Just cleaned salt tank now what ?

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theboneman21

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Hi Gang

So just cleaned the tank put back together and dumped salt in

Do i have to add water or will that happen at the next regen on account of the float ?
 

LLigetfa

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Do i have to add water or will that happen at the next regen on account of the float ?

Depends... did your salt tank have brine in it before you cleaned it? Most softeners add the water at the tail end of the current cycle for the next regen cycle. In that case you need to add the water before the next regen.
 

Mikey

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I stand corrected; thanks, Gary.

While we're on the subject of brine tanks, I've got a couple of questions:

1) The brine level in my tank decreases over time. No matter where it starts out, it eventually settles at about 3-4" deep. It looks like it draws brine (at BLFC rate?) until the tank is empty, then later refills at the BLFC rate -- 3 gallons total. Is this correct?

2510 control has 0.5gpm BLFC, 2.4gpm DLFC, and is set for:

10 minute backwash (At max flow pump will support, up to DLFC rate.)
60 minute brine & rinse (Brine at BLFC rate until tank is empty? Then rinse at DLFC rate.);
6 minute rapid rinse (At DLFC rate.)
6 minute refill (At BLFC Rate.)

All hose connections are secure, no leaks obvious.

2) There are bold-face instructions in my 2510 manual saying "IMPORTANT -- SALT LEVEL MUST ALWAYS BE ABOVE BRINE LEVEL IN BRINE TANK". Why? Just to ensure completely saturated solution?
 
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Gary Slusser

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No brine tank will ever be totally out of water, there is always at least a half inch or more that can not be sucked out.

Decreasing water level is probably due to a wicking action of the salt - soaking up water into it. Or a small water leak in the bottom of the tank that hasn't been found yet. lol

Yes the BLFC dictates the gpm of both brine draw/slow rinse and refill.

Backwash and rinse cycle positions of the control valve are controlled by the DLFC.

Salt above the water line at the end of refill insures a full saturation brine but, the caution is more to keep softener owners from allowing their softeners from running low or out of salt; which causes less than fully saturated brine and that causes insufficient capacity to be regenerated. That causes hard water breakthrough of the resin before regeneration. That requires regenerating the resin at its max salt dose per cuft (usually 15 lbs/ft) and usually two of them are needed.
 

Mikey

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The FC button is basically a washer with a hole in it, right? I've always thought the directional requirement was related to flow rate, not flow -- i.e., in one direction a 0.5 button will pass 0.5gpm, but it the other direction the flow rate is indeterminate, but there will be a flow. There's very little information that I can find on these things.
 

Mialynette2003

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The FC button is basically a washer with a hole in it, right? I've always thought the directional requirement was related to flow rate, not flow -- i.e., in one direction a 0.5 button will pass 0.5gpm, but it the other direction the flow rate is indeterminate, but there will be a flow. There's very little information that I can find on these things.
You are correct. In Fleck, Clack and EcoWater valves (most likely all other valves), the BLFC is allowed to "float" or move inside the FC area. Once the unit goes into a fill cycle, the water flow pushes the FC into it's seat and only allows water to pass through the center hole. During the brining/slowrinse cycle, the FC can move so brine can flow around the FC as well as through the center hole. IMO, the FC in no way controls the flow for the brine/slow rinse. If it did, it would not matter which way you installed the FC nor would it be placed so it has movement.
 

Mikey

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Excellent; thanks. I used to have a cutaway diagram of the 2501 showing flows for all cycles, but it has temporarily (I hope) escaped.
 

ditttohead

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Mialynette, Correct, the Brine line flow control on all Fleck and Clack valves is directional. They flow around and through the refill control during brine draw, they fill only through the hole during refill. The Brine line flow control buttons are in a guide cage that allows them to move back and forth depending on if the system is in brine draw, or refill.

Even the largest softeners use this same design. Fleck makes brine flow controls up to 20 GPM as a standard item. These are direction flow control.
 

Mikey

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So why is it important to put the button in in one orientation only? Does the shape affect its movement in the cage?
 

ditttohead

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The flow control has a tapered design. This special design allows for a consistent flow with water pressures ranging from 20-100 PSI. I have tested them to 200 PSI, and surprisingly, the flow actually goes below its specification at these very high pressures. Higher pressures cause the hole to close off, lower pressures allow the hole size to increase.

The water must flow through the tapered side in the restricted direction. If the button is installed backwards, the flow will not be consistent across the pressure range. I have tested this extensively, flow direction is critical for both Fleck and Clack flow control buttons.
 
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