the big number. Maybe it was puffery. After that, others had to either go along, or make their unit look less capable. After a while, it became a convention.

Regarding flow rates, there are 3.

1. The injector is selected to let the brine get sucked out in about 15 minutes. You might check what color your injector is, or just trust the people who built the unit. Your softener would typically have a white injector although I would prefer red.
2. The BLFC controls brine fill rate. That is taken into account to determine the BF minutes.
3. The DLFC controls the backwash rate. That would normally be 2.4 GPM for a 10 inch tank. That does not affect programming.

If you want a suggested set of settings, how many people is this for (to predict daily usage)?

 

[Ukrop]

...If you want a suggested set of settings, how many people is this for (to predict daily usage)?...

Thanks Bannerman and Reach4! I really appreciate your answers! I could hit LIKE button ten times

I totally agree with you on lowering capacity number. It's like reducing usable gas tank volume so you don't run out of gas.

There are 2 adults and two teens in the house. Yes, it's Kitchener, ON so water is chlorinated and fluorinated (as far as I remember).

Thanks again!!!

 

[Reach4]

There are 2 adults and two teens in the house.

I put 28 for hardness, giving a compensation adjustment. You can change H without changing other settings.

System info (not programmed)
salt lb/cuft = 8 ; A choice ( efficiency vs capacity)
BLFC = 0.5 ; Brine Refill rate GPM
cubic ft resin = 1.5 ; ft3 resin = (nominal grains)/32,000
Raw hardness = 30 ; including any compensation
People = 4 ; gallons affects reserve calc
Estimated gal/day = 240 ; 60 gal per person typical calc
Estimated days/regen = 5.4 ; Computed days ignoring reserve
Fleck 5600SXT Settings:
DF = Gal ; Units
VT = dF1b ; Downflw/Upflw, Single Backwash
CT = Fd ; Meter Delayed regen trigger
NT = 1 ; Number of tanks
C = 36.0 ; capacity in 1000 grains
H = 28 ; Hardness-- compensate if needed
RS = rc ; rc says use gallons vs percent
RC = 240 ; Reserve capacity gallons
DO = 28 ; Day Override
RT = 2:00 ; Regen time (default 2 AM)
BW = 5 ; Backwash (minutes)
Bd = 60 ; Brine draw minutes
RR = 5 ; Rapid Rinse minutes
BF = 8 ; Brine fill minutes
FM = usually t0.7 ; flow meter, make note of what is there

 

[Ukrop]

Thanks Reach4, really appreciate it!!!

I put 28 for hardness, giving a compensation adjustment. You can change H without changing other settings.

System info (not programmed)
salt lb/cuft = 8 ; A choice ( efficiency vs capacity)
BLFC = 0.5 ; Brine Refill rate GPM
cubic ft resin = 1.5 ; ft3 resin = (nominal grains)/32,000
Raw hardness = 30 ; including any compensation
People = 4 ; gallons affects reserve calc
Estimated gal/day = 240 ; 60 gal per person typical calc
Estimated days/regen = 5.4 ; Computed days ignoring reserve
Fleck 5600SXT Settings:
DF = Gal ; Units
VT = dF1b ; Downflw/Upflw, Single Backwash
CT = Fd ; Meter Delayed regen trigger
NT = 1 ; Number of tanks
C = 36.0 ; capacity in 1000 grains
H = 28 ; Hardness-- compensate if needed
RS = rc ; rc says use gallons vs percent
RC = 240 ; Reserve capacity gallons
DO = 28 ; Day Override
RT = 2:00 ; Regen time (default 2 AM)
BW = 5 ; Backwash (minutes)
Bd = 60 ; Brine draw minutes
RR = 5 ; Rapid Rinse minutes
BF = 8 ; Brine fill minutes
FM = usually t0.7 ; flow meter, make note of what is there

 

[e Dublin]

@Reach4- thanks for posting the settings for 4 people above. I will be ordering the Hach water test kit that you highly recommend to ensure that my water hardness is accounted for. Based on the water surveys in my area, it looks like we are at a max water hardness of 38.

