Fleck 5600 Hot Clock Motor

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HudsonDIY

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Greetings,

I have a Fleck 5600 Econominder which I have posted about in the past and have another question. I recently moved into my home and the softener came with it. The softener appears to have been offline for a very long time, possibly years. I have resolved whatever issues there were from having been offline for so long and have the softener working perfectly again except for this one issue. The clock motor runs very hot, almost too hot to touch for very long. I'm assuming this is not the correct operation. Rather then just throwing parts at it I figured I'd ask you kind folks about it and see if anyone has run into this in the past. In your opinions is this a problem with the motor itself or something causing the motor to run hot? FYI the clock keeps perfect time.

Thanks for all your replies.
 

Bannerman

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The motor runs 24/7 so it will become quite warm. My Fleck 5600 Econominder motor temperature is as you describe.

That motor operates more than just a clock. Since it is the only motor in the system, it also powers the mechanical gears that move the piston which controls the various modes of regeneration.
 

Reach4

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I had bought some Molykote EM-30L Grease NLGI to grease the gears on my old Autotrol. That grease is OK for plastics. My theory was that by reducing the torque a tad, it might reduce the tendency for gears to strip. Maybe some safe-for-plastic lube could be worthwhile for an Economizer? It's interesting that running hot is normal.
 

HudsonDIY

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The motor runs 24/7 so it will become quite warm. My Fleck 5600 Econominder motor temperature is as you describe.

That motor operates more than just a clock. Since it is the only motor in the system, it also powers the mechanical gears that move the piston which controls the various modes of regeneration.

Yes I surely understand all the functions of the motor. It just seemed logical when not in a regeneration cycle that all the motor is doing is running a clock and it would be cool. Its funny, I've had the very same softener in two other houses I've owned and never noticed the motor temp. But then again, none of those ever gave me a reason to futz around with the meter. Those others were workhorses and never gave me a single day of grief.

Thanks for confirming this is normal. I'd have been PO'd if I bought a new motor only to find it runs as hot as the first.

I had bought some Molykote EM-30L Grease NLGI to grease the gears on my old Autotrol. That grease is OK for plastics. My theory was that by reducing the torque a tad, it might reduce the tendency for gears to strip. Maybe some safe-for-plastic lube could be worthwhile for an Economizer? It's interesting that running hot is normal.

I'm going to try that, maybe it will run a little cooler at least, Thanks.
 

Bannerman

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The fully closed plastic case style does not allow heat to easily dissipate since the rear cover fits tightly and there are no ventilation holes incorporated, unlike the 'L' style bracket which is a little more open, allowing heat to more easily dissipate into the room.
 

HudsonDIY

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e fully closed plastic case style does not allow heat to easily dissipate since the rear cover fits tightly and there are no ventilation holes incorporated, unlike the 'L' style bracket which is a little more open, allowing heat to more easily dissipate into the room.

Bannerman, it actually is the "L" style with a cover. I haven't tried running it without the cover to see if that makes a difference.
 
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