Fleck 5600sxt will not draw brine, technician is scratching is head! Help!

[Bannerman]

Chris, ensure the injector is fully cleaned and installed correctly. The injector is comprised of 2 pieces, one of which is threaded into the injector assembly.

If that doesn't correct the issue, rebuild the valve. The rebuild kit will include seals, spacers, O-rings, brine valve and piston. Here is a video detailing the full procedure including removal of both injector pieces.

You specified Fleck 5600 which implies a mechanical controller. The rebuild kit for a mechanical valve is not the same as for the Fleck 5600 SE or SXT digital softener valves so you need to ensure the correct kit is obtained.

Drain flow is strong tho' on Back Wash etc 1.4 gallons per min.

What are the dimensions of the media tank?

 

[Reach4]

Hi, here's one for someone who likes a challenge. My Fleck 5600 is filling the brine tank during Brine Draw and nothing is going to drain.

You say 5600. Confirm that this is a mechanical valve with no digital display.

Or if it is digital (that would be 5600SXT), what is the VT setting?

This would have been better as a separate thread.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[ditttohead]

Resin can absolutely be bad. You could confirm by simply removing the valve from the tank and taking a core sample of the resin. You only need to test the top few inches of the resin, do not go deeper. If the resin is able to be "squished" between your thumb and finger, then the resin is bad. If it feels like tiny marbles with no muddy feeling and you cant break the beads, then it is probably not the problem. You could also temporarily remove the DLFC button and run a couple minutes of backwash to really move the resin around... many more items to test but this will be a good start.

 

[Chris Sexton]

You say 5600. Confirm that this is a mechanical valve with no digital display.

Or if it is digital (that would be 5600SXT), what is the VT setting?

This would have been better as a separate thread.

 

[Chris Sexton]

Hi, thanks. It is the 5600SXT in fact. The VT is dF1b. Should have been a separate thread - apols. Only just learning how these forums work.

 

[Chris Sexton]

Resin can absolutely be bad. You could confirm by simply removing the valve from the tank and taking a core sample of the resin. You only need to test the top few inches of the resin, do not go deeper. If the resin is able to be "squished" between your thumb and finger, then the resin is bad. If it feels like tiny marbles with no muddy feeling and you cant break the beads, then it is probably not the problem. You could also temporarily remove the DLFC button and run a couple minutes of backwash to really move the resin around... many more items to test but this will be a good start.

t

Chris, ensure the injector is fully cleaned and installed correctly. The injector is comprised of 2 pieces, one of which is threaded into the injector assembly.

If that doesn't correct the issue, rebuild the valve. The rebuild kit will include seals, spacers, O-rings, brine valve and piston. Here is a video detailing the full procedure including removal of both injector pieces.

You specified Fleck 5600 which implies a mechanical controller. The rebuild kit for a mechanical valve is not the same as for the Fleck 5600 SE or SXT digital softener valves so you need to ensure the correct kit is obtained.

What are the dimensions of the media tank?

Chris, ensure the injector is fully cleaned and installed correctly. The injector is comprised of 2 pieces, one of which is threaded into the injector assembly.

If that doesn't correct the issue, rebuild the valve. The rebuild kit will include seals, spacers, O-rings, brine valve and piston. Here is a video detailing the full procedure including removal of both injector pieces.

You specified Fleck 5600 which implies a mechanical controller. The rebuild kit for a mechanical valve is not the same as for the Fleck 5600 SE or SXT digital softener valves so you need to ensure the correct kit is obtained.

What are the dimensions of the media tank?

Chris, ensure the injector is fully cleaned and installed correctly. The injector is comprised of 2 pieces, one of which is threaded into the injector assembly.

If that doesn't correct the issue, rebuild the valve. The rebuild kit will include seals, spacers, O-rings, brine valve and piston. Here is a video detailing the full procedure including removal of both injector pieces.

You specified Fleck 5600 which implies a mechanical controller. The rebuild kit for a mechanical valve is not the same as for the Fleck 5600 SE or SXT digital softener valves so you need to ensure the correct kit is obtained.

What are the dimensions of the media tank?[/QUO

 

[Chris Sexton]

t

Injector has been out and cleaned on 4 or 5 occasions. Valve rebuilt. Nothing looks worn. I was convinced briefly that it was the float valve ball in the brine tank that had sunk and was stopping the draw - so that's been replaced too. I've stripped it entirely - including removing the DLFC and running in brine draw. The resin tank is 9 inches. Strong drain flow on other parts of the regen - but nothing on the BD but flow INTO the brine tank. Thanks all.

