Fleck 5810SXT replaced Fleck 7000

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TwoSocks90

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It got to the point where the 7000 needed yet another piston & seal set, so I threw in the towel and got a 5810SXT along with new media on our 15-year old softener. I am not quite sure I have the settings correct.

Water lab test shows hardness 21gpg, iron 0.16ppm and manganese .298ppm.

The resin manufacturer's website says to use 15lbs of salt per cu ft to get maximum capacity, but I now see that 7.5lbs/cu ft is a more efficient use of salt which is how I got to the 30 min brine fill time.

It seems like the #1 injector is undersized for my application but I am not sure if that's a real issue or not.
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Resin Vol: 3.5 cu-ft
BLFC: 0.25 gpm
DLFC: How can I find this and is it important? The sticker says "Drain Flow gpm" but doesn't have a number there.
Injector: #1 (white)
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DF: GAL
VT: 5810
RF: dF1b
CT: Fd
C: 110
H: 22
RS: rc
RC: 800
DO: 0
RT: 2:00
BW: 10
BD: 75
RR: 10
BF: 30
FM: t1.2
RE: OFF
VR: OFF
 

Asker123

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I will let other experienced members reach4 and dittohead comment on your configuration but to spoil your party, 5810SXT does not command high regards on this forum lately due to Piston Seal Kit going bad. I am on same boat as you and I was not aware of this site before my purchase so I bought a 5810SXT with 2.5 cubit feet softener in Jan 2022 but commissioned it this month. Fingers crossed but seeing from evidence on this forum, 5810SXT seems to have lots of issues as early as 2 - 3 years of operation. I have low expectations so I am learning here on this forum right from the beginning so that when it fails, I have some skills. This is a great forum.

Some comments on your config
Why dont you chose df2b ?

For DLFC - I checked the service manual , it has two alternatives for this part. One is 61455-00 - A 90 deg elbow style 3.4 inch and other is 61456-00 - straight 1 inch. In my case I have 90 deg elbow kind DLFC but then seems like this DLFC can take different washers ranging from 1.7gpm to 25 gpm . I am not sure which washer I have or how to find that. Then my supplier provided a fitting which allowed me to connect a 1/2 inch transparent drain hose. 5810 is advertised to support heavy flows upto 25 gpm. I am not sure what my gpm is and whether this 1/2 inch tube style transparent drain hose is good enough. Backwash is very forceful and when the BD changes to BW2, I get scared as the drain hose shakes like crazy. It does not shake that much when the BW1 is started in the right beginning.
 

TwoSocks90

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Hey Asker,

I found this forum when searching for info on how to set up the 5810 and yeah, I wish I found it sooner. At the time, I was simply looking for a replacement for my Fleck 7000 which was a lot of trouble. I thought my worries would be over with a new unit. Perhaps not.

Either way, I guess I'll give the 5810SXT a run and see how we do.

I didn't choose df2b because it came set up for df1b. Do you know the advantages of df2b?

I also have the 90 degree DLFC elbow though I haven't disassembled it to see what washer is in there. Like I said, I'm not sure if it's important to know or not.

Thanks for the reply. Hopefully our 5810's behave themselves for us!
 

Asker123

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df2b will have a second backwash. I heard that second backwash helps mix the regenerated resin so that there is less hardness leak.
Lets wait for Reach4 to chime in . He will recommend you some proper settings. You have 3.5 cubic feet. That might be considered as well.
 

Reach4

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DLFC controls the backwash flow rate. It does not affect programming. For a 14 inch tank, the DLFC should be 7 5 gpm. For that kind of flow, you want the drain line to be not restrictive. A soft 1/2 inch flex line would not be enough. Maybe a non-limp 1/2 inch OD flex line would be OK if the run was not long.

#1 injector is fine, and will call for a larger BD... no problem there, except softener will be in bypass longer during regen.

3.5 cuft ... is this a 14 x 65 inch tank? This is mainly a sanity check. Note that the Fleck 5800SXT has been discontinued for a while, I think because it tends to break pistons.

Below shows the forecast for two people. Having more does not affect programming, since this setup choses the auto-adapt reserve method. 3.5 cuft is bigger than optimum for two people.

