7000SXT "stuck"

[F6Hawk]

So Saturday night, I wrote down my remaining gallons as usual in tracking my water usage. Sunday night, the numbers were the same, 1422. Friday to Saturday, only 98 gallons used to get to 1422, and 24 hours later, 0 gallons used. Turned on a faucet, and the drop never appeared. Closed both valves on the triple tree, let everything come to a halt, then opened them up again. Now I have a drop, and water went down to 1417 by the time it all settled.

Hydrostatic lock? Or something else?

[Gary Slusser]

So Saturday night, I wrote down my remaining gallons as usual in tracking my water usage. Sunday night, the numbers were the same, 1422. Friday to Saturday, only 98 gallons used to get to 1422, and 24 hours later, 0 gallons used. Turned on a faucet, and the drop never appeared. Closed both valves on the triple tree, let everything come to a halt, then opened them up again. Now I have a drop, and water went down to 1417 by the time it all settled.

Hydrostatic lock? Or something else?

Most probable cause is operator error in using a "triple tree" and not flushing out the lines after plumbing without the water going through the softener which is usually impossible with most triple trees and all that are vertical.

Since you seem to believe you know so much about softeners etc... is there any problem, IYO of course, with the unit not having this "drop" for a couple days or whatever it was; anything you think you should do?

BTW, I'll bet that in a week or two you'll know when your softener regenerates.

If I were you, I'd find somewhere else to go and something else to do to get away from the wife, girlfriend or kids than sitting by the softener night after night and writing down the gallons remaining.

[F6Hawk]

Thanks, Gary, very helpful response. No wonder you have so many satisfied customers.

But as to the triple tree... it existed prior to me. And I flushed it out both lines to the softener, prior to installing, and again after. The most that might have been in there was cobwebs or dust for about 2 X 1.5' of pipe. And it worked fine for the first 26 days or so.

[ditttohead]

A common problem of the 5600SXT, 2510, and 7000 is the meter turbine getting something stuck in them, especially during a new installation. I would recommend checking the meter by removing the bypass, pulling out the meter, and running a small amount of water through the system to flush out any "chunks" including teflon tape, solder drips, gravel, wood, packing peanuts, frogs (just a few of the items I have found over the years that cause meters to not work).

The 7000 and other FLeck valves are particularly easy to test. Turn on water in the house and see if the dot in the upper right hand corner of the SXT board blinks to indicate water flow. If it doesnt, simply remove the meter sensor and pass a magnet across it multiple times to see if the water flow indicator dot blinks. If it does, this would indicate the meter is not spinning. Remove anc clean the meter, and purge some water out of the system to get rid of any stray stuff. If the indicator does not blink. then you may have a bad sensor or bad board.

Hope this helps.

[F6Hawk]

Well, after turning off all the water and letting the pressure go to zero last night, all is well thus far. I am leaving for a few days, so will see what she looks like when I return. Nothing in the turbine area, she was clean as a whistle, and it spun very freely when I had it out. And now I see a hydrostatic lock is not possible with their design. But I will continue to monitor it.

BTW, there is no blinking light on my board, but a flashing drop of water indicator on the LCD. Perhaps a newer design?

Thanks, DH

[Tom Sawyer]

For a guy that says his interests are "helping others help themselves" Gary sure gets prickly when a guy like you gets himself educated. LOL I imagine that's probably because you have not been giving the "professor" his due LOL

You probably had some bit of crap stuck in the turbine. It doesn't take much.

[ditttohead]

Well, after turning off all the water and letting the pressure go to zero last night, all is well thus far. I am leaving for a few days, so will see what she looks like when I return. Nothing in the turbine area, she was clean as a whistle, and it spun very freely when I had it out. And now I see a hydrostatic lock is not possible with their design. But I will continue to monitor it.

BTW, there is no blinking light on my board, but a flashing drop of water indicator on the LCD. Perhaps a newer design?

Thanks, DH

oops, yeah. Flashback... you are correct, the water drop is the indicator for water flow. The 7000 internal turbine is extremely accurate, and even the smallest bit of debris can cause it to stop working. Once the system is installed and cleared, the turbine will rarely get clogged, it is mainly in the first week of operation.

Good job advancing your knowledge of this amazing control valve. I am anxiously awaiting some newer board designs that shold add some interesting functionality in the future. Once they are released, I will do a quick review of them.

[F6Hawk]

Yes, Tom, I think you are right. When I pulled it open, I saw something shoot past my face, possibly the ubiquitous hen's tooth... At any rate, it's clear now. And as DH points out, not much room for error in there. And thanks to all who have helped me learn and get mine working!!

[F6Hawk]

Yes, some get testy when the younger, better looking ones move in an take over...