Fleck 5600 Water leaks after replacing Piston Seal

[KlinkSanford]

I had a leak out of the Fleck 5600 through the piston (water softener). Installed new blue seal and spacer kit. But it still leaked the same. Then I put in a new piston. It still leaked the same. I bought a second blue seal kit and installed it with the old piston, still leaked. Installed it with the new piston, still leaked. Both the old and the new pistons have not a scratch on them, it is hard to tell them apart. In the past when I knew less, I re-used really worn pistons and never had a leak. I have a Fleck 5600 on the water filter and another on the water softener. The system is 18 years old. Changing the seal & spacer kit is very simple, I've done it maybe 12 times in 18 years. In this case two new blue seal kits and it still leaks like I did nothing? Finally, I concluded that maybe the valve body over the years had worn to where the seals will not work. So, I bought a new Fleck 5600, which my dealer installed. End of leak.

Now my water filter started leaking big time through the piston. I installed the same new piston seals that didn't work on the water softener. Put in one set and it still leaked the same. Put in the second one and it still leaked the same. I am going to buy a third kit tomorrow. This is crazy, I never had this problem with the black seals. Are the newer blue seals China junk? Any recommendations would be most welcomed

 

[Reach4]

When you say 5600, do you mean the Econominder, timed unit with electromechanical control, or 5600SXT with an LCD display.

Softener pistons are usually different than filter pistons. They are color coded.

https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?threads/5600-sxt-running-to-drain.87866/

What does "leak out of the Fleck 5600 through the piston" mean? Do you mean water runs out of the drain line continuously?

 

[Sponsor]

 

[KlinkSanford]

error

 

[KlinkSanford]

Fleck 5600 for water filter. The piston has a black top. The water gushes out the top of the piston and shoots up in the air. The leak is coming from under the SS plate that holds the piston down. New seals have not changed the leak amount one iota.

 

[Bannerman]

Use only genuine Fleck black seals and spacers.

12 rebuilds in 18 years is excessive. I expect 1, maybe 2 rebuilds within that time period would be appropriate.

 

[KlinkSanford]

Use only genuine Fleck black seals and spacers.

12 rebuilds in 18 years is excessive. I expect 1, maybe 2 rebuilds within that time period would be appropriate.

The 12 rebuilds are on two units, one Fleck 5600 is on the filter, and another is on the Water Softener. 12 rebuild on two units would equate to 6 rebuilds in 18 years per unit, changing the seal and spacer kit every 3 years. The system is composed of well pump, chlorinator, water filter, water softener. Maybe your system that last 9-18 years has no chlorine or working with city water? I am lucky if I get 3 years out of a seal kit change.

 

[KlinkSanford]

I keep an accounting of all the expenses, and so I went back to check exactly how many seal and spacer kits I've put in since I've had the system and my estimate of 12 is way off. I guess it is because lately they are not holding up but like 1.5 years.

From 2004 when I bought both systems Fleck 5600 for water filtering and Fleck 5600 for Water Softener, the first seal and piston replacement came in 3/17/2009 on the Water Filter.

Then on 7/5/2017 the Flack power head housing cracked on the Water Filter because the piston was stuck, and so got a new power head and piston and seal & spacer.

Then on 6/21/2018 the Flack power head housing cracked on the Water Softener because the piston was stuck, and so got a new power head and piston and seal & spacer.

Then on 5/10/2020 the Flack power head housing cracked on the Water Softener because the piston was stuck, and so got a new power head and piston and seal & spacer.

Then on 5/13/2020 the Flack power head housing cracked on the Water Filter because the piston was stuck, and so got a new power head and piston and seal & spacer.

11/10/2020 - installed piston, seal and spacer kit on Water Softener. Installed new Flack valve body as housing screw holes cracked due to my over tightening.

5/22/2022 - replaced entire Fleck 5600 on Water softener, as water gushed out the top and two seal kits and two pistons did nothing to stop the leak, assumed it was the Fleck valve body was worn?

