Water Softener Question

[nwgreen2]

My wife and I recently purchased our first Entegra, a2018 Cornerstone. I bought the coach from a dealer who had taken it on consignment so I don’t know the original owner. The original owner had installed an ABCwaters built Compact Fleck 5600sxt 16k water softener. Unfortunately the information I have on its setup and operation is none and the dealer is of no help. I have tried to contact ABCwaters in Phoenix but their phone is no longer working. I would love to use the system but haven’t got a clue where to start. I have never used anything like this before and I’m hoping someone can get me started. Any help is appreciated.

[buddy110]

Originally Posted by nwgreen2

My wife and I recently purchased our first Entegra, a2018 Cornerstone. I bought the coach from a dealer who had taken it on consignment so I don’t know the original owner. The original owner had installed an ABCwaters built Compact Fleck 5600sxt 16k water softener. Unfortunately the information I have on its setup and operation is none and the dealer is of no help. I have tried to contact ABCwaters in Phoenix but their phone is no longer working. I would love to use the system but haven’t got a clue where to start. I have never used anything like this before and I’m hoping someone can get me started. Any help is appreciated.

There shouldn't be much to do save for recharging the resin when needed. Have you tested the water to see how soft or hard it is? Do you have a picture of the softener?

Here's their websitehttps://abcwatersofteners.com

[buddy110]

Amazon shows this as a 54" tall unit. Where is this located in your coach?

[nwgreen2]

The unit is located in what I believe is the bay which used to be used for battery storage, drivers side right behind front tire.

[buddy110]

This unit appears to be an auto unit. Just keep the salt topped off and you're good to go

[DebbieMH]

Looks just like the unit we have from motorcoachwaterfiltration.com Bet it is the same owners manual as well. I'm 3 hours away from my coach, or I'd scan it and send it to you ... but, several here have Jim Roberts unit (motorcoachwaterfiltration.com). So, maybe someone will jump in. I know Jim & Deb Stephenson have it. Maybe PM them. It's a great unit, never had a problem and it is totally trouble, maintenance free system. Always have wonderfully soft water!

[rorr1821]

Originally Posted by nwgreen2

The unit is located in what I believe is the bay which used to be used for battery storage, drivers side right behind front tire. Attachment 295984

Attachment 295985

I personally installed the exact same unit on my motorhome. Yes, ABC water seems to have gone out of business. What questions do you have?

[rorr1821]

After I posted a reply, I went back and looked closer at your pictures. I noticed the valves on the inlet and outlet water lines are turned so your water is not going through the softener. It may be you intentionally turned the values. I also noticed that the backwash line seems to be going down which suggest the regeneration water is being dumped on the ground. This could be a big deal if you are in a park on concrete because salt water is not good for concrete. I have several recommendations of what you should check. Yes, all water softeners work the same in theory. Basically the water flows through the resin and in the process it is softened. Also depending on your water In your area some iron is also removed. The resin must be regenerated on regular basis to maintain it’s efficiency. The programmable head on this unit can be adjusted to regenerate for the hardness of the water in your area. The salt tank must be filled with water softener pellets to make a brine mixture. This salt water wash’s the resin in the regeneration process.

I have read where some people claim they go for extended periods (3 to 4 weeks or longer) between regenerations. If you are in central Mississippi where I have a farm that could happen because the water is naturally soft. However, if you are in central Texas,where I am currently, I am luckily to go 5 days between regeneration because the water is so hard. I average 250 to 300 gallon of usage between regenerations. I should also note if you consistently allow your resin to completely get to a point where it does not softener the water it will shorten the useful life of the resin.

Unless the person who installed your unit added a water flow meter to the back of Fleck head you can only program your head to regenerate on a daily time basis by estimating your daily water usage. In my opinion this becomes problematic because of various usage factors. However, you can always do an as needed manual demand regeneration.

I would invest in some hardness test strips or a chemical analysis kit. I found the chemical test kit to be much more accurate than the strips.

Let me know if you need the manuals.

Ray

[nwgreen2]

Ray, thank you for your reply. Yes, I would appreciate a copy of the manual. Your correct in noting that the valves in the photos are turned to the off position. That because I have been bypassing the softener until I understood it’s function better. Regarding the drain, I believe you are right and it was installed to empty through the bay floor. I can appreciate that any salt solution poured onto concrete is not a particularly good idea. How should this be drained, into the grey tank somehow? If so, how is this generally done? My system does not have a water meter installed.

