Fleck Meter: Mechanical vs Electronic

[peterreb]

I'm about to purchase a water softener. Anyone care to weigh in on the advisability of going with either the 5600 Fleck mechanical meter or the 5600 SXT electronic meter?

I believe the electronic version, though newer, has been sold for a while now, so there should be a large installed base. Are they proving reliable? The reliability of modem electronics is so good that I'm inclined to go that way. With modern electronics (TVs, stereos etc.), if they work out of the box and don't fail in the first 72 hours you're probably good to go. On the other hand, the mechanical meter has a longer track record and seems to have proven itself.

The softener will be installed in a full (but unfinished) basement with temperatures that stay within a few degrees of 55 F year-round.

Thoughts? Opinions? Experiences?

Pete

 

[ditttohead]

Both valves are ok but are also 30+ years out of date. Fleck and Clack make newer valves that would outperform these legacy valves any day. Stick with Fleck or Clack, avoid any of the dozen knock-offs and beware of the low price leaders online, stay far away from them. Some will source counterfeit valves and stick them on the cheapest components they can find in order to be the lowest price on the internet. This is not a good piece of equipment to buy. See if any local companies will sell you a Fleck or Clack based system at a reasonable price. Otherwise I would be glad to direct you to some reputable companies.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[peterreb]

Both valves are ok but are also 30+ years out of date. Fleck and Clack make newer valves that would outperform these legacy valves any day. Stick with Fleck or Clack, avoid any of the dozen knock-offs and beware of the low price leaders online, stay far away from them. Some will source counterfeit valves and stick them on the cheapest components they can find in order to be the lowest price on the internet. This is not a good piece of equipment to buy. See if any local companies will sell you a Fleck or Clack based system at a reasonable price. Otherwise I would be glad to direct you to some reputable companies.

Thanks, dittohead. I see by your website that you're an industry pro, though far away from me in California. I'm aware that there are pricier valves made by Fleck (and Clack, though Clack seems to enjoy less wide distribution -- or so it seems to me for this area). I'm just not sure I'd benefit from spending more. House is a 1942 Cape Cod that has never had conditioned water. Hardness is 9.1 grains. Two bathrooms but house occupied only by me, a 65-year old man. I like the idea of the on-demand regeneration of the electronic meter, since the water use in my house is way below what it would be if occupied by a couple with kids, or even by just a couple and I fell like a timed regeneration (as opposed to on-demand) would ultimately be wasteful. Not sure if this site allows links to sellers, but for what it's worth here's what I'm considering:

This one, the mechanical version, is sold by a retailer here called Farm & Fleet. Doubt you have them in California. Think a junkier Tractor Supply store and you've got the right picture. The units, though, are the product of a Wisconsin-based water supply outfit called Addie Water Systems:

https://www.farmandfleet.com/produc...stems-32000-grain-metered-water-softener.html

http://www.addiewatersystems.com/

The electronic version I'm considering comes from an online outfit based in Illinois called Quality Water For Less:

https://www.qualitywaterforless.com/Fleck_5600SXT_Meter_32000_p/f-r32-56sxt.htm

I've never considered Home Depot for this product but I see among their "Special Buys of the Day" for today (Wednesday 7 October) there is this:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Harmony...nt-and-Carbon-Pre-Filter-AS-HS32SCP/311395111

Online reviews for all these products seem good but am never sure to what extent they can be trusted. Not really concerned with saving $50 or $100. This is probably the only water softener I will ever buy and would prefer to do it right and buy it once. What units or vendors do you recommend? I'm all ears.

Pete

 

[ditttohead]

PM sent. And... definitely not the HD one.

 

[maninthebox]

PM sent. And... definitely not the HD one.

I'm also in WI and was looking at the same two softeners as OP which don't seem to be recommended here. Also, I'm on city water (Brookfield), should I be considering a pre-filter? I will be replacing a Kenmore Ultrasoft 275.

 

[ditttohead]

No need for a pre-filter, the softeners are self cleaning. I would recommend considering a whole house carbon backwashing system that I properly sized ahead of the softener.