What are the settings? Fleck 5600SXT city water Las Vegas

[Geo702]

Hi, all you wonderfully helpful forum members. I just installed a Fleck 5600SXT 48,000 grain, .50GPM / 1.5 salt min. on city water. Can someone advise me as to proper settings?

Home stats: 3 bed, 3 full bath. Three adults in the home water usage 180 gal. daily or less. Las Vegas Valley Water District reports hardness @ 302 ppm or 18 grains per gal. Current settings are as follows:
(DF) = GAL
(VT) = dF1b
(CT) = Fd
(NT) = 1
(C) = 30.0
(H) = 18
(RS) = SF, 10
(DO) = 14
(RT) = 2:30AM
(BW) = 10
(BD) = 60
(RR) = 8
(BF) = 6
(FM) PO.7

All suggestions are much appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Reach4]

System info (not programmed)
Salt lb/cuft = 6 ; A choice ( efficiency vs capacity)
BLFC = 0.5 ; Brine Refill rate GPM
cubic ft resin = 1.5 ; ft3 resin = (nominal grains)/32,000
Raw hardness = 20 ; including any compensation
People = 3 ; gallons affects reserve calc
Estimated gal/day = 180 ; 60 gal per person typical calc
Estimated days/regen = 8.3 ; Computed days ignoring reserve

Fleck 5600SXT Settings:
DF = Gal ; Units
VT = dF1b ; Downflw/Upflw, Single Backwash
CT = Fd ; Meter Delayed regen trigger
NT = 1 ; Number of tanks
C = 30.0 ; capacity in 1000 grains
H = 20 ; Hardness-- compensate if needed
RS = rc ; rc says use gallons vs percent
RC = 180 ; Reserve capacity gallons
DO = 28 ; Day Override
RT = 2:00 ; Regen time (default 2 AM)
BW = 5 ; Backwash (minutes)
Bd = 60 ; Brine draw minutes
RR = 5 ; Rapid Rinse minutes
BF = 6 ; Brine fill minutes
FM = See https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?attachments/img_fleck5600sxt_flow-png.31592/ to make sure.

 

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[Geo702]

Thanks for your advise Reach4

 

[U.S. Filter Pros]

You (c) needs to be changed to 48 as you have a 48,000 grain unit. Also, do you know if you have a paddlewheel or turbine meter in the back? Depending on which one you have, the FM will be either P0.7 or t0.7. Also, the brine fill needs to be higher. We have an installation guide that has the ideal settings, I tried to attach it but the file is too large. You can either create an account at http://www.usfilterpros.com/ and then the installation guide will show up at the bottom of the page, or inbox me your email and I can send it to you.

 

[Reach4]

You (c) needs to be changed to 48 as you have a 48,000 grain unit.

Bad advice. You are mistaken.

 

[U.S. Filter Pros]

I've sold thousands of these, installed, and programmed hundreds. (C) setting is grain capacity x 1000. He bought 1.5 cubic feet, 48,000 grain unit. You even said in your post "C = 30.0 ; capacity in 1000 grains." C=30.0 would mean he would have a 30,000 grain unit. I met with Justin at Pentair (Pentair owns Fleck) earlier this week, we're an authorized Fleck seller and can assure you my information is accurate.

 

[Reach4]

I met with Justin at Pentair (Pentair owns Fleck) earlier this week, we're an authorized Fleck seller and can assure you my information is accurate.

Ask Justin specifically if a nominal "48000 grain" 1.5 cubic ft softener should be best set up with C=48.0 or something less.

Read up, and you will find a lot of discussion on this. By using C=48, you would need 22.5 pounds of salt to regen. With C=30, it only takes 9 pounds. So the lesser C setting lets you do a lot more softening per pound of salt.

 

[Bannerman]

C=30.0 would mean he would have a 30,000 grain unit.

No, it means it is programmed to regenerate when 30K grains has been consumed.

Just as with your vehicle, you don't need to wait until your fuel tank is empty before refilling, a softener capacity can be topped-up before being depleted. As mentioned, the unit will use salt more efficiently and also, the remaining un-depleted capacity will provide less hardness leak through at regular flow rates, up to when regeneration is to occur.

 

[U.S. Filter Pros]

No, it means it is programmed to regenerate when 30K grains has been consumed.

