Fleck 5600 Mechanical Settings Question

[mwinter5]

I have a 10"x54" 48k (1.5 cu. ft. resin) Fleck 5600 Mechanical Dial Softener with a 9"x48" Carbon Backwash Filter (timed Fleck 5600) with the following settings:

Carbon Backwash Filter:
Time setting = every 4 days
Backwash Flow Rate = 4.8 GPM

Softener:
Backwash Flow Rate = 2.4 GPM
Hardness = 12
Usage = 200 Gal/day
Salt Cam Setting = 12
Regen Setting (white dot) = 12
Brine Flow Rate = 0.5 GPM

Questions: Do my Fleck dial settings and flow rates make sense? What should I set it to for ideal efficiency?

 

[Bannerman]

1.5 ft3 resin, when regenerated with 12 lbs salt, will have 36,000 grains useable hardness reduction capacity. Those are the usual recomended settings to acheive the best balance of useable capacity, water quality, and salt efficiency (36,000 gr / 12 lbs) = 3,000 gr/lb efficiency).

36,000 gr / 12 grains per gallon hardness = 3,000 gallons useable capacity per regeneration cycle, minus 200 gallons reserve capacity (1-day soft water useage) = 2,800 gallons Capacity dial setting (White dot location for a Fleck mechanical metered controller (= Fleck 5600 Econominder)).

The Capacity setting may need to be further modified depending on your answers to the following:
- municipal vs private well water supply?
- if private well, quantity of iron and manganse in the raw well water?
- describe the method utilitzed to measure hardness accurately.

With the above settings, the estimeated regeneration frequency will be 14- 15 days (2,800 gallons / 200 gpd).

Carbon Backwash Filter:
Time setting = every 4 days
Backwash Flow Rate = 4.8 GPM

If your water is supplied by a municipal source, is Chlorine or Chloramine (chlorine + ammonia) utilized for disinfection? Catalytic carbon media will be more effective than GAC (granular activated carbon) for reduction of chloramine.

Is your incoming water typically visibly clear of sediment/debris?

While backwashing carbon will flush out sediment/debris that is filtered out and captured by the media, the main reason for backwashing is to reclassify the media within the tank. This eliminates channelling in the media, which results in lower filtration abiltity caused by shortcut pathways eventually occuring through the media. Because channelling will develope slowly over time, if your water is reasonably clear of visible sediment/debris, then a backwash frequency of 1X every 3-4-weeks is usually sufficient.

As the recommended backwash flow rate for 12X40 mesh carbon is 8-12 gpm/ft2, this equates to 3.5 - 5.3 gpm for a 9" diameter tank, so depending on the temperature of your water supply, the current 4.8 gpm drain flow rate appears to be appropriate.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[mwinter5]

Appreciate the response. We have city water and I used the Hach 5-B test to achieve 12 gpg hardness. The water is visibly clear of sediment/debris.

My dial only goes to 21 so do you recommend this value? Also, would setting the brine cam to 9 be more efficient?

 

[Bannerman]

My dial only goes to 21 so do you recommend this value? Also, would setting the brine cam to 9 be more efficient?

9 lbs salt will regenerate 31,500 grains useable Capacity.

Modifying the calculations from above:

31,500 gr / 12 grains per gallon hardness = 2,625 gallons useable capacity per regeneration cycle, minus 200 gallons reserve capacity (1-day soft water useage) = 2,425 gallons Capacity dial setting. As your Capacity dial maxes-out at 2,100 gallons, suggest setting Capacity at 21 while using the 9 lb salt setting.