Fleck 5812 XTR2 (Softner) and Fleck 5810 SXT (Carbon Filter) Shuts Off Water

[bluelogic]

Hello,

My city recently broke a backflow preventer and cleaned out their side of the line. The water from the meter is getting to the carbon filter and the softener; however, twice now the system has completely stopped the flow of water to the house. If I unplug them and plug them back in the water continues to flow again. I'm not sure where to start.

Thanks
Bluelogic

 

[Reach4]

Weird. Take a photo of the display while the unit is in the funny mode. Probably won't explain things, but may be there will be a hint.

Also take the water pressure at one of your hose bibs with a garden hose thread pressure gauge.
Also take the water pressure at one of your laundry taps or the drain for the WH for completeness, but those are probably going to indicate near zero.

I presume that backflow preventer was only serving your house.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Bannerman]

If I unplug them and plug them back in the water continues to flow again.

By 'unplug', I assume you are referring to electrical power.

When you restore electrical power, does either make any sound to signify mechanical parts are being moved?
Neither device requires electrical power for water to flow through. Electrical power is needed to move the piston that controls water flow and direction during regeneration (softener) or backwash (filter).

Unless one of them is becoming jammed during regeneration or backwash, there should be no reason for service flow to stop through either device. If either is becoming jammed, I would not expect restoring power would then free the mechanical parts to allow them to move as intended. Perhaps there is a glitch occuring in the electronic controller which is stopping the regeneration or backwash cycle from being completed.

Suggest first identifying which of the two devices is preventing flow. When flow is next time prevented, instead of unplugging and restoring power, using the bypass valve on the rear of each, first bypass flow to each device, one per time to determine which is allowing flow to continue to pass through.

 

[Reach4]

When you restore electrical power, does either of them make any sound to signify mechanical parts are being moved?

I know those units do make a sound when power is restored, unlike the 5600SXT. I think it also squirts some water to the drain as the unit moves and re-homes the piston.

 

[bluelogic]

It has only happen twice. The water loop bypass sends water through the house. There was nothing on the display other operating as normal. Outside water is coming in at full force. I will test my water for hardness and do a manual back flush of the carbon and regen on the softener. Yes it makes a mechanical sound when I plug the power back in and water can be heard rushing into the house.

If the pistons getting jammed in regen what would I do?

Thanks
Bluelogic

 

[Reach4]

It has only happen twice. The water loop bypass sends water through the house.

At first I thought you were saying that you get water in the house during the condition, but the water has not been passed through both the softener and carbon. After re-thinking, I think you are saying that you get water after manually using the bypass.

Stuck piston seems like a reasonable guess, but on both units? That seems improbable.

Check the firmware version. My original 5810SXT controller board was version 3.0, and the new board with software version 3.7 fixed my symptom. Not the same symptom as yours. Mine seemed to go into a perpetual backwash until power cycled. I suspect the funny mode was triggered by a brief power glitch that was not long enough to cause a proper reset. I tried a UPS for a while but that went bad. The batteries on the cheap UPSs don't last that well.

When I had those bad events, the display said "er 4".

The seller said probably seals or pistons, and those are maintenance items -- not warrantied. I said I was confident the problem was the system board. They said if I wanted to claim that under the 5 year warranty, I had to ship them the valve. They would send it to Fleck for analysis, and that would take about 30 days. I bought the replacement board elsewhere. It has been over a year without that flaw occurring, and no UPS either, so I am confident that the newer board fixed it.

Software version is item SV in the diagnostics.

 

[Bannerman]

First off, you need to determine which device is causing the problem. If each device is equipped with its own bypass valve, identifying the problem device is easily accomplished.

 

[bluelogic]

So I don’t know which one is stopping the water flow when on service. If I use the loop bypass I get water into the house. I’m assuming one of the pistons are stuck but I have to do a manually regen and back flushing. For the software is that something I can update?

bluelogic

 

[Bannerman]

If I use the loop bypass I get water into the house.

In calling it the loop bypass, it sounds as though there is only one 3-valve bypass, which will bypass flow to both devices at the same time. As you said that after unplugging and restoring power, water can be heard then rushing into the house, which device when repowered can the rushing water be heard? Each device would need to be unplugged and repowered separately as repowering both at the same time will not assist to identify which device is causing water flow to be restored.

 

[bluelogic]

There are three bypasses. One for each and for the entire loop. I haven’t tested each one by itself.

 

[Bannerman]

When there is no flow, leaving a faucet open while bypassing one device at a time will identify when water begins to flow. Bypassing the device causing the blockage will cause flow to be restored.

 

[bluelogic]

I did a regen and backwash on both units. They work fine. I'm thinking when I had a power loss they happen to both backwash at the same time and the units stopped because the drain wouldn't be able to handle both units backwashing at the same time.

 

[Bannerman]

The regeneration time setting for one should be programmed for an alternate hour.

As the backwash cycle for the carbon filter will require less time, usually less than 30-minutes, that could be programmed to cycle at 1am whereas the softener could remain programmed at 2am. This should ensure the cycle times do not overlap on the occasions where both cycle on the same night.

 

[bluelogic]

Yes, I have it set. I'm thinking when I lost the power they both just happen to be on the same regen/backwash time. I did a manually regen/backwash and set the times, but everything is working so I will just have to wait for it to happen again.

 

[Reach4]

Yes, I have it set. I'm thinking when I lost the power they both just happen to be on the same regen/backwash time. I did a manually regen/backwash and set the times, but everything is working so I will just have to wait for it to happen again.

Interesting theory.

Set the RT setting is the regeneration time. Maybe the carbon tank backwashes at 2 AM and the softener starts at 2:20 AM.