Calling on any water softener experts. I have a Ecowater 3500R30 that is about 12 years old. Recently, after water usage, I can hear a small amount of trickling in what sounds like the resin tank. It sounds like it’s dripping from the control head down back into the tank. It last for a few minutes, then it stops. It doesn’t always do it, but it’s started again last night. Any ideas?
Water softener issues
- Thread starter BigJ273
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My backwashing filter (same head as a water sorftener) would dribble to the backwash line when the seals and/or piston had begun to leak. I replaced seals but ultimately needed a new piston to stop the trickle.
You have a stack of like 6 seals inside the head that can leak.
That's from your bad seals, the thing is sucking air during the draw cycle. You're lucky it's not overflowing the brine tank.... yet.
Bad seals where? I had a tech come out and increase the backwash time, essentially making sure no air was left after the recharge cycle. He checked everything and said it appeared fine otherwise. No more air.
I’ve been told all water softeners suck some air during the brine draw. It gets expelled out during the backwash cycle
Inside the head unit you have a piston and a series of seals that determine what mode the softener is in. The piston moves and will tear up the seals over time. If the tech fixed your issue without replacing your seals then that’s great. The seals will eventually need to be replaced. Take a look at YouTube for some great examples.
I just had the head unit replaced last year. So I’m not sure that’s the issue.
I believe this issue has been resolved. It appeared to be a well issue. We had the fitting at the well head changed and it seems to have resolved it. Fingers crossed. Air was getting into the water lines, and the sounds I was hearing was the tank equalizing due to the increased air pressure inside. We no longer have air and everything appears to operating fine now. Like I said, fingers crossed.
UVboy
New Member
Glad to hear that you've resolved this issue but I wanted to chip in my two cents in case the issue returns, or in case somebody finds this thread. Typically, if a softener continues to trickle water to drain after a regeneration, it's because the internal mechanism (usually called the piston + seal/spacer) is not sealing properly and the port to drain remains slightly open. This can be caused by debris caught in the mechanism or if the seal/spacer becomes damaged and does not seal properly. This is the most common form of softener failure and is usually quite easy to fix by replacing the piston/seal/spacer assembly.
Hey thanks for asking the question and the responses. Last time i had softener problems (15-20 years ago) i replaced the head. I guess i didn't know you could just replace the piston and seals. Just watched a fleck piston and seal replacement youtube and that's definitely easier than replacing the head. And mine's a Fleck too so i'll be ready next time. Thanks
UVboy
New Member
Some Fleck models are easier to work on than others. The 5600 and 5800 are fine. The 2510 can be quite a lot harder.
Mine is the 5600 or very similar. Manual regen timer with the day pins that you push out for the days you want to regen on. Time of day dial on the left.
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