My current issue is that my water is coming out yellow during certain times. When we first set up the softener, we weren't able to get all the resin in, so i think we are somehow possibly low on it now (installed 1 year ago). We will be opening up the softener to see how the resin is looking. Beyond that, what else can we do to trouble shoot? The water seems soft, but the discoloration is clearly a issue.

Lastly, we didn't add water in the salt tank when we first started up the softener, is this something we should do now?

 

[ditttohead]

What do you mean you couldn't get all the resin in? The tank should only be filled about 2/3. The system needs a freeboard to allow for resin bed expansion during the backwash cycle.
Adding water a year later after installation? The system will self correct after the second regeneration.Water coming out yellow... if your tank is full of resin this could be a problem as the resin bed will not get very clean during backwash. Any iron, debris, sediment etc may simply find its way through the resin bed during the regeneration cycle giving you discolored water after the regeneration.

 

[e Dublin]

We ordered the unit online, and it came with 1.5 cubic feet standard 8% resin in a bag, so we had to fill the resin into the tank ourselves. We didn't have a funnel so when we poured not all of it made it in, so its not filled even 2/3 I would say. We would need to open it up to check. There is definitely free space within for expansion. Any other thoughts on why the yellow water?

 

[Reach4]

If it is city water, ask the water department if the water is yellow sometimes of late.

If you can capture some of that yellow water in a glass or jar, let it sit for 24 hours. Does anything settle out?

 

[ditttohead]

Are you on well or municipal? If you are on your own well, then please post an updated water report. Saying you have "around 25 grains of hardness.." based on what? Iron, manganese, sediment,tannin, etc. are just some of the contaminants that can cause yellow or discolored water. If you are DIY'ing it, then appropriate test kits should be purchased and used. Please post more information on your water quality so we can assist you better.

 

[e Dublin]

Apologies on the delayed response, just returned from being out of town for a few days.

I will try capturing some water and seeing if anything settles. We are on city water, latest water report is below, the 2017 one has not been released yet. We will order a test kit this week. When i went to a store to get water tested, they were finding 90 PPM. I will double check this with the home kits to confirm.

Water quality report: http://www.dsrsd.com/home/showdocument?id=4264

 

[Reach4]

Looking at that report, I see that the hardness varies according to which plant supplies your water, and variables that change the water from that plant.

The Hach 5-B is the test kit of choice.

For some people, hardness is seasonal. For them, changing the hardness at times of the year may be worthwhile. For you, you probably just want to set H to the highest hardness that you see, and maybe 10% more. H is the only parameter that you should have to consider changing.

 

[e Dublin]

Thanks, I'll report back once I get the kit and test the water. We haven't seen the yellow water since we made the changes, but we just got back so I'll give it another few days. If we do see the water, I'll be sure to keep a cup of it in a clear glass and take photos, and monitor the glass for 24 hours. We had the following set as such, would this have any impact on it?

BW = 5 ; Backwash (minutes) (Original 10)
Bd = 60 ; Brine draw minutes (Same)
RR = 5 ; Rapid Rinse minutes (Original 10)
BF = 8 ; Brine fill minutes (Original 10)

How often does the resin need to be changed in general?

 

[Reach4]

How often does the resin need to be changed in general?

It depends on the level of chlorine/chloramine. I don't know if there is a prediction of x ppm of chlorine gives 15 years and y ppm gives 20 years.

 

[e Dublin]

Thanks, i received the kit and the test results were 5 drops, so 5 GGP. I'll run a few more test to make sure this is correct. given that this is already in GGP, i should probably have it set closer to 5 or 10? I am currently at 50, so likely to high?

 

[Reach4]

Thanks, i received the kit and the test results were 5 drops, so 5 GGP. I'll run a few more test to make sure this is correct. given that this is already in GGP, i should probably have it set closer to 5 or 10? I am currently at 50, so likely to high?

Try testing your input raw water by testing either

1. 1 part raw water and 1 part distilled, then multiply the drops by 2 to get hardness
2. 1 part raw water and 2 parts distilled, then multiply the drops by 3

Then multiply that hardness by 1.3 probably, and use that for H. See #4 and #5 in https://terrylove.com/forums/index....0-sxt-programming-settings.60651/#post-450189