Fleck 5600 valve

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Riovillasteve

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Hi after reviewing water softeners online I purchased one. My plumber came today and said the fleck valves are terrible they’re not true 1”
ports and will restrict the flow too much. I don’t know what to do or believe. The unit gets top marks online did I make a bad purchase? Is my plumber right?
 

Reach4

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Hi after reviewing water softeners online I purchased one. My plumber came today and said the fleck valves are terrible they’re not true 1”
ports and will restrict the flow too much. I don’t know what to do or believe. The unit gets top marks online did I make a bad purchase?
Unknown.
Is my plumber right?
Definitely not, but based on your title, if the only Fleck unit you were considering was the 5600 or 5600SXT he would be. Fleck restricts listing prices for their the newer stuff online, but I expect that aspect is the same for the unit your plumber sold you.
 

Riovillasteve

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Unknown.

Definitely not, but based on your title, if the only Fleck unit you were considering was the 5600 or 5600SXT he would be. Fleck restricts listing prices for their the newer stuff online, but I expect that aspect is the same for the unit your plumber sold you.
It’s the 5600sxt. So it’s