The following instructions will cover the rinse process for basic backwashing media systems with the Fleck 5600 SXT digital filter valve.
After installation or rebedding a system with new media you should soak and rinse the system before running water to the service lines of the house.
After the media is loaded and before installing the filter valve, fill the tank completely with a hose and allow the media to soak for 1-24 hours. Most media will work fine with a brief soak but the longer the better.
After soaking and assembling the filter valve, plumbing, bypass and drain connections place the bypass valve into the “bypass” position.
Plug in the filter valve to 120V power.
Press and hold the “extra cycle” button on the valve for 5 seconds. The display will then flash “- - - -”. After 20-30 seconds the display will show “BW” with a time countdown. This indicates the valve has finished moving the internal piston into position and now in the backwash step.
While the countdown is displayed, slowly open the bypass valve by partially moving it towards the “service” position. Drain water should begin to flow slowly from the drain line
Allow air to purge from the drain line. The initial drain water will contain media fines and often be dark and cloudy. This will clear during the rinse process.
After 1-2 minutes of slow backwash, move the bypass valve gently to the midpoint position between bypass and service. Drain flow should increase as you open the bypass. Allow backwash to continue another 1-2 minutes.
Open the bypass to full service position and allow the backwash cycle to complete.
As the backwash runs check the drain output for media loss. A small amount off media flushed through the drain is normal during the first rinse. If a large amount of media is present in the backwash drain (enough to cover the bottom of a bucket), stop the backwash by putting the system into bypass position and contact us for support.
After finishing the backwash countdown the valve will move to rapid rinse step (RR on display). Allow this step to complete in full. After rinse completes the valve will return to the service position and display the time of day followed by the number of days until the next programmed backwash cycle.
Hold the extra cycle button again and repeat the backwash / rinse cycle as needed until the drain water flows clean and clear.
After fully rinsing the media, set the time of day on the valve to the current time by pressing either the up down down arrows and then pressing the extra cycle button to confirm the change after reaching the correct time.
The filter setup and rinse is now complete. Leave the bypass valve in the full “service” position.
(whole house & well units)