My new Fleck 7000sxt

[fdny37]

Hello this is my first post so I'll give you some background info. I'm retired FDNY living out in Vegas for the last 10+ yrs. Old softener took a dump 6 months ago so wife wanted to try the Pelican no salt system. Needless to say that didn't work out so well. I researched and then purchased a Fleck 7000sxt based on the 1" incoming service from the street. Tested the water with the Hach 5B and it is 18-19 gpg, there are three adults and 2 full baths. I left the sediment and whole house carbon filter before the softener, I figure the cleaner the water going in can't hurt. I know how to operate the pumps on a fire truck but I'm stumped when it comes to a softener. What settings would be good for my situation? Like everyone else I'm looking for top efficiency from this unit.

It is a 64K unit with a .125 BLFC.
One other question, I'm somewhat confused as to why the brine draw cycle is set for 60 minutes (7.5 gal draw with the .125 orifice) and the brine fill is set for less time (I think maybe 40 minutes 5 gals). Why would you pull more gallons out of the tank then you put back in? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, if more info is needed just let me know.

Thanks in advance.

[F6Hawk]

You will pull from the brine tank until all the water is sucked out and a check valve stops the flow. It's a brine fill/slow rinse process, so after all the brine is drawn out, it continues to push plain water slowly thru the resin.

I'm curious why you chose 40mins/5gals for your brine fill? (5 gals at 3 lbs per gallon = 15 lbs total, / 2 cu ft) That's 7.5 lbs of salt per cu ft, not exactly a common number I have seen before. 4, 6, 8, 10, and 15 seem to be more common. I'd estimate 7.5 lbs will get you about 46K worth of capacity, but some of the pros may know the exact amount better than I, a simple home owner like you.

If it were me, and you have no iron in your water, I'd go with 6 lbs per cu ft. That's 12 lbs per regen. In order to get that, use 0.125 X 32 = 4 gallons, as each gallon dissolves about 3 lbs of salt. 6 lbs is pretty efficient, and it should serve you fairly well. Assuming 60 GPPPD for 3 people, you will consume about 438 lbs of salt per year, and regen every 10-11 days or so (more or less, based on actual water usage).

Hope this helps, and if anyone sees an error in my suggestion, feel free to correct me!

[fdny37]

F6, thanks for the reply. That's just it I didn't choose anything this is the way the head came out of the box. This is why I'm asking questions because it doesn't seem right.

[F6Hawk]

I gotcha. I can share with you MY settings for a 1.5 cuft system, but your best bet would be to get a cheat sheet from Dittohead on here specifically for the 7000SXT on a 64K tank. He really knows his stuff, and is very helpful.

[Gary Slusser]

F6, thanks for the reply. That's just it I didn't choose anything this is the way the head came out of the box. This is why I'm asking questions because it doesn't seem right.

It sounds like factory default settings which is normal for online purchases. The seller should have given you instructions of how to change the settings and what to change them to. Problem is many online guys don't give the customer the actual numbers to change to.

IMO you should determine the lbs of salt based on what salt efficiency number you want. To learn how to do that click the link in my signature below. I suggest a minimum of 3333 grains/lb. And if you want trouble free operation, regenerate every 7-9 days and if you have the choice, use pre refill instead of post refill.

As to the length of time for the slow rinse/brine draw cycle position of a regeneration, for a 2.0 cuft unit on 'city' water, I usually suggest 45-60 minutes but... I always ordered a .5 gpm BLFC, you have a .125 gpm. Assuming the correct DLFC button (about a 3.0), backwash 6-8 minutes and settle rinse 4-6 minutes.

[fdny37]

You're right Gary there were no instructions just a link to there website and those instructions were generic.
On the 1/2" waste line going to the drain they wrote 5.0 on the elbow, is this the DLFC?

[ditttohead]

Remove the grey clip from the drain line and pull out the black elbow. Inside is a rubber flow control button. Look at the numbers on it. Assuming you have a 12" diameter tank, a 3.5gpm button would be better for your application. I will post a programming cheat sheet on monday, this is a simplified master programming guide specific to your valve.

[fdny37]

Yes, it is a 12" tank, I pulled the elbow and the number is 500. I also measured the opening which is .210". Where can I buy a 3.5 rpm button or can I make it work OK with what I have?

[ditttohead]

The 5 will work as it is only 6.5 GPM per sq. ft, we normally set the backwash at 5 gpm per sq. ft of bed area. It is a little high. What is your water temperature? If it is regularly above 70 degrees, that can justify the slightly higher flow rate.

I forgot, do you have a turbulator?

[fdny37]

The water temp right now is 78* but it's the middle of the summer here in the desert. I don't know what the water temp will be in the middle of the winter. Yes it has a turbulator.

[ditttohead]

The water temp right now is 78* but it's the middle of the summer here in the desert. I don't know what the water temp will be in the middle of the winter. Yes it has a turbulator.

I am 90% sure the 5.0 is the correct button for the turbulator.

[ditttohead]

Hope this helps,

[fdny37]

Thank you very much Ditto. I just set the head to those specs and will see what happens. If it's not too much to ask how much salt and how many gallons of water should I put in the brine tank to start with?

[ditttohead]

5-8 gallons of water, fill the tank full of salt. There is no right or wrong answer, and I am sure others will try to argue their formula for start up is better, but honestly, this is a simple way to start up the system. The system will automatically adjust the salt water levels correctly after that. Fill the tank full of salt, and you can ignore it for many months. I usually let my system run low on salt once a year, then clean and sanitize the brine tank then.