Just as with your vehicle, you don't need to wait until your fuel tank is empty before refilling, a softener capacity can be topped-up before being depleted. As mentioned, the unit will use salt more efficiently and also, the remaining un-depleted capacity will provide less hardness leak through at regular flow rates, up to when regeneration is to occur.

Not true, that's what the reserve capacity setting is for in the Fleck 5600SXT. Why would you regenerate sooner than needed if you have a reserve capacity set? Since there is a reserve capacity setting, you do NOT lower the grains on the Capacity setting. I'm not saying it will hurt by doing so, but you're going to waste water by regenerating sooner than needed.

[RC - 150]
Reserve Capacity, this is the number of gallons the controller subtracts from the system’s capacity as a reserve, usually set to 75 gallons per person. Since the system does not regenerate immediately when the capacity reaches 0, the reserve allows it to continue softening the water until it is able to regenerate. For large families or homes with high hardness a higher reserve capacity may be needed.

 

[ditttohead]

Grains capacity is based on the salt pounds per ft3 of resin. A 1.5 ft3 system has a potential capacity of 48,000 grains if regenerated with a ridiculously high salt setting. In California the code requires in most municipalities that the efficiency be set so high that only 4 pounds of salt per ft3 of resin can be used. This tends to give fairly poor water quality so a salt setting of 6-8 pounds is typically used. Using the 8 pounds of salt per ft3 setting nets an actual grains capacity of approximately 36,000 grains actual capacity, not 48,000.

A unique feature of the new XTR2 is the field programmer accurately graphs the resins capacity based on the salt and resin qty settings.

We tend to use the rounded numbers knowing that some slight variances are inherent but in general the numbers are very accurate.

 

[Geo702]

Ask Justin specifically if a nominal "48000 grain" 1.5 cubic ft softener should be best set up with C=48.0 or something less.

I’d be interested in hearing Justin’s answer on this subject since it seems to be up for debate.

My softener was set to regenerate tonight for the first time since the install back on the 10th, but since I wanted to make sure everything was going to operate as set, I did a manual regen this afternoon and all went as set. That’s 11 days for regeneration with about 40 gallons used of the Reserve Capacity. If my math is correct, we’re averaging a little less than 125 gallons per day and soft water all the way to today’s regen. Could I reduce the RC to say 125 and maybe squeak another day out of the unit?

I figure I’ll leave my settings as Reach4 advised earlier until there’s other information that might show cause to change them.

Above all, I want to thank everyone here for your input concerning this matter. And, I’m sure this thread will be great information to all those here in Las Vegas seeking similar advice.

Lastly, I did confirm the FM setting to be a paddle wheel type (P0.7) and the unit was upgraded resin to ResinTech 10% cross linked.

 

[Bannerman]

since it seems to be up for debate.

There is no real debate.

While it is true that virtually the same amount of water will be utilized for regeneration whether regenerating 30K grains or 48K grains in a 1.5 cuft softener, the salt needed and the efficiency will vary greatly. Not everyone appreciates the salt efficiency that maybe obtained by reducing the capacity and salt dose settings.

In a 1.5 cuft softener, the salt dose, usable capacity and maximum salt efficiency are as follows:

27 lbs salt needed to regenerate 48K grains (standard resin's maximum capacity when manufactured) = 1,778 grains/lb efficiency
22.5 lbs salt - 45K grains usable (programmed) capacity = 2,000 grains/lb efficiency
15 lbs - 40,500 grains = 2,700 grains/lb efficiency
12 lbs - 36K grains = 3,000 grains/lb
9 lbs - 30K grains = 3,333 grains/lb

As Ditttohead stated, California requires softeners to be programmed for even higher efficiency than 3,333 grains/lb, but that will typically result in lower water quality.

While 12 lb/36K is a good balance between very good water quality and salt efficiency, you may find the quality of the 9 lb/30K setting to be acceptable while achieving slightly higher salt efficiency.

 

[ditttohead]

Its not up to debate, it is simple math. A new softener will have maximum capacity in excess of 32K per ft3. Over a short amount of time the extra capacity will be lost due to normal use. Regeneration salt amounts determine the systems actual capacity over time. The resin manufacturers charts have been posted on this site dozens of times showing the capacity/hardness leakage based on regenerant use. Obviously there are hundreds if not thousands of other variables that will affect the exact capacity of the unit ie: resin fouling, incoming water quality, etc... but the charts we use have proven to be adequate in the vast majority of applications.