So that's 7 repairs in 18 years, but 6 of them are since 2017, that's 5 years. Crazy!

 

[Reach4]

"Maybe your system that last 9-18 years has no chlorine or working with city water?"
So you have a well, and are injecting your own chlorine? How strong is it before it hits the filter valve input? I am looking for something that would explain your failures. Or could it be that a lot of sand gets to the pistons, and you should be removing the sand earlier.

 

[KlinkSanford]

So you have a well, and are injecting your own chorine? How strong is it before it hits the filter valve input? I am looking for something that would explain your failures. Or could it be that a lot of sand gets to the pistons, and you should be removing the sand earlier.

I ran out of chlorine tester, have not used it in years. From previous testing, I put in 3/4 of gallon into the 35 gallon size Chemical Feeder/Solution Tank and the Stenner Pump 85mhp17 is set to 6. The chlorinated water goes into an 80 gallon fiberglass holding tank and from there to the water filter. I drained the bottom of the holding tank every so often, what comes out is rust colored water. I drain till the water is clear.

 

[Reach4]

I think what you describe for the filter piston leaking would have to be the piston (its included seal for the rod) is bad.

Have you tried setting the Stenner to a lower setting to see if the filtering suffers? I am wondering if the sedimentation of the iron would still be complete. Less chlorine residual may make the 5600 parts last longer.

Some test strips, such as https://lamotte.com/products/drinki...ps/free-chlorine-low-range-test-strips-2964-g , could be informative. I think you typically want about 4 ppm residual.

Pool test stores may have a useful test.

I am thinking the 5600 softener would use the white-cap piston.

 

[KlinkSanford]

I think what you describe for the filter piston leaking would have to be the piston (its included seal for the rod) is bad.

Have you tried setting the Stenner to a lower setting to see if the filtering suffers? I am wondering if the sedimentation of the iron would still be complete. Less chlorine residual may make the 5600 parts last longer.

Some test strips, such as

https://lamotte.com/products/drinking-water/insta-test/single-factor-test-strips/free-chlorine-low-range-test-strips-2964-g,

could be informative. I think you typically want about 4 ppm residual.

Pool test stores may have a useful test.

I am thinking the 5600 softener would use the white-cap piston.

Will get the chlorine strips and adjust chlorination to 4 ppm.

I have two Fleck 5600's one is for the Water Filter and the piston top is black, and the other is for the Water Softener and the top of the piston is white.

Can you tell me why I can't get two new seal kits to work? Have you ever seen that before? I ordered the black seal and spacer kit along with a new piston, figuring the problem is the new "improved" blue seals. As I explained in the OP, the same thing happened recently with the water softener and now it is with the water filter. I never had these problem till I started using the blue seals.

 

[Reach4]

I have no relevant experience in that.

If the new pistons leaked right away, I would take that up with the seller ASAP. The leaking up the piston rod above the cap, that you see, could not be explained by a seal problem. Seal problem would often cause leaking out of the drain line.

 

[KlinkSanford]

I have no relevant experience in that.

If the new pistons leaked right away, I would take that up with the seller ASAP. The leaking up the piston rod above the cap, that you see, could not be explained by a seal problem. Seal problem would often cause leaking out of the drain line.

The pistons leak from under the Stainless Steel hold down plate, the water is coming from underside of the piston black cap, and not from the top of the piston cap where the rod exist.

 

[Reach4]

Ah. I misunderstood, and you have clarified. I don't know what is supposed to make that seal.

 

[KlinkSanford]

The pistons leak from under the Stainless Steel hold down plate, the water is coming from underside of the piston black cap, and not from the top of the piston cap where the rod exist.

View attachment 84442

Problem solved! Bought a new piston and blue seal & spacer kit, and it fixed the leak. Looks like the pistons are very delicate, the slightest scratch and they leak. From now on will change the piston whenever I am replacing the seal kit. Even if the piston looks fine.