Fleck 5600SXT Water Softener
In the United States, over 85% of households have hard water. Hard water is water that has an increased amount of minerals (primarily Calcium and Magnesium).
On the surface this may sound harmless, but the side effects of hard water affect almost every household task and can add many expenses to your monthly budget. Hard water makes it more difficult to clean your shower and tub because of the minerals that build up and leave soap scum. Hard water can also leave your skin and hair dry and your laundry dull and stained.
On top of all this, the mineral buildup can ruin your pipes and appliances. Fortunately, there are many options on the market to soften your household water and get rid of the irritating side effects of hard water. To view our water softener comparison can be found on our Best Water Sotener Reviews page. One of the best solutions available is the Fleck 5600SXT.
Criteria:
A good water softener system should :
- Automatic softener recharge
- Capacity to soften water for an entire house
- Low maintenance – long life span.
When looking for a whole house water softener you want to make sure that you get the correct size for the needs of your household. If you get one that has a higher capacity than you need, you will be wasting money, but if you get one with a lower capacity it won’t be as effective.
Another thing to look for is how the unit regenerates. The two most common methods for regeneration are using a timer to regenerate at particular time intervals and metered regeneration, which measures the water using a meter. The meter regeneration method is preferred, because it wastes less water and electricity and will save you money in the long run since it only regenerates itself when necessary.
Product Overview:
The Fleck 5600SXT is one of the most popular water softeners on the market. It is a salt-based system that regenerates using a meter based regeneration process, which is the more desirable method. The meter itself has been upgraded to the SXT electronic meter, which has fewer parts to worry about and is much more accurate. It is very user friendly with touch screen controls, a backlit LCD display, and a 48-hour power back up so that you can continue to have soft water even if there is a power outage and you won’t have to reprogram the unit.
The tank can hold up to 250 lbs of salt and has a 10-year warranty. It also has a safety float to prevent the tank from overfilling and a backup drain in case of overflow. This unit will treat up to 12 gpm flow rates and is good for a household with 3-6 people and moderate to very hard water. Once you have this unit for your home, you will spend less time cleaning the shower and your skin and hair will have more moisture. You will also waste less money on soap, because without hard water your soap will be more effective.
Pros
Once installed this unit starts working immediately and customers rave about how effective it is at solving their hard water problems. Not only will everything that uses water in your home be cleaner, but it will also save you money on your water bill because it will meter your actual water use and only regenerate when necessary. However, there is also a delayed meter regeneration option so you can set the unit to regenerate at a particular time if you’d like. The unit is easy to use, with a digital LCD display and touch screen controls that you don’t need a lot of technical knowledge in order to work. It also comes with a 10-year warranty on the tanks and a 5-year warranty on the electronics.
Cons
Although there are plenty of pros to this unit, some people find the installation to be a challenge. The company says that installation will take a few hours and only require basic plumbing skills, but some customers found it impossible to install on their own. However, there were also buyers who stated that as long as they prepared the tools ahead of time it really wasn’t too difficult to install. Another recommendation is to buy Shark Bite fillings, which will make the installation easier.
Conclusion
Fleck water softeners are known as some of the best water softeners on the market, with the Fleck 5600SXT being the most popular. Although it may be priced slightly higher than some of the units in its range, the quality is equal to that of a much more expensive unit.
If you are in the market for a whole home water softener, this is the unit I would recommend.
