Fleck 7000SXT 32k Noise Troubleshooting and Programming

[kaisersoze]

Hello,

I just finished installing my new water softener with the Fleck 7000SXT valve and 32k grain capacity. During manual regeneration I noticed an extremely loud noise from the drain adapter elbow during the BW cycle of regeneration! The BD cycle was much quieter and the volume was around what I had expected. Is the BW cycle supposed to be loud? I can't imagine sleeping through the noise at 2AM!

My specs:
Fleck 7000SXT 32k grain
9x48 mineral tank
1 cubic ft resin

BLFC 0.25 GPM
DLFC 2 GPM
Injector #0
3/8" brine tubing
Drain line 3/4" PVC

I followed the dealer's programming guide, I hope you can double check my settings (in particular the regeneration cycle steps):
DF Gal
VT St2b
CT Fd
C 24
H 20
RS SF
SF 15
DO 14
RT 2 AM
BW 10
BD 60
BW 5
RR 10
BF 20
FM t1.2

The factory default BF is 12 minutes, but the dealer recommended 20 minutes. The BF of 12 minutes with a BLFC 0.25GPM equates to 3 gal * 3 = 9 lbs salt for my 1 cubic foot of resin. BF of 20 minutes would equal 15 lbs of salt for 1 cubic foot resin. Seems that 9lbs is more salt efficient without sacrificing much in water efficiency (based on http://www.watertreatmentguide.com/a..._softening.htm)

Any thoughts regarding the noise or programming settings? Thanks, I appreciate your thoughts!

[ditttohead]

The noise is normal, I would recommend removing the drain adapter and confirming the button is facing the right direction. The numbers on the button should face the valve, and for a 9" tank with normal temperature water, it should be a 2.0 GPM button.

Use my programming cheat sheet below to program the valve, assuming you do not have high sediment or any iron in the water. You can even cut the backwash and fast rinse down to 5 minutes or less, this will have little negative affect on the system.

I would also recommend running the drain in 3/4" PVC, this may (or may not) reduce the noise. The noise is usually caused at the button due to the water flow being throttled down, but larger drain lines tend to help a little. I would also check your water pressure, it should be less than 80 PSI, if it is higher, get a new regulator installed. Be sure to check the pressure during the middle of the night as opposed to the early evening. Water pressures tend to raise significantly during the night.

[kaisersoze]

Thanks for the quick reply.

You mentioned cutting down backwash and fast rinse cycles, do you mean setting both B1 and B2 to 5 min (currently just B2 at 5 min)?

I do have 3/4" PVC, though the first 12" is a water heater flexible hose (made drain installation easier and I figured it would be better for earthquakes and easier to remove the mineral tank for any reason). I actually hear most of the noise and vibration in the flexible hose. I wonder if that's the culprit, or if rigid PVC would have the same problem?

My water pressure is around 90 PSI, sounds like I need to make a trip to the hardware store

The noise is normal, I would recommend removing the drain adapter and confirming the button is facing the right direction. The numbers on the button should face the valve, and for a 9" tank with normal temperature water, it should be a 2.0 GPM button.

Use my programming cheat sheet below to program the valve, assuming you do not have high sediment or any iron in the water. You can even cut the backwash and fast rinse down to 5 minutes or less, this will have little negative affect on the system.

I would also recommend running the drain in 3/4" PVC, this may (or may not) reduce the noise. The noise is usually caused at the button due to the water flow being throttled down, but larger drain lines tend to help a little. I would also check your water pressure, it should be less than 80 PSI, if it is higher, get a new regulator installed. Be sure to check the pressure during the middle of the night as opposed to the early evening. Water pressures tend to raise significantly during the night.

[ditttohead]

Absolutely reduce your pressure before making any changes. The programming of the backwash times are factory defaulted to work anywhere in the world with little adjustment. or clean municipal supplies, long backwashes are not necessary. The second backwash is great for ultra low salt settings. Put both at 5 minutes.

let us know what happens when you drop your pressure down to 60 PSI.