Fleck 7000 failure - looking for advice

[RustyMutt]

I've had my Fleck 7000 water softener for 16 years and a few months ago there was zero water pressure after a regeneration. I initiated a manual regeneration again and stepped through each stage, pausing for 5 seconds or so at each stage, but when it returned to the in service position there wasn't any water coming out. I've rotated the bypass value to supply water to the house since.

Does this issue seem like it would be resolved by rebuilding it? I've seen a rebuild video on Youtube and found some places selling rebuild kits, so I should be able to rebuild it if I go down that path.

For background, I've fought air in the water lines after a regeneration for a long time. A little in the first few months, but two years ago it got really bad. I replaced the water level check value in the brine tank as that seemed to be a reasonable culprit, but the old ball check valve seemed to be working and the new one didn't fix the issue. It could be my imagination, but I think I heard air moving through the pipes within seconds after a regeneration started (I happened to be up during the night). If air was being let into the piped at the start of a regeneration, then perhaps something else may have been an issue with the unit all these years. Speculation at this point, but if I rebuild this then I really want this other problem to be gone as well.

I'd love to get some thoughts on what to do. My resin is 16 yrs old at this point, and everything else is that old. I'm not overly concerned with finding the least expensive option - I'm more concerned with whatever is the easiest option without getting a service person involved. For 14 years, this 48,000 gr unit did a decent job with a hardness of 16 but two years ago our water supply changed and now it is estimated to be around 7-8. So it hasn't been horrible living with this in a bypass state, but we miss the softer water and want it back.

If I go with something else, would a 5600sxt mount to the same bypass valve I'm currently using (came with the 7000 model)? It might not line up perfectly, but if there's a chance...

Thanks in advance

 

[Bannerman]

City water (chlorinated) or private well?

Obtaining 16 years without any parts replacement is great. Sounds like time to rebuild to replace seals, spacers, O-rings and piston.

Good quality resin will typically provide 10-20 years service life in chlorinated water, depending on the chlorine quantity and other water conditions. When resin becomes chlorine damaged, it will usually become mushy and can swell which will reduce water flow through the resin bed.

Suggest removing the control valve to syphon some resin to sample from near the top of the tank. Damaged resin will typically feel mushy when squeezed between two fingers whereas new resin will feel firm and granular, similar to beach sand.

Continuous chlorine exposure will reduce the lifespan of any resin but 10% cross-link resin will better tolerate chlorine compared to standard 8% CL resin.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[ditttohead]

Low water pressure, 7000 valve, 99% odds that you have bad resin. When you replaces the air check, did you get a Fleck, Clack, or the junk import one? The imported safety floats are notorious for leaking air during the brine draw cycle.

Rebuild the valve, replace the resin, you should be good to go. The 5600 will not line up the the 7000 bypass. The 7000 had it's own unique bypass, unlike any other bypass on the market.

 

[RustyMutt]

Thanks for all the input so far - I really appreciate it.

FYI, it's not just low water pressure - there isn't any on output. One day it was 100% normal, then zero water after a regeneration.

I'm on city water, so it is chlorinated.

I believe I used an official Fleck air check - looked identical to the one that came with the unit.

I'm not sure where a good place to buy a rebuild kit is. I'm finding two different kit number SKUs, FP-7000RBKS and F7000WS-STD-KIT. Any guidance here?

Thanks!