 

[Reach4]

Hi, thanks. It is the 5600SXT in fact. The VT is dF1b.

Check that the piston has a green cap.

 

[Chris Sexton]

Check that the piston has a green cap.

No, white cap, grey body. The one it came with. It worked for some time with that one.

 

[Reach4]

No, white cap, grey body. The one it came with. It worked for some time with that one.

Ahh, yes gray. The lower backwash piston. That is appropriate too. Fleck 60102-20

Oops... White cap is not appropriate for a softener, as Bannerman points out. Get green (60102-71) cap piston.

Make sure that the injector filter is clear, and make sure the passage from the filter to the injector is clear too. See posts #9...#12 on this thread.

Since you have a 5600sxt, posting on this thread was good.

 

[Bannerman]

As the tank diameter is 9", then the DLFC flow rate should be 2.0 gpm, not 1.4 gpm.

Insufficient backwash can result in the resin not being properly expanded and reclassified. Broken resin pieces and other debris may also remain which can 'gum-up' flow through the resin bed.

 

[Bannerman]

white cap, grey body

White cap is for a mechanical 5600 softener, not the 5600SXT

 

[Bannerman]

As stated, the White piston cap is for a softener utilizing the 5600 mechanical controller.

The Grey cap (or Blue cap in UK and Europe) piston will provide a shorter backwash cycle for mechanical 5600 valves. The Green cap piston is the proper version for a 5600 SXT softener valve.

 

[Chris Sexton]

Are you saying I've had the wrong piston in there from new? Wow. That would suggest it had never worked. And see above - the replacement Pentair SXT piston is white capped.

 

[Bannerman]

What site is that from?

Not intended to promote this linked site but it includes photos of the White Cap version for the 5600, and the Green cap version for 5600 SXT, 5600SE digital control valves.

https://www.softenerparts.com/Fleck_5600_Valve_and_Parts_s/30.htm

 

[Reach4]

Are you saying I've had the wrong piston in there from new? Wow. That would suggest it had never worked.

It does seem unlikely that you would not have noticed the misoperation.
Could you have changed pistons without noticing the cap color change? Do you still have the original piston that you swapped out during a rebuild? If you got the wrong piston from the beginning, maybe your seller will give you the right one.

What site is that from?

https://www.wrekinwaterfiltration.co.uk/wrekinwaterfiltration/final.asp?id=1545

 

[Chris Sexton]

It does seem unlikely that you would not have noticed the misoperation.
Could you have changed pistons without noticing the cap color change? Do you still have the original piston that you swapped out during a rebuild? If you got the wrong piston from the beginning, maybe your seller will give you the right one.


https://www.wrekinwaterfiltration.co.uk/wrekinwaterfiltration/final.asp?id=1545

 

[Chris Sexton]

The above is another site - in fact I think id struggle to buy a green one. Everyone here in the UK is selling white tops for 5600 SXT - and seeing as mine arrived brand new with a white one it's really difficult to believe they're all wrong. Esp as my water softener used to work with it. THanks for your thoughts anyway. I have to admit I'm completely stumped. I keep reading that three must be some crud in there somewhere - but nothing. Ever more odd, once or twice it's started drawing during BD . Then stopped again!

 

[Reach4]

The above is another site - in fact I think id struggle to buy a green one. Everyone here in the UK is selling white tops for 5600 SXT - and seeing as mine arrived brand new with a white one it's really difficult to believe they're all wrong. Esp as my water softener used to work with it. THanks for your thoughts anyway. I have to admit I'm completely stumped. I keep reading that three must be some crud in there somewhere - but nothing. Ever more odd, once or twice it's started drawing during BD . Then stopped again!

I now find it plausible that there are both green- and white-cap part number 60102-71 pistons.

Worth checking some more, but I am coming over to your view. (EDIT: if you have the original piston, may I suggest that you compare the lobes on the old and new?)

In the mean time, about that passage between the screen and the injector?

 

[ditttohead]

560 has several pitsons/cap colors. The actual piston color can vary and has little meaning other than the coating color changes between manufacturers. The cap color does determine the piston type inside, black, white, grey, green, brass etc all have different meanings. it is a simple color coding but that also does not mean that the correct piston is under the cap... distributors can put them together incorrectly when they pick parts for repairs and reassemble them incorrectly.