I spoke with Jim Roberts about a week ago and He told me to simply add some rock salt into the black tank, plug it into the electrical outlet and check the programming. I followed his instructions and watched several YouTube videos on how to program the system and it appeared that the system had already been programmed by the previous owner.

You made reference to a resin product or material. I’m not familiar with this part of the system, nor am I sure my system has any. Is this in the same tank as the salt? How do I determine if it is already there and if not, what do I add and how much?

As you may be able to tell, I have no previous experience with any sort of system and a apologies for my questions and appreciate any help you can provide.

[buddy110]

Originally Posted by nwgreen2

Ray, thank you for your reply. Yes, I would appreciate a copy of the manual. Your correct in noting that the valves in the photos are turned to the off position. That because I have been bypassing the softener until I understood it’s function better. Regarding the drain, I believe you are right and it was installed to empty through the bay floor. I can appreciate that any salt solution poured onto concrete is not a particularly good idea. How should this be drained, into the grey tank somehow? If so, how is this generally done? My system does not have a water meter installed.

I spoke with Jim Roberts about a week ago and He told me to simply add some rock salt into the black tank, plug it into the electrical outlet and check the programming. I followed his instructions and watched several YouTube videos on how to program the system and it appeared that the system had already been programmed by the previous owner.

You made reference to a resin product or material. I’m not familiar with this part of the system, nor am I sure my system has any. Is this in the same tank as the salt? How do I determine if it is already there and if not, what do I add and how much?

As you may be able to tell, I have no previous experience with any sort of system and a apologies for my questions and appreciate any help you can provide.

Here's a simple article which explains it. The resin is in the main tank

https://www.scientificamerican.com/a...-softeners-wo/

[rorr1821]

I will work on copying manual and contact you on how to transfer it.

I recommend draining the backwash water into the grey tank. I have read where some installs were done by tapping into the grey tank wall. I was not comfortable comprising the grey tank. So I approached it differently. It requires you purchase a saddle so you can connect to one of the down drains going to the grey tank from a sink. I found it easier to connect to the middle bath sink down drain in the wet bay. I also know of another person who found it easier to make this connect on the passenger side. His coach unlike mine did not have the enclosures covering the tank. I will need to dig out where I purchased the saddle because these saddles are not a common plumbing item, should you decide to make this change. You will also need to purchase some clear hose and hose clamps from Lowe’s. The most difficult part of this modification is the saddle installation. Once you snap the saddle onto the drain pipe it is glued in place and can not be removed without cutting out that section. Also you must drill a hole through the drain pipe so the saddle fits over that hole. There is a nipple on the saddle where the drain hose connects.

All water softeners have a special resin in the tank which you have found on you tube.

I would highly recommend not to use rock salt. I have read that rock salt, unlike salt specifically made for water softeners, has impurities that could be harmful to the resin and your health. Water softener pellets are available in most Lowe’s. I believe the instruction manual also states not to use rock salt.

Ray

[DeWat]

Hopefully, this is a start...

[schad]

Originally Posted by rorr1821

I recommend draining the backwash water into the grey tank.

How much water does a regen cycle use on these units? In my S&B system it uses a ton of water. Of course, this much-smaller unit will use much less water, but even so... Do you just keep your grey valve open all the time? Or is it so little waste water that it doesn't really matter?

Just idle curiosity.

[rorr1821]

Went back and checked the owners manual sent with the softener. It is 4 pages and basically tells you how to connect it. The only important page is how to program in your Walter hardness. So I took a picture of that page and attached to this post.

Go to www.pentairaqua.com and you can download owners manual and service manual for the Fleck 5600SXT downflow head which is what should be on your system.

Also attached is an email I got from 602abcwater showing what should have been programmed into the head when it was shipped. My head was not programmed correctly so you need check your program.

You can enter master programming by setting the time to 12:01PM press the extra cycle button to exit “setting time of day” mode. Press and hold down “up and down” buttons together until programming icon appears. “.....”. It also has a pencil after the dots.

Set the time of day . Press and hold either “up or down” button until programming icon appears. Press extra cycle to resume normal or wait 5 seconds.

This programming information is also in the fleck manual which is on the website.