Water Softeners and Air Filtration Systems - Need help with used WaterSoft / Fleck 5600

I just picked up (for free) a used WaterSoft Inc. system. I'm not sure how old it is, but it looks like it's 10+ yrs. The control valve is definitely a re-branded Fleck 5600. The filter tank is 10x14. The guy that gave it to me said it has not been used for at least 3 yrs since he bought the house and possibly was not used for some time before that. The resin has been dumped out already.

Is there anyway I can test the control valve without adding new resin/salt and connecting everything? How do I know if the pistons are bad?

Also, how can I tell exactly which Fleck model this is? Metered or Timed, etc?

Thanks,
dw

You can test it before putting a lot of money into it. First of all, you stated the filter tank is 10x14. That is really small. You will not get the flow rate out of it if you plan to use it on a house.
The center dial has a pie shaped cut away which should read "service". Turn the center dial clockwise 360 deg from the service position. If it's real hard to turn, the piston and seals need to be replaced. Plug it in and set the time. The instruction should be on the front left of the head. Turn the center dial a few clicks. This will start a regen. If it keeps time and cycles thru a regen, the gears and motor are good.
You have to run water thru it to test the rest of the head.

Sorry, that was a typ-o. The tank is actually a 10x40.

I did what you said to test the head. The center dial seems to turn ok. I set it to "regen" and set the time of day. It's been about 20 min now and the dial is moving...the cut out has moved past "regen" and is on "rinse." I'm not hearing anything other than the faint sound of the dial moving. Should I hear the pistons or anything?

How much resin should I use in this tank? I was thinking of going with one cu. ft.

Thanks,
dw

That's a 1 cu ft tank. No, you won't hear anything but the motor. You can check out the rest of the unit by buy a plug to block off the outlet side and an adaptor (pipe thread by hose thread) for the inlet. Take your gaden hose and washer machine hose and connect to the inlet. You can now pass water thru the unit and check for brine draw and refill. Let me know how it turns out.

I'm going to just do it. I plumbed the bypass in today and I found a local dealer who will sell me the resin for $89 which seems reasonable compared to the $350 Rainsoft wanted.

This Fleck head looks pretty simple so even if I run into problems I figure it's nothing that can't be fixed.

I'll probably get it setup this weekend...I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks again,
dw

Ok, I installed the new resin and connected everything It's defintely leaking. It looks like the water is coming out right where the metal plate attaches to the bottom of the head.

Do you recommend replacing the pistons and seals?

It's not leaking that much. Will it hurt to keep it running until I fix it?

Thanks,
dw

Yes the piston and basket & seals need replacing. It won't hust anything leaking until you get them replaced.

Is the basket the same as the Piston Retainer or End Plug?

These are the parts I plan to order:

Piston Assembly, 60102-00
Seal & Spacer Kit, 60125
Brine Valve, 60032
Distributor O-Ring, 13304 (mine is missing)

Thanks,
dw

I'm holding off on ordering the piston/seal parts because I want to be sure everything else is working. The softener has been in operation now for 2 weeks. I programmed it for 2100 gal capacity, 4 poeple, hardness is 10 and salt setting is 12. Our water is soft for sure.

However, after 2 weeks the capacity wheel hasn't moved at all - still shows 21 on the white arrow. The unit is keeping time fine and I know water is draining through the drain line but not constantly. To see if the regen cycle was working, I set the current time to just before 2am and watched it but nothing happened (see pic below).

The troubleshooting guide says this could be a defective motor or power head, or the meter isn't working. What do you think? How can I further troubleshoot?

Thanks,
dw

http://h.imagehost.org/0753/IMG_0639.jpg (http://h.imagehost.org/view/0753/IMG_0639)

Is the meter cable plugged into the meter dome? If it is, the meter is not working if the gallon wheel does not move or the meter turbine (inside the meter cover) is missing. To check the turbine, put unit on bypass, relieve the preasure and remove the 4 screws from the meter dome (back of unit). Spin meter done to offset tabs and pull up. The turbine should be inside. If the unit is not keeping time, the motor is bad. There is a window on the motor. You should see a flicker in the window if the motor is working. If not, you will see circles.

The meter cable is connected. I verified the meter turbine is in there and it seems to spin ok, at least with the top off.

Do you think I need a new meter? Does this also explain why the program wheel didn't cycle through when I set the time to 2am?

Thanks for all your help,
dw

The meter dome is definitely defective. I removed the cable and was able to make the program wheel spin fine, but when I put the cable back in and tried to torque it, the gears wouldn't budge.

Now I'm looking at replacing the meter dome along with the piston and seals. This adds up to about $100. Still not bad, but I found a company online that sells a rebuilt Fleck 5600 Meter valve for $109. They said it includes new meter dome, piston assembly, seal spacer kit, brine piston, motor, all o-rings, fixed broken gears, and it comes with a 6 Month Warranty and 30 money back guarantee. I ordered it.

That is a very good deal. Way back when, I had to charge $150.00 to rebuild the head and that didn't include the dome. Let me know if I can be of further assistance.

I installed my new valve and everything appears to be working fine. Beer 4U2

The new valve is a "L" model. I'm not too happy about that because my softener is installed outside, but I didn't have much choice. How difficult would it be to transfer all the parts off the new "L" case to the old Std case? The gears look complicated. Or, do you think I should just buy the cover for the "L"?

It's not hard transfering the parts. There is a timing on the main gear with the salt gear. I prefer the "L" head. Makes it easier to work on.