PROBLEM
CAUSE
CORRECTION
A) Fouled resin bed.
A) Check backwash, brine draw and brine
tank fill. Increase frequency of regeneration.
Increase backwash time.
A) Faulty timer mechanism.
A) Replace timer.
Iron in
conditioned water
6
A) Drain line flow control is plugged.
B) Injector is plugged.
C) Injector screen plugged.
D) Line pressure is too low.
E) Internal control leak.
A) Clean drain line flow control.
B) Clean or replace injectors.
C) Replace screen.
D) Increase line pressure (Line pressure must be
at least 20 PSI at all times).
E) Change seals, spacers and/or piston assembly.
Softener fails to
draw brine
8
A) Plugged drain line flow control.
A) Clean flow control.
Excessive water
in brine tank
7
a
Control cycles
continuously
9
A) Foreign material in control.
B) Internal control leak.
C) Control valve jammed in brine or
backwash position.
D) Timer motor stopped or jammed.
A) Remove piston assembly and inspect bore.
Remove foreign material and check control in
various regeneration positions.
B) Replace seals and/or piston assembly
C) Replace seals and/or piston assembly
D) Replace timer.
Drain flows
continuously
10
A) It is very common for the main and brine
pistons to need replacement after 5-10
years of use. The valve will get stuck
trying to complete a regeneration cycle.
Very often this occurs at the beginning of
the “brine rinse” cycle. The timer motor
may stop at this point also. The motors
are made to stop instead of forcing the
valve (which results in gear damage).
A) Replace the main piston and the brine piston
assembly. If the valve is on a chlorinated water
source or over 10 years old, it’s a good idea to
replace the main piston seals at the same time.
On rare occasions the timer motor may also
need to be replaced. Try the pistons replacement
first, this usually does the trick.
Piston Stuck in
Control Valve
11
A) There are a number of reasons why this can occur. To test if gears need replacement, remove
the meter dome, turn the cable by hand and observe the small white gears inside. You should
be able to make them turn with normal finger pressure. They should also continue to spin for
a moment after you stop applying pressure. If you cannot turn the white gear, you need to
replace the “meter cover”.
Most residential models use the standard range (0-21, i.e. 2,100 gallons) black plastic meter
cover and matching program wheel on the control. There is an extended range (0-55, i.e. 5,500
gallons) that is also available. Fleck also makes a brass 1” meter. This would only be found on
large commercial applications.
Gears inside the
metered dome
cover fail
12
A) Plugged injector system.
B) Timer not cycling.
C) Foreign material in brine valve.
D) Foreign material in brine line
flow control.
A) Clean injector and replace screen.
B) Replace timer.
C) Clean or replace brine valve.
D) Clean brine line flow control.
Salt water in
service line
7
b
A) Air in water system.
A) Assure that well system has proper air
eliminator control. Check for dry well condition.
Loss of resin
through drain line
5
Another problem that can occur with the Fleck 5600 Econominder (metered) valve. The gears inside the meter dome cover fail.
This can be due to a number of reasons.
The way to tell if this part needs replacement is to remove the meter dome, turn the cable attached by hand and observe the
small white gears inside. You should be able to make them turn with normal finger pressure. They should also continue to spin
for a brief moment after you stop applying pressure. If you cannot turn the white gear, you need to replace the “meter cover”.
Most residential models use the standard range (0-21, i.e. 2,100 gallons) black plastic meter cover and matching program wheel
on the control. There is an extended range (0-55, i.e. 5,500 gallons) that is also available. Fleck also makes a brass 1” meter.
This would only be found on large commercial applications.