Piston and Seal/Spacer Replacement on a Fleck 2510 AIO Control Valve

Table of Contents:
0:00 Introduction
0:50 Relevant Parts
1:12 Isolating & Depressurizing the System
3:04 Disconnecting Valve from Plumbing
4:28 Removing the Valve from the Tank
5:22 Disassembling the Valve
9:48 Replacing the Seals, Spacers & Piston (Method 1)
13:33 Replacing the Seals, Spacers & Piston (Method 2)
15:42 Cleaning the Injectors
18:35 Reassembling the Valve
21:49 Reattaching the Valve to the Tank
24:31 Resetting the Time
25:06 Regenerate the system

[@timothythomasmellard4315]

it is very hard to make a good instruct video but you nailed it, I thank you very much, by theway if your fleck is mechanical you can loosen the gray line and release the pressure. You did this one very well, thanx for saving me money and an education which I can always use

[@gregm3381]

BEST video for this procedure on the entire internet thanks so much.

[@mathcritic]

This video was a life saver. Thank you for posting it!

[@mathcritic]

BTW I have a tip from my experience doing the rebuild job. I found it almost impossible to remove the last two spacers from the valve body because they were cemented in place with iron oxide and scale. I found that soaking the body in CLR for an hour freed up the spacers making them easy to remove. I would have liked to soak the valve body in CLR overnight but could not go without the water supply for that long. If I were to do this job again I think I would order a spare valve body (99 bucks from AFWFilters) so that I could have it all set up ahead of time and just swap it out. Then I could soak the old one for as long as needed to totally clean it.

[@kevinknotts6337]

Thanks! Just what I needed to see.

[@jasongarneau6255]

Thank you for making this video - it walked me though how to rebuild the valve without issue Thanks again!

[@mcconja]

Just got a rebuild kit today. Thank you for the video. Wonder if I need to clean the injectors. Only issue I have noticed is the piston having a tough time.

[@HomeWaterPurifiers]

Cleaning the injectors is pretty quick and easy. I would recommend doing it while you are already taking time to work on the valve as it could prevent other problems down the road.

[@mcconja]

@@HomeWaterPurifiers I did end up cleaning everything . Running g smooth again. Thanks for the video!

[@swisstoni01]

Hi that’s a great video. I have an issue with a steady trickle of water flowing to the drain from the backwash. My question is, so you need to replace the piston on most occasions or can you usually get away with just the seal replacement. Many thanks.

[@HomeWaterPurifiers]

Thanks for your feedback on the video! A slow steady trickle to drain is a good indicator that the seals and spacers need to be replaced. I would say that in most cases, you can get away without replacing the piston, however, it should be replaced if it is scored/scratched as this could cause water leakage to drain even with a new seal if the scratches are deep enough. Given that it does take a bit of work to pull everything apart to do the seal and spacer replacement, a lot of people choose to just do the piston at the same time. However, the piston definitely costs a bit more that the seals so I respect why one would not want to replace it unnecessarily. Some of our customers choose to purchase the piston and have one ready in case it is needed, but if the original is still in good shape, they re-use it and keep the new piston for future use. I think this is a reasonable approach. It is almost inevitable that eventually the piston will need replacement especially when used in an iron filter where it is subject to a pretty abusive environment.

[@Shananana99]

What are the symptoms of having bad spacers and or piston? I recently replaced my media again. And already my toilet are turning orange way to soon. Now Im sure it wasn’t the media but rather something wrong with my system itself. Thanks for this video. Much appreciated! Also when we replaced the media we didn’t discharge the air like showed here. We just unscrewed the top. Would that cause any problems?

[@HomeWaterPurifiers]

Hi Shannon. The most common symptoms associated with a failed seal/spacer assembly or piston would be water leaking to the backwash drain line when the controller is in service mode. If the piston was broken and in the service position, there would be a failure to backwash/regenerate at all. This would eventually lead to performance problems and likely increasing pressure loss. Clogged injectors or a clogged injector screen could also cause performance problems by interfering with the air recharge process. You would not have caused any harm by not discharging the air to drain at the beginning of the media replacement process.

[@ruchancakaloglu]

Why engineers don't prefer to use selonoid valves to contol the water ? for more smooth pass ? or not to stress the tank ? thank you

[@HomeWaterPurifiers]

I think there are a few reasons. Most significantly, I think it would likely come down to cost and complexity as several solenoids would be required as opposed to a relatively simple motor and piston with seals. I would also think that solenoid valves, especially on the raw / untreated side of the system would be prone to mineral build up which would likely cause solenoid failures. Most of the solenoids I have used have a hard time with poor feed water quality. Solenoid valves also slam shut very abruptly and would likely cause significant water hammer.

[@littleonejenna1]

How do you determine the piston or the spacers need to be replaced?

[@HomeWaterPurifiers]

In most cases, you will hear a small trickle of water running to the drain when the system is in its normal service mode (filtering/treating water). Normally, in this cycle, you should not hear any water going to the drain. This is a sign that there is damage to one of more of the seals, and there is a small amount of water leaking past the seal to the drain. As pro-active maintenance, we generally recommend replacing the seals and spacers every couple of years especially if you have very high iron levels in your raw water.

[@ruchancakaloglu]

Why engineers don't prefer to use selonoid valves to contol the water ? for more smooth pass ? or not to stress the tank ? thank you

[@HomeWaterPurifiers]

I think there are a few reasons including less likelihood of water hammer, cost, and reliability. Conventional water softener valves with a motor driven piston and seals are very reliable, relatively low cost, and simple to maintain. Because the piston moves relatively slowly, there is greatly reduced risk of water hammer as compared to the snap action of a solenoid valve. As you note, the water hammer could be hard on the tank and other components in the water treatment or plumbing system. Reliable/quality solenoids are also a bit pricey in comparison.