System info (not programmed)
salt lb/cuft : 7.5 ; A choice ( efficiency vs capacity)
BLFC : 0.25 ; Brine Refill rate GPM
cubic ft resin : 3.5 ; Same as (nominal grains/32,000)
Raw hardness : 22.1 ; including iron etc
Estimated gal/day ; 120 ; 60 gal per person prediction (auto-tunes)
Est days/regen ; 26.89 ; presuming days each use estimated

Fleck 5810SXT Settings:
DF = Gal ; Units
VT = 5810 ; Valve type
RF = dF2b ; Downflow, Double Backwash
CT = Fd ; Meter Delayed regen trigger
C = 80.7 ; capacity in 1000 grains
H = 25 ; Hardness grains after comp factor
RS = cr ; Cr = base reserve on recent experience
DO = 20 ; Day Override (typ 30 if no iron/Mn) Not sure if 20 is a good choice.
RT = 2:00 ; Regen time (default 2 AM)
B1 = 5 ; Backwash 1 (minutes) [3...10]
Bd = 105 ; Brine draw minutes
B2 = 4 ; Backwash 2 (minutes)[3...10]
RR = 6 ; Rapid Rinse minutes
BF = 35 ; Brine fill minutes
FM = t1.2 (usual) ; t1.2 is default flow meter
RE = OFF ; Relay
VR = OFF ; ?
 
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TwoSocks90

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It looks like with 7.5lbs of salt per cu ft, I will get approximately 84k out of my 3.5cu ft unit and as far as I can tell, this is a sweet spot for efficiency.

Should the unit's capacity be set to 84k or should I leave it at 110k and then add a reserve, or change the hardness setting so the available gallons is closer to 84k than 110k?

Is the 35 min brine refill a correct setting?
 

Bannerman

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To regenerate 84K grains capacity in 3.5 ft3 resin, will require 8 lbs salt per ft3. 8 lbs/ft3 is generally recommended as it will provide the best balance of salt efficiency, Capacity and water quality.

The 84K Capacity setting is to include 1-day usage capacity as the Reserve allowance.

Is the 35 min brine refill a correct setting?
The correct Brine Fill setting will be based on the Capacity setting as well as the BLFC restrictor that is installed. Ensure the restrictor installed is actually 0.25 GPM as 0.5 GPM is more common, especially on larger systems such as yours.

8 lbs X 3.5 ft3 = 28 lbs salt per regeneration cycle. To dissolve 28 lbs will require at least 9.3 gallons water to enter the brine tank.

For 9.3 gallons while using a 0.25 GPM BLFC, will require the BF setting to be 38 minutes (= 28.5 lbs salt)
For 9.3 gallons using a 0.5 GPM BFC = 19 minutes (= 28.5 lbs salt).

DF2B is mainly utilized when using salt settings less that 6 lbs/ft3, but with a higher salt setting, there will be negligible benefit.
 
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Reach4

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I set up numbers for C and H in post #5. The reserve should auto-adapt, but if you want a particular fixed reserve, I could do that. How much reserve?

I have no reason to think that my numbers in #5 were not appropriate. Based on the info you gave, BF = 35 would be correct if you want 7.5 lbs/cuft.

See https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?threads/help-for-programming-fleck-5810.82673/#post-595983
See there is a column for 6 lb/cuft and 8 lb/cuft.
There is a row for 3 cuft and 4 cuft. Interpolate. By inspection, you can see 110 for C is not appropriate.
 
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TwoSocks90

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Bannerman, the BLFC is 0.25GPM.

Hi Reach, sorry somehow I missed your post #5! Here's a few comments.

We have a large household and tend to use 700-800 gallons/day, far more than the 120 gal/day that you estimated :)

You said
For a 14 inch tank, the DLFC should be 7 gpm. For that kind of flow, you want the drain line to be not restrictive. A soft 1/2 inch flex line would not be enough. Maybe a non-limp 1/2 inch OD flex line would be OK if the run was not long.

I do have a soft 1/2 flex line that's about 6ft long leading to the floor drain. There is a 90 degree fitting that directs water straight down into the drain. It sounds like that line needs to be bigger or shorter -- generally less restrictive.

