Proactive steps prior to programming water softener

[Vietjdmboi]

I just installed a Fleck 5600sxt water softener system but wanted to get an idea of steps I need to prior to programming the unit.

Ex: getting a total harness kit and measuring at my home

Any other items I need to research measure before I can properly program my unit?

Here are some specs -
City water
4 person home (2 under the age of 2)
12x52'' tank (64,000grain)
*based off city's report

AVG Hardness PPM / mg/L	AVG Hardness Grains per Gallon
Anaheim	300	17.5

Thanks in advance!

 

[Reach4]

Yes, you want to get that Hach 5-B test.

Normally you adjust for maximum hardness, rather than average. Plus there is a high-hardness compensation factor.

You should have gotten 10% crosslinked resin with your city water. Do that if you ever get replacement resin.

Here are some tentative numbers:

System info (not programmed)
salt lb/cuft = 6.75 ; A choice ( efficiency vs capacity)
BLFC = 0.5 ; Brine Refill rate GPM
cubic ft resin = 2 ; ft3 resin = (nominal grains)/32,000
Compensated hardness = 20 ; including any compensation
People = 4 ; gallons affects reserve calc
Estimated gal/day = 240 ; 60 gal per person typical calc
Estimated days/regen = 9.18 ; Computed days including reserve

Fleck 5600SXT Settings:
DF = Gal ; Units
VT = dF1b ; Downflw/, Single Backwash, black cam
CT = Fd ; Meter Delayed regen trigger
NT = 1 ; Number of tanks
C = 44 ; capacity in 1000 grains
H = 20 ; Hardness-- compensate if needed
RS = rc ; rc says use gallons vs percent
RC = 240 ; Reserve capacity gallons
DO = 30 ; Day Override (28 if no iron)
RT = 2:00 ; Regen time (default 2 AM)
BW = 5 ; Backwash (minutes)
Bd = 60 ; Brine draw minutes
RR = 5 ; Rapid Rinse minutes
BF = 9 ; Brine fill minutes
FM = ____0.7 ; https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?attachments/img_fleck5600sxt_flow-png.31592/

Revised based on number from https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?threads/help-for-programming-fleck-5810.82673/#post-595983
The less salt per cubic ft, the more salt efficient, but more hardness breakthrough.
BLFC 0.5
cubic ft resin 2

Alternative capacity (C) and brine fill (BF) pairs. Round C down.
lb/cuft C= BF= grains/pound of salt
4.5 36.0 6 5332
5.3 39.2 7 4982
6.0 42.0 8 4670
6.8 44.5 9 4393 **chosen above
7.5 46.6 10 4147
8.3 48.6 11 3925
9.0 50.3 12 3726
9.8 51.9 13 3546
10.5 53.3 14 3383
11.3 54.6 15 3234

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Vietjdmboi]

Yes, you want to get that Hach 5-B test.

Normally you adjust for maximum hardness, rather than average. Plus there is a high-hardness compensation factor.

You should have gotten 10% crosslinked resin with your city water. Do that if you ever get replacement resin.

Here are some tentative numbers:

System info (not programmed)
salt lb/cuft = 6.75 ; A choice ( efficiency vs capacity)
BLFC = 0.5 ; Brine Refill rate GPM
cubic ft resin = 2 ; ft3 resin = (nominal grains)/32,000
Compensated hardness = 20 ; including any compensation
People = 4 ; gallons affects reserve calc
Estimated gal/day = 240 ; 60 gal per person typical calc
Estimated days/regen = 9.18 ; Computed days including reserve

Fleck 5600SXT Settings:
DF = Gal ; Units
VT = dF1b ; Downflw/, Single Backwash, black cam
CT = Fd ; Meter Delayed regen trigger
NT = 2 ; Number of tanks
C = 44 ; capacity in 1000 grains
H = 20 ; Hardness-- compensate if needed
RS = rc ; rc says use gallons vs percent
RC = 240 ; Reserve capacity gallons
DO = 30 ; Day Override (28 if no iron)
RT = 2:00 ; Regen time (default 2 AM)
BW = 5 ; Backwash (minutes)
Bd = 60 ; Brine draw minutes
RR = 5 ; Rapid Rinse minutes
BF = 9 ; Brine fill minutes
FM = ____0.7 ; https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?attachments/img_fleck5600sxt_flow-png.31592/

Revised based on number from https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?threads/help-for-programming-fleck-5810.82673/#post-595983
The less salt per cubic ft, the more salt efficient, but more hardness breakthrough.
BLFC 0.5
cubic ft resin 2

Alternative capacity (C) and brine fill (BF) pairs. Round C down.
lb/cuft C= BF= grains/pound of salt
4.5 36.0 6 5332
5.3 39.2 7 4982
6.0 42.0 8 4670
6.8 44.5 9 4393 **chosen above
7.5 46.6 10 4147
8.3 48.6 11 3925
9.0 50.3 12 3726
9.8 51.9 13 3546
10.5 53.3 14 3383
11.3 54.6 15 3234

I did not op for the 10% crosslinked resin but will keep that in mind for the next time.

You have NT=2 but you mean 1 correct? And I have paddle flow meter so I will use P0.7

Thank you for the very detailed info!

 

[Reach4]

Yes. I have edited my most above.

I think I meant to enter 2 cuft, and wrote the 2 into the wrong place.

 

[Vietjdmboi]

Just did a 5b hardness test and it’s 19gmg outside at the spigot and 1gmg inside faucet.

Bit of a side note but the bathroom is 10gmg. When the house was built, they split the water coming into the house. Half to the water heater and half to the bathroom. I will be running a dedicated cold water line after the softener (by the water heater) to the bathrooms. Glad I added a manifold for this when I reno’d the bathrooms.

 

[Bannerman]

they split the water coming into the house. Half to the water heater and half to the bathroom.

Was your softener not plumbed into the main line before any branch line connections? Normally, water conditioning equipment (filtration systems & softener) will be located close to where the main supply line enters the home so conditioned water will be supplied to all hot and cold fixtures downstream. The usual exception will be to Tee off a branch line before the conditioning equipment, to supply non-conditioned water to external hose bibs and irrigation systems.

Since the incoming raw water tested at 19 gpg (grains per gallon) hardness, and the hardness at your bathroom faucet is 10gpg, then some soft water was apparently included in the test sample. Assuming soft water is supplied to the water heater, when you obtained your test sample from the bathroom faucet, was the sample possibly a mixture of both hot and cold water?

 

[Vietjdmboi]

Was your softener not plumbed into the main line before any branch line connections? Normally, water conditioning equipment (filtration systems & softener) will be located close to where the main supply line enters the home so conditioned water will be supplied to all hot and cold fixtures downstream. The usual exception will be to Tee off a branch line before the conditioning equipment, to supply non-conditioned water to external hose bibs and irrigation systems.

Since the incoming raw water tested at 19 gpg (grains per gallon) hardness, and the hardness at your bathroom faucet is 10gpg, then some soft water was apparently included in the test sample. Assuming soft water is supplied to the water heater, when you obtained your test sample from the bathroom faucet, was the sample possibly a mixture of both hot and cold water?

The main water enters the house in the front of the house where the flowerbed is. There’s no outlet for me to have installed it there. I’ll include a picture.

Yes so the bathroom is getting a mixture of both hard and softened water.