Softener help

[Bricks]

Hey does anyone have any information on these water softeners? I don’t know what brand they are. They won’t kick on by themselves so I have to remember to rotate a knob to manually start them. I don’t know much at all about softeners. I just randomly check the hardness and start one or the other up. I don’t even know how to tell which one is in use. Thanks. It’s been a rough weekend. Started off on Friday after the roads were just drying up after a snow. You know, when everyone wants to wash the salt off? My overhead door on the auto got caught and the cables came off the spools, then the door slammed down sideways. Good times

 

[MEP001]

It's a Fleck 2900 series system. It should have a meter inline on the plumbing connected by either a cable or a wire. The meter in the plumbing has probably gone bad - it's not real expensive and very easy to replace. Do you get soft water after it starts the regeneration cycle?

 

[Bricks]

It's a Fleck 2900 series system. It should have a meter inline on the plumbing connected by either a cable or a wire. The meter in the plumbing has probably gone bad - it's not real expensive and very easy to replace. Do you get soft water after it starts the regeneration cycle?

Thank you! Yes sometimes it takes two cycles to get it softened.

 

[MEP001]

That could indicate a problem with one of the heads. I've had the spacers collapse and the seals misalign where one head won't draw brine. I suggest checking the hardness every day and tracking it on paper, and each time write down which softener it's on. I can't see it in your photos, but there should be a red pointer in the window that indicates which is in service and which is in bypass. You may have to take the covers off and get the pointers back in place, it's very easy.

 

[Greg Pack]

Fleck 2900 head but I don’t recognize the electronics on it. Hopefully it just a flow meter issue which as Miles said can be rebuilt or fixed cheap. If the problem lies in the controller it’s a slippery slope into possible replacement of the entire system depending on age of components and resin.

I decided to go ahead and replace my 15 year old fleck head because by the time I updated the electronic controller (which went fromAC to DC ) and rebuilt the head I was a good way towards buying a new head. Also if the head needs to come off you may need to take a hard look at the whether the resin needs replacing while you’re in there.

I’m converting to hard water rinse here, water is only 5-7 grains. I’m pulling out dual tank systems and putting in single tank systems that only soften chemicals and RO. Salt usage is greatly reduced. You might want to see if that is an option if you’re water isn’t too hard.

 

[Bricks]

Shortly before I signed the papers for my wash, the owner gave away the small softener that was on the water well used for the auto (in the past). What would be a good small softener setup for that? Is there something decent I could get at Home Depot ?

 

[MEP001]

Don't waste your time or money at Home Depot. It's way overpriced for what you can get at discountwatersofteners.com or Kleen-Rite. You would need to test the hardness from the well to size a replacement softener.

 

[Bricks]

Don't waste your time or money at Home Depot. It's way overpriced for what you can get at discountwatersofteners.com or Kleen-Rite. You would need to test the hardness from the well to size a replacement softener.

The hardness is 20.

 

[Greg Pack]

The hardness is 20.

That's pretty hard, at that level I would continue to soften everything. I have a friend who has some well water that hard and his auto bays look absolutely terrible, like he's using reclaim.

 

[Bricks]

That's pretty hard, at that level I would continue to soften everything. I have a friend who has some well water that hard and his auto bays look absolutely terrible, like he's using reclaim.

So would it just take more salt? Thanks

 

[cantbreak80]

With proper settings, new resin in a 5 cu ft softener will provide approximately 6,750 gallons of soft water…assuming 20 grain hardness, 10% safety factor.

With “minimum salting” of 6 lbs per cu ft, each regeneration will consume approximately 30 lbs of salt.

With 8 lb settings, each regeneration will use 40 lbs of salt. (To provide salt efficiency, and reduce chances of hardness breakthrough, this is how I would set it up)

 

[Greg Pack]

Bricks, look on your tanks and see if the size is printed on them

 

[Bricks]

Bricks, look on your tanks and see if the size is printed on them

Ok will do in the morning.

 

[MEP001]

If it's not, just measure the height and circumference of the tanks.

 

[Bricks]

If it's not, just measure the height and circumference of the tanks.

Ok

 

[Bricks]

Has anyone heard of Nuvoh20 water softeners?

 

[MEP001]

It's more of a drinking water filtration system, not a softener. It would not be cost-effective to operate for a car wash. It softens the water, but the media gets replaced as filters instead of regenerated with salt.

 

[Bricks]

Bricks, look on your tanks and see if the size is printed on them

This is all I see. I can measure the tank too.

 

[cantbreak80]

Bricks,

Your system was assembled by Huron Valley Sales...probably 20+ years old?
The tanks are 18" dia x 65" tall
Each tank contains 5 cu ft of resin and ~25 lbs of gravel.
The valves are Fleck 2900.
The 3200ET Remote controller...obsolete, I believe...I haven't seen one in over 20 years...pain in the neck in my experience.

New Pentair (Fleck) systems are assembled using 2900s valves. These can be equipped with Pentair's digital NXT2 controllers which are networkable with CAT5e cable...much simpler to program...DC powered motors operate very quickly. For multi-tank installations, program settings on one NXT2 controller and all connected controllers are synced.

Pentair also owns Sta-Rite but new tanks are "Structural".

Here's a recent twin-alternating 4 cu ft installation...with all the "good stuff".
The owner called about a month after installation, concerned that the salt consumption was dramatically reduced.
I told him to test the water and call me if it ever tested over 1 grain hardness.
9 months later...Radio silence!

 

[Bricks]

Bricks,

Your system was assembled by Huron Valley Sales...probably 20+ years old?
The tanks are 18" dia x 65" tall
Each tank contains 5 cu ft of resin and ~25 lbs of gravel.
The valves are Fleck 2900.
The 3200ET Remote controller...obsolete, I believe...I haven't seen one in over 20 years...pain in the neck in my experience.

New Pentair (Fleck) systems are assembled using 2900s valves. These can be equipped with Pentair's digital NXT2 controllers which are networkable with CAT5e cable...much simpler to program...DC powered motors operate very quickly. For multi-tank installations, program settings on one NXT2 controller and all connected controllers are synced.

Pentair also owns Sta-Rite but new tanks are "Structural".

Here's a recent twin-alternating 4 cu ft installation...with all the "good stuff".
The owner called about a month after installation, concerned that the salt consumption was dramatically reduced.
I told him to test the water and call me if it ever tested over 1 grain hardness.
9 months later...Radio silence!

View attachment 5082

Wow! Nice!
One of the tanks is 30 inlet and 60psi outlet. The other is 34psi in and 34 out. What does that mean? I reattached the in service pointer on one and it tested hard this morning, so I turned the manual cycle knob. The other one tested soft. I cycled both manually, recently. The other one doesn’t have a pointer on it.