Fleck 5600SXT Setting Help

[JRM12]

I purchased a house with a 5600SXT legacy system. I have never had a water softener before, and was not involved with the original programming. The person living in the house before us was a single 80+ year old man. I have a family of 6.

I do not know how to find out the capacity of the system or the resin tank as the receipt for original purchase did not have these details, nor was there any paperwork left at the house when we moved in.

I bought a 50lb bag of salt, and 4 of us went through the entire bag in 2 1/2 days. That seemed like too much, but I have nothing to compare it to.

I have information on the hardness of the well water:

• 
  
  • Iron - .5 Mg/L
  • Hardness 50 GPG
  • Manganese .4 Mg/L
  • TDS - 1200 Mg/L

I also looked at all of the settings in the controller:

• DF = Gal
• VT = df1B
• CT = Fd
• NT = 1
• C = 48
• H = 48 (I changed that to 50)
• RS = rc
• RC = 0
• DO = 1 (I changed this to 7)
• RT = 2am
• BW = 10
• BD = 60
• RR = 10
• BF = 12
• FM = t 0.7

I have looked at other posts in this forum, and cannot find the math to figure out the most efficient settings for us. Any help on what other information I need would be appreciated, as well as how to figure out the best settings for our system given our situation.

Thank you.

 

[Reach4]

Your softener is very undersized for your water and family. These settings still might have you regenerating every day. If you use less water, you might stretch it to every two days.

System info (not programmed)
salt lb/cuft = 8 ; A choice ( efficiency vs capacity)
BLFC = 0.5 ; Brine Refill rate GPM
cubic ft resin = 1.5 ; ft3 resin = (nominal grains)/32,000
Raw hardness = 65 ; including high-hardness compensation
People = 6 ; gallons affects reserve calc
Estimated gal/day = 360 ; 60 gal per person typical calc
Estimated days/regen = 1.54 ; Computed days including reserve

Fleck 5600SXT Settings:
DF = Gal ; Units
VT = dF1b ; Downflw/Upflw, Single Backwash
CT = Fd ; Meter Delayed regen trigger
NT = 1 ; Number of tanks
C = 36.0 ; capacity in 1000 grains
H = 65 ; Hardness-- compensation for high hardness and iron.
RS = rc ; rc says use gallons vs percent
RC = 360 ; Reserve capacity gallons
DO = 7 ; Day Override (28 if no iron)
RT = 2:00 ; Regen time (default 2 AM)
BW = 5 ; Backwash (minutes)
Bd = 60 ; Brine draw minutes
RR = 5 ; Rapid Rinse minutes
BF = 8 ; Brine fill minutes
FM = t0.7 ; https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?attachments/img_fleck5600sxt_flow-png.31592/

 

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[JRM12]

Thank you very much for the information. I will program those settings in. I figured it was too small for our family. Does it make sense that we would go through 50lbs of salt in 2 1/2 days? I want to make sure I have enough on hand for the future.

Also, as the kids get older and move out, how do I scale down the settings on the softener when we have less people in the house?

Finally, is there a place online where I can see the math on how these numbers are arrived at?

Thank you again.

 

[Reach4]

At 8 lb/cuft, a 1.5 cuft softener should take 12 pounds for every regen.

With BF=12 minutes, you would have been using 18 pounds per regeneration.

If you were using 25 pounds per regen, that would indicate something odd.

 

[Bannerman]

Does it make sense that we would go through 50lbs of salt in 2 1/2 days?

The BF setting Reach4 recommended, is based on an assumption the BLFC (brine line flow control) installed in your softener is rated at 0.5 gpg, which is reasonable as most 5600 SXT's are equipped with that size control.

The BLFC is the restrictor that controls the refill flow rate to the brine tank. While 0.5 gpm X 12 minute BF = 6 gallons, and as each gallon will dissolve 3 lbs salt, then 18 lbs of salt will have been consumed each regeneration, but if a 1 gpm BLFC is actually installed, then 36 lbs salt will have been consumed. The salt setting is to correspond to the capacity to be regenerated so if more salt is dissolved than required, that excess salt is then wasted.

To verify which BLFC is installed, that info is normally specified on a label located close to the brine line connection.

Also, as the kids get older and move out, how do I scale down the settings on the softener when we have less people in the house?

With the appropriate settings for hardness and capacity as recommended above, you should not need to scale anything down. Since the softener is equipped with a meter to measure soft water consumed, it will regenerate when the programmed capacity has been consumed. As water consumption changes, the frequency of regeneration will automatically be adjusted by the controller.

 

[JRM12]

Thank you to both of you for your help. I am out of town, but once I come back, if it turns out that the BLFC is rated at 1.0gpm, would it make sense to decrease BF to 4? Would any of the other settings change as well?

 

[Bannerman]

if it turns out that the BLFC is rated at 1.0gpm, would it make sense to decrease BF to 4?

Yes.

8 minutes BF X 0.5 gpm BLFC = 4 gallons
4 minutes BF X 1.0 gpm BLFC = 4 gallons

As each gallon will dissolve 3 lbs salt, either configuration will dissolve 12 lbs salt for regeneration.

 

[Reach4]

I do not know how to find out the capacity of the system or the resin tank as the receipt for original purchase did not have these details, nor was there any paperwork left at the house when we moved in.

It probably is, but confirm that the tank is 54 inches tall and 10 inch diameter.

 

[JRM12]

I will verify both things when I am back. I believe the 54" height by 10" diameter is correct.

Thank you again to both of you for all of your help. I will reach out if I have any further questions.