Curiosity - why did it fail

[Diyh2o]

Had a Fleck 9000 64K System. It failed, due to seals. In hindisght, maybe should have rebuilt sooner - it was nearing 20 years of use in a home.

Old school metal head - took a bit to rework it - the seals were stuck good. Got it apart and cleaned up. Working great!

Or so I thought. About 5 months to the day of the expensive pistons and seal kit, plus the hours of labor and maybe a few swear words attempting to get the internals nice and shiny (wear gloves folks) - she failed.

Backplane cracked at upper piston. No leaks. Not sure it was smart or not, but decided to replace it with a similar unit - 9100sxt.

Why did this happen? Could that backplane have been broken previously and I missed it? Could I have gotten some seals that did not like the chlorinated city water? If there is even different types - they were oem fleck parts. Maybe I screwed something up? Though it was working fine for 5 months.

The bottom piston was very hard to remove. No signs of damage on either piston. But due to age and cost of parts - decided not to gamble and went to new system.

Curiosity has got the best of me.

 

[Bannerman]

The 9000 valve (metal body), was prone to problems after time. While your failure occured in the upper piston area, pitting and erosion in the lower piston area was most common. 20 years use without an issue, is longer than average.

The 9100 (Noryl body) is more reliable and is the replacement and upgrade to the 9000.

You didn't mention the controller for the 9000, but I expect it was mechanical. The SXT electronic controller is a good, reliable upgrade which permits programming control over each phase of the regeneration cycle.

Ditttohead describes the 9000 issue within post #4 of this thread: https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?threads/fleck-9000-control-valve-id.94439/#post-680270

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Diyh2o]

The 9000 valve (metal body), was prone to problems after time. While your failure occured in the upper piston area, pitting and erosion in the lower piston area was most common. 20 years use without an issue, is longer than average.

The 9100 (Noryl body) is more reliable and is the replacement and upgrade to the 9000.

You didn't mention the controller for the 9000, but I expect it was mechanical. The SXT electronic controller is a good, reliable upgrade which permits programming control over each phase of the regeneration cycle.

Ditttohead describes the 9000 issue within post #4 of this thread: https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?threads/fleck-9000-control-valve-id.94439/#post-680270

Did not seem to be corrosion in the lower like I’ve read about on here, but maybe I missed something. It did run a long time. Thank you

 

[Reach4]

If you post your info, I could post a suggestion on what settings you might consider.

"Fleck 9000 64K System" can mean two 12x52 inch tanks (2 cuft each, or two 9x48 tanks (1 cuft each). Marketers...

Include hardness and iron and manganese levels.

Include the BLFC value, but I expect it is 0.5 gpm.

Optionally include the number of people. It will not affect the programming, but would be relevant to the prediction of how often you will regen.

 

[Bannerman]

iron and manganese levels.

Not applicable. Water source is chlorinated municipal.

 

[Diyh2o]

Thanks reach4 and Bannerman. Old system is decommissioned. My post is pending on my other thread regarding brine issue on new system. Admin approval pending since I’m new or already in jail. Appreciate any guidance.
Post in thread 'Newb - is my brine tank too small'
https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?threads/newb-is-my-brine-tank-too-small.108300/post-769275