I just did another water lab test and this is what they showed. You previously recommended hardness grains 25 after comp factor. Is that still a good number?

Hardness 20.1
Iron 0.30 ppm
Manganese 0.263 (yellow warning on this result from the lab since it's > 0.05).
 

Bannerman

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Bannerman, the BLFC is 0.25GPM.
I know 0.25 GPM is what you said in your initial post but suggest verifying that is the actual fill rate.

Often, a label specifying a BLFC flow rate and injector will be installed before the system is assembled. For larger systems, the BLFC and injector will often be updated once the system is assembled, but the label may not always be updated.

A simple method to verify the BLFC rate will be to disconnect the brine line from the top of the brine tank, advance the controller to BF and time how long to fill 1-gallon into a bucket or jug.

To verify the drain flow rate, advance the controller to Backwash and time how long to fill a 5-gallon bucket using the softener's drain line.
 

Reach4

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Bannerman, the BLFC is 0.25GPM.

Hi Reach, sorry somehow I missed your post #5! Here's a few comments.

We have a large household and tend to use 700-800 gallons/day, far more than the 120 gal/day that you estimated :)

You said


I do have a soft 1/2 flex line that's about 6ft long leading to the floor drain. There is a 90 degree fitting that directs water straight down into the drain. It sounds like that line needs to be bigger or shorter -- generally less restrictive.

I just did another water lab test and this is what they showed. You previously recommended hardness grains 25 after comp factor. Is that still a good number?

Hardness 20.1
Iron 0.30 ppm
Manganese 0.263 (yellow warning on this result from the lab since it's > 0.05).
H is still 25. So 20.1+(5*0.3)+0.263 =21.863 for the equivalent raw hardness, and the rest would be the high-hardness compensation.



With the auto-adjust reserve, the programming would not change with more people. What would change is the prediction of how often this regenerates, and that prediction is now 4.37 days at 750 gallons per day. Of course it is not going to be a fraction, so more like 4 days give or take.

You might try to preserve softened water, but do flush, even after #1.
 

TwoSocks90

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A simple method to verify the BLFC rate will be to disconnect the brine line from the top of the brine tank, advance the controller to BF and time how long to fill 1-gallon into a bucket or jug.

To verify the drain flow rate, advance the controller to Backwash and time how long to fill a 5-gallon bucket using the softener's drain line.

Brine fill took one minute for one quart of water exactly, so that matches up to 0.25gpm.

For a 14 inch tank, the DLFC should be 7 gpm.

The drain flow filled a 5 gallon bucket in 35 seconds which (if I did my math right) comes out to be 8.6 gallons per minute. Are we good on the drain flow rate?
 

ditttohead

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14" tank, depending on water temperature...

7x7x3.14/144x5=5.34

Water at 60-70 F, 5 GPM would be fine. The 7000 has the same flow control so if you need, you can reuse that button.
 

TwoSocks90

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#1 injector is fine, and will call for a larger BD... no problem there, except softener will be in bypass longer during regen.

I am ordering some fittings for the softener and wondering if I should get a different size injector while I am at it. Would a #2 be a better choice?

For a 14 inch tank, the DLFC should be 7 gpm.

Same question. Should I get a 7gpm washer while I am at it? They're cheap enough.

Final thought: I am ordering a spare injector screen. Even though I have a sediment trap on the line going to the softener, occasionally the screen on my old unit got plugged, especially after the well was serviced. Besides an injector screen is there anything else worth having on hand as spare parts? I hate hard water and hate waiting for parts when things break.
 

Reach4

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I made a mistake, and gave the DLFC number for a 16 inch tank by mistake. Keep the 5 gpm; it is right for 14 inch.


If ordering stuff, consider a tube of Dow or Molykote release compound #7. A 5.3 ounce tube is a lifetime+ supply. Use that on the seals, and you can use it on O-rings. You can also use Chemplex 862, which comes in smaller containers
For the injector, I would stay with the number 1 using BD=105, unless you want to speed the regen. It will be slightly more efficient than the #2.
 

TwoSocks90

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I just want to thank all those who replied and helped me set this thing up. It has been running well for a few months now and the settings seem spot on. Just want to say thanks for giving your time here and helping others.
 
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