Fleck 5600SXT Metered Replacement Water Softener Valve

The replacement head works great - but the supplier's customer service is what was the best to me. I had an issue & sent a question via the Amazon service request - I received a call immediately. The service rep diagnosed my issue & shipped what I needed immediately. I have not experienced customer service this good & responsive since the last century!

Replaced a newer softener control head that was not metered - set # of days only. This head can be programmed many different ways, but includes metered usage. It was pretty straight forward installation, though you've got to get your own drain fitting and brass compression fitting for the brine tank. I expected them to be included but they are not. I received NO documentation in the box, but an installation manual is available off the seller's website. It is not as thorough as the manufacturer's Supplemental Service Manual (which I recommend downloading so you can see all the options available for each programmable setting), but it was functionally OK to get up and going. One problem I had was that I did not buy the original unit so was somewhat unsure of the exact size and amount of resin. I deduced these needed details from the manual that came with the old unit. Initial, unscientific observation results in this unit seemingly using a lot of salt when regenerating, but the regen cycles are less frequent now that it's metered. I had to cut down the resin tank tube about 1.25" because the old head required it to run up inside the head further. The biggest thing left out of the manual off the supplier's website is a simple explanation of the icons on the program screen. I was not sure if the "service icon" (water faucet) was supposed to be flashing or solid when in normal service mode (solid). So, since I had it set wrong, it did not regenerate when the meter said to. Have it set correctly now. I like being able to see how much usage is left before the next regeneration. Once set, the unit is pretty much "forget it." Does what I want and I'm satisfied.

Easy to install, good value for the money, uses much less salt than the old one

I replaced an old Fleck mechanical meter with this one. The installation went good the only issue that I had was the pvc pipe in the tank was smaller than the one required for the new valve. All that I did was glued a bushing onto the end of the pipe and everything went together good. The valve works very well and the amount of salt that I am now using is significantly less and the water is soft.

Ordered this as while replacing my water softener filter media and valve head unit as troubleshooting my older, manual Fleck valve evidenced that it was not working properly such as it was not drawing from the brine tank and cause my salt bin to become a solid block of salt and hence yield hard water. Other reviews indicate what size schedule 40 (if I recall correctly) PVC to use this with if you're not using the existing one. Also, if using with a new piece of PVC, be sure to check what the length should be per the valve/control unit you use. This Fleck unit calls for having the top of the PVC pipe even with the top of the media tank. Per my research, some other brands may have you cut it below or above the top of the tank. Cutting it correctly for the valve unit ensures it won't push down on the PVC pipe too much when you thread the valve control unit on which will cause the lower basket to crack, which happened to me and turned my little project into a big one. Do yourself a favor, if you're replacing your valve unit and your filter media in your tank is over 7-10 years old, just spend the extra 60.00-100.00 to replace it as it degrades over time and reduces effectiveness of your softener. Ordered it through Amazon as it was cheaper with delivery than elsewhere on the interwebs and it was fairly easy to do. Put valve connecting your valve unit to the wall/pipes into bypass, disconnect unit from wall/ pipes, unscrew valve control unit and take off tank, remove PVC pipe with lower basket by pulling up carefully, take tank outside and either vacuum it out with a shop vac or hose it out into a bin or trash, use hose to rinse all old media out of tank and PVC pipe/basket, inspect lower basket for cracks or looseness and replace if necessary (see my review on Fleck lower basket), refill tank with the appropriate amount of media for the size of your tank (see manual or interwebs), spray some water in with hose, push PVC pipe with lower basket down into media by blowing down into the pipe with your mouth (highly technical technique) to push media out of the way, feed PVC pipe top through upper basket attached to this new valve control unit (included) and thread onto the top of the media tank, attach unit back to valve/wall, slowly put the valve on wall back from bypass to normal operation so water pressure slowly fills into tank. Follow manufacturer directions from here to set up the settings on this new Fleck valve and also for start up process to cycle it through one or two backwash and fill cycles. Best of luck on your project! Disclaimer: Due this project at your own risk and do your own research if your setup differs. I will not be held responsible for any issues you may run into. I am a DIY'er trying to help others. This is not intended to be an all inclusive step by step procedure for all setups so you should do your own research for your project. Leverage YouTube and the interwebs for videos and directions to make sure you're doing it right. This info and process is just a result from my experience and I wanted to share to help others.

Up and running!

Very happy with the easy standard programming and the water meter that controls how much it runs when demand changes in your house. Because it is just the Valve Head, many people will be buying it as a part for upgrading a failing or obsolete valve head. They will want to connect it with an existing mineral tank and then be connecting it with existing plumbing. Like me they might end up disappointed on all the work that has to be done to make it fit. I was replacing my 20 y.o. Fleck 2510 Econominder Head. This head is almost 1 inch shorter for the height of the inlet and outlet water pipes, so I had to put a 1 inch piece of plywood under the tank to make it tall enough. Moreover, the inlet and outlet ports were exactly the same as my old 2510 valve, and they would mate with the existing bypass valve, but they did not reach back nearly as far as my existing 2510 head. I solved this problem by buying: Fleck COMINHKR047408 FBA_60049 Replacement bypass, Black. It's not expensive and saved me from going into my wall and extending the plumbing pipes to reach the new water softener head. Of course, this additional valve is set at wide open, and the existing bypass continues in use. This item, that I had to purchase after getting my valve head, mates with the identical existing bypass valve and the 5600 head inlet and outlet ports perfectly. Another thing is the brine line sticks out of the right side of this valve. The brine line on my old valve stuck out from the left. The waste water line sticks out of the back of this valve. On my previous valve it stuck out the right side. It shouldn't be too much trouble to accommodate these changes if you have flexible lines. If you are replacing old Fleck Heads it might not be as fast to replace as one might think. I still give it 5 stars because I don't see how the manufacturer could have avoided changing the port orientation on the 5600 valve without making improvements in the way it works. P.S. I do need to add one negative thing about Pentair: Not sure if they are Mfg. or Distributor of Fleck, but it says Pentair on the device, The device has a big sticker on the right hand side which asks you to download a smart phone app called Scan & Service. Once you download it on your phone it instructs you to scan the design on the sticker to get your information and service manuals. I did this and it asks you to register for the app by entering your name and email. I had the app and used it but after a couple of weeks, I tried to log into it and got a rude message: Your account has been deactivated, If you have Questions: Contact Pentair. i called the 800 number and was told that consumers are not allowed to use the app. I though it was the trashiest thing I had seen in a long time. Reason I wanted to use the app, which no longer works, again is because I needed to learn more about programming. I found that you can go to Pentair website and look for this device under Products heading and download the manual for this valve and always select Down Flow Valve, which this one is. The other manual is for an upflow valve. Better yet, watch the 7min 32sec Youtube Video with a real nice young lady showing you how to do it. It's simple if you see her video. The final insult from Pentair was so bad I changed my rating from a 5 star to a 1 star. If I could give it a Zero i would.

Replaced a 13 year old Fleck with this newer digital model. Probably could have walked away at that point, but the previous system seemed to use a lot of salt. I sent an email to support with a description of my system, number of people in my house, and known water hardness for my area. The techs wrote back with the code string to enter, and I use maybe 2- 40lb bags of salt every 6 Mos. The water quality is great! Thanks guys!

Excellent product

Works well. Shipping cost was high.