Fleck 5600 Timer Always Off

[Dailo]

Hi,

I have a Fleck 5600 valve and the clock on the timer is always running too slow, so the time is always off and eventually re-generation starts happening in the middle of the day. I've already replaced the motor and the gear, but that doesn't seem to have helped. The only other thing I noticed was that I have the 24VAC motor, but the transformer is outputting 28VAC but I don't think that would impact the speed of the motor? Thanks!

 

[Reach4]

That is weird. If it had run fast, I would have wondered if you had 50 Hz clock motors.

Try plugging an old mechanical clock into the same power, and see how that clock does. One idea would be that this circuit is on a timer that has been set to be on most of the time.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Rjh2o]

Hi,

I have a Fleck 5600 valve and the clock on the timer is always running too slow, so the time is always off and eventually re-generation starts happening in the middle of the day. I've already replaced the motor and the gear, but that doesn't seem to have helped. The only other thing I noticed was that I have the 24VAC motor, but the transformer is outputting 28VAC but I don't think that would impact the speed of the motor? Thanks!

When the main piston shaft starts to get corroded (Teflon coating gets worn away) it causes the piston to be increasingly harder to cycle during regeneration. This in consequence causes a lot of drag on the drive/timer motor causing the system to lose time, running at odd times of day and causing the regeneration cycle to be excessively longer then normal 3+hours at times, because of the drag on the motor and motor going bad. Check the piston and i would suggest, at the very least, take the valve apart, clean and mildly lubricate the piston assembly (with silicone lube), reassemble and see if this helps for a while. If it is bad replace it and seal kit.

 

[Bannerman]

As per rjh2o,

 

[ditttohead]

I would highly recommend replacing the seals/spacers and piston at the same time. I would also recommend the Low water piston (Grey Cap). The 24 Volt motor on the 5600 has always been a weak link. If you have a 110 outlet nearby, change the motor to 110 Volt, ditch the transformer. The 110V motor is much better.

 

[Dailo]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Probably about time to rebuild the valve so I will try that and replace the motor. Will report back on how it goes!

 

[Dailo]

Thanks everyone for all the help! After doing the rebuild and switching out to the 120V motor everything seems to be working as expected. The rebuild kit I got had the white piston, but I will switch it out with a low water/green one once it arrives.

One issue I see while working on the unit was there is a very slow leak coming from the bypass valve. I have the plastic one installed and there is a little water leaking from one of the knobs. It looks like to fix this problem I have to replace the whole valve, so was wondering how simple it is to replace it and should I switch to the metal/brass one? From what I can tell I shouldn't have to touch the pipes since the bypass attaches to the yoke, but not 100% sure if I will need to touch the pipes or not to replace it.

 

[Dailo]

Looks like I spoke too soon. After checking back on the clock it is now behind by an hour. It isn't slowing down as much as before, but for some reason the time isn't keeping up. Any ideas on what else would cause the clock to be slow?

 

[ditttohead]

Time settings are based on hz, so check the motor to make sure you have the correct one.
Replace the plastic bypass with the same. The SS ones are good to but not worth the extra work that will be required. I prefer the higher flow rate of the plastic bypasses myself and they only take a minute to replace.

Check you electrical system as well, is any other clock or electronics in your house not maintaining time? I have seen a few instances where electrical from the utility has been compromised.... loose neutral at the pole etc, but this will usually result in electronics damage...