Fleck 5600stx meter stuck on 1275

[Larryn Pearl]

I was having some electrical work done the other day and walked by my softener and saw it blinking between time and 1275. Was busy so I didn't take the time to fix it, then several days later I looked at it again and same thing. I pushed the button on the left and it stopped blinking. A couple days later I looked at it and the meter is still stuck on 1275.

Any ideas on what's going on? Only think that has happened in the past couple of weeks was having some electrical work done and I'm sure the electrician turned off the breaker that the softener is connected to.

Thanks for any ideas!

 

[Reach4]

It could be that the meter turbine failed. There is a test with a magnet to see if controller will get signals from the metering cable. It could be that the meter is unplugged. It could be the unit is in bypass. There are probably more possibilities. Maybe a reset would help.

Until you get that figured out, you might want to change the DO setting so that the controller will at least behave as a timed unit.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Larryn Pearl]

Thank you for your reply. So to reset it looks like I unplug the unit? I assume I wait 60 seconds then plug back in. If I do this do I lose all my settings? If so I suppose I should scroll through it and write each one down as we really had her dialed in. Also, should I do a manual regen after I reset?

I found this in the manual,"Power backup that continues to keep time and the
passage of days for a minimum of 48 hours in the event of power failure. During a power outage, the control goes into a power-saving mode. It does not monitor water usage during a power failure, but it does store the volume remaining at the time of power failure."

I wonder if it's just "stuck" from when the power went off.

Thanks again!

 

[Reach4]

From 5600SXT rev H page 7

Master Reset: Hold the Extra Cycle button while powering up
the unit. This resets all of the parameters in the unit. Check
and verify the choices selected in Master Programming Mode.
​

Write down all of your setting first, because you will need to program them back in.

I doubt this is going to fix it for you, but that is easy enough. There is also the possibility of discharging the capacitor that keeps the memory alive. I am not going to try to direct you through that. That seems more likely to have something go wrong.

The magnet thing is you monitor the flow rate in the diagnostics. You pull the sensor cable loose, and wave a strong magnet near the probe end. You look for the flow rate to indicate.

 

[Larryn Pearl]

@Reach4 - Thanks, so unplug, hold down Extra Cycle button and plug back in. I'll scroll through and write down all my settings prior to doing this. I'll do this and report back.

Is removing the sensor cable difficult? I'm not mechanical at all, I'm technical, just not mechanical if that makes sense.

 

[Reach4]

I have not pulled the cable out on a 5600SXT. My 5600SXT is on my iron filter, not my softener. I think the sensor just pulls up vertically out of the turbine or paddlewheel, but it might be good to get confirmation.

 

[ditttohead]

If it is a paddle wheel you would need to remove one screw. If it is a turbine then simply pull it up. Use a magnet like a pick up tool and run it up and down the hall effect sensor part of the cable. You should see a water drip blinking if it is working. Otherwise you may need to remove the meter itself and inspect it for a piece of debris.

 

[Larryn Pearl]

Update, wrote down all my settings. Unplugged, waited 60 seconds, plugged back in and set clock, checked settings (still there). Meter has changed to 1050 and hasn't budged.

I think I have the turbine as it looks like there's a wire to pull up. So I pull that wire out and run a magnet over it and see if the number changes?

 

[ditttohead]

Correct. Run the magnet up/down multiple times and you should see the water drip on the screen appear. The turbine has a 133 k Factor do expect the number to change quickly. It takes 133 magnet swipes to change 1 gallon.

 

[Reach4]

I think I have the turbine as it looks like there's a wire to pull up. So I pull that wire out and run a magnet over it and see if the number changes?

https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?attachments/img_fleck5600sxt_flow-png.31592/ has line drawings showing paddlewheel and turbine.

So as Ditttohead said in #7, with paddlewheel, you need to pull a screw first.

Then, while the number would eventually reflect a change, the blinking of the flow indicator will be more sensitive.

 

[Larryn Pearl]

Borrowed a magnet, waived it over the sensor and the Flow indicator icon came on and after a minute of passing the magnet over the sensor the counter went from 1050 to 1049.

Is this something I can fix on my own or do I need to have a service call? Thanks again for all the help.

 

[Reach4]

Inspect the turbine to see if it turns easily. If it is jammed, remove whatever is jamming.

 

[Larryn Pearl]

Inspect the turbine to see if it turns easily. If it is jammed, remove whatever is jamming.

Sorry I'm not very mechanical, how do I do that?

 

[Reach4]

Sorry I'm not very mechanical, how do I do that?

You might want to have a water treatment professional do that, or at least get somebody more mechanical to help. If you want somebody to suggest a repair person, post where you live.

Do you have the service manual?

shows how to get to the turbine blades.

 

[ditttohead]

Where are you in AZ? I know a few good technicians in AZ.

 

[Larryn Pearl]

Sorry I'm actually in Las Vegas, not sure how I got a location of AZ.

I looked at this over the weekend and it appears pretty straight forward - 1) Put lever into Bypass mode 2) unscrew screws on side 3) Remove from tank and look into turbines to see if anything is jammed in them?

Am I oversimplifying this? Do I need to turn my water off? Thanks, if this is all there is to it I think I can handle it myself.

 

[Reach4]

Get some silicone plumber's grease, and lightly lube any O-rings upon reassembly. https://www.danco.com/product/0-5-oz-silicone-faucet-grease/ is one example, and it is probably available locally.
Turn off water. Open a faucet that is lower than the bypass to allow draining and removing pressure from the tank. Or maybe better, put the unit in bypass, but then start a regen cycle to remove the pressure from the tank. That will let a small amount of water go out of the drain line.

I have not done it. I am thinking you might have to remove the plumbing connections to the bypass to get to the turbine blades. If you have flex connections to the bypass from the plumbing, that would make it easier. Maybe the pro would wiggle the whole tank away from the plumbing, and then get it back while leaving the plumbing connected to the bypass? The videos that I see don't cover this aspect. Click inbox above.

Then proceed as you describe. Optionally take pictures. You don't have to share any if you don't want, but we would find them interesting. At worst, they record the steps so you can remember how things were.

If you find no debris, when the turbine blade is accessible with the cable, if you could rotate the blade to see if you get the flow indication. The turbine should turn easily. Ideally you will find debris. Otherwise you will want a new turbine assembly.

If you find debris, consider where that came from. Is it softener resin? Or something else? If something else, consider a whole house water filter that would have prevented that object from coming in.

The turbine is on the output of the softener -- not the input. So how would incoming debris make it through the softener to the turbine?