If
you are filling a carbon or iron filter tank or a large softener,
you will probably have a small bag of gravel to add also. Put
this in first. Use all of the resin media that is sent with your
system. With twin-tank systems such as the Fleck 9000, divide
your resin media equally between the two tanks. The media included
with your system will not fill your tank. Automatic softener and
filter systems only require less than 2/3 of the tank to be filled.
The rest of the tank (called freeboard) is for expansion during
backwashing.
|
Activated
carbon produces dust when pouring. Be sure to use some type
of inhalation prevention. |
Step
2. Inspect Your Control Valve. In
this example, we're using a Fleck 5600 Econominder metered or
"on-demand" valve. Make sure the cable with the brass
tip is not connected to anything at this stage.
It will connect to the top of the meter assembly after your system
is plumbed in.
 |
The
meter cable is not a wire. It rotates the transmission in
the control head to track your water usage. |
Step
3. Attach the drain tube nipple. Attach
the drain tube nipple to the drain line connection. Use plumber's
tape and tighten so that the elbow points up or out. Do not over-tighten.
All of the brands, makes and models of softener and auto-backwashing
filters that we sell have drain line connections.
The
brine tank line will connect to the brine line connector.
Step
4. Attach The Control Valve To The Resin
Tank. Clean
the top of your tank thoroughly to insure proper seating of the
seal on the bottom of your control valve. Check to be sure the
distributor tube will align with the hole in the bottom of the
control valve and remove the cap or tape that you applied earlier.
Screw it down tight, but not so tight as to damage the valve body.
Usually, hand-tight is good enough to ensure against leaks. It
would be a good idea to have someone hold the tank for you as
you tighten the control valve. NOTICE: Water Value is now shipping
our softeners and filters with an upper basket riser. This device
simply attaches to the bottom of the control valve with a twist.
It is a cone-shaped device similar to the basket at the bottom
of the riser tube.
|
The
5600 control valve is attached to the tank and ready to
be plumbed. |
Step
5. Connect Your Water Pipes To The Softener.
There
are basically two sizes of water pipes for residential use, 1"
and 3/4". There are also two common types of pipe material,
copper and PVC. The tools and materials you will need will depend
on which material and size of water pipes that you have. Suffice
to say that this is the point at which you will need to decide
whether or not you are going to do the plumbing yourself, or hire
a professional to do it for you. Either way plumbing codes vary
from location to location, so make sure that you follow the requirements
of your location. The following examples are just that; examples.
We
have two examples of plumbing involving copper pipe. The copper
pipe was "sweated" together using a propane torch, solder
and soldering paste. The owner's manual that comes with your particular
system will demonstrate the proper flow direction for your particular
control valve. Directional arrows are also embossed onto the bypass
valve. Do not connect your water pipes backwards as this can cause
damage to the filter or softener system.
 |
 |
Here
is an example of a softener and a carbon filter with a plumbed
bypass configuration. |
The
external Fleck bypass, shown here in stainless steel, is included
with all Water Value softener and auto-filter systems. This
system was connected using flexible copper pipes. |
Step
6. Brine Tank Preparation. Except
for certain Autotrol configurations all Water
Value softener systems come with a complete
brine tank with the air-check mechanism inside the tank. All systems
have a 2310 safety shut-off assembly in case of power failure.
This prevents the control valve from refilling the brine tank
too high. The 2310 safety shut-off float will need to be sized.
The instructional tag recommends trimming the float assembly to
allow for 10 inches of water in the brine tank (measured from
the bottom of the tank, not the top of the grid) before shut-off.
In the case of a 15x17 Clack brine tank this equates to taking
5 inches off of the length of the float assembly.
 |
 |
| Follow
the instructions on the red tag for trimming the 2310 float
assembly. |
The
2310 safety over-flow and C500 air-check assembly are inside
a 4" PVC tube inside the brine tank. The float assembly
is fastened in place with a small hex-nut. |
After
trimming the 2310 float assembly to size, fasten it in place with
the hex-nut which will position the inlet/outlet of the float
assembly in line with a hole cut into the brine tank. This is
where your brine line will pass through and connect to the 500
air-check. It uses a plastic compression fitting that simply slips
over the line once you have it in place.
 |
 |
| The
brine line comes with brass ferrules to prevent the compression
nuts from pinching the line off.. |
The
compression nut slips over the brine line and attaches to
the 500/2310 float assembly. |
Connect
the brine line to the 2310 float assembly and the other end connects
to the control valve. The compression nut that connects to the
control valve is brass except for certain Autotrol and Clack configurations.
 |
 |
 |
| Slip
the brine line through the hole in the side of the brine tank. |
Slip
the compression nut over the brine line and attach it to the
float assembly. |
The
other end of the brine line connects to the control valve
with a compression nut. The arrow points to the compression
nut which must be tightened to prevent leakage. |
Make
sure that your brine tank is in the location you desire and pour
about 5 to 7 gallons of water in, or enough to cover the brine
grid by 1-inch. It is not necessary to add salt at this time.
Step
7. Connect The Drain Line. You
will need to connect the drain line to the Drain Line Flow Control
(DLFC) on both softener and auto-filter systems. The drain line
is a flexible 1/2" line that slips over the 1/2" plastic
fitting we attached earlier. It is a good idea to use a hose clamp
on this line. The drain line should be run to a suitable drain
or "crock" outside the house. Be sure to check your
local ordinance before choosing a drain location. Water
Value Co. includes 50 feet of drain line
with all of its auto-filter and softener systems.
 |
 |
| 50
foot roll of 1/2" drain line. |
Drain
line connected to the Fleck 5600 DLFC. While not always necessary,
it is a good idea to use a hose-clamp on this connection. |
Step
8. Pressurize And Backwash. If
you used the included bypass valve with your new softener or filter
system, set it in bypass mode and slowly turn on the main water
valve to your home until all pipes are pressurized. Now open the
bypass valve SLOWLY. You do not want to be surprised by leaks.
Let the media tank fill completely, then open the bypass valve
the rest of the way. Plug in your control valve to an outlet and
set the time of day, hardness and capacity if applicable. Refer
to the owner's manual of your particular make and model. To help
determine your system capacity for SE (Fleck Simplified Electronics)
control valves or to use the "alternate method" mentioned
in the service manual, visit our Fleck
Water Softener Capacity Setup page.
Once
your settings are in, advance your control valve's controller
to "REGEN" or "BACKWASH" or "MANUAL BACKWASH"
depending on your make or model. Some electronic controllers require
a series of timed button pushes to acheive immediate backwash
mode. Again, check your owner's manual for this procedure. The
backwash cycle may take up to 180 minutes. During this time check
carefully for any leaks in your water pipes, brine and drain line
connections. If you are installing a carbon, birm, calcite or
greensand filter, it is important that your system backwashes
completely or dust that is in your filter media will come through
your plumbing fixtures and water using appliances. While your
filter or softener is backwashing, it is automatically internally
bypassed so that this rinse water will not make it into your plumbing.
Finally,
add softener salt to the brine tank. It is best to avoid rock
salt as it is more apt to contain impurities which may clog the
brine line screen. You may also want to use potassium chloride
in place of salt. Keep the salt or potassium level above the level
of the water in the brine tank, or you can fill it all the way
up with salt, it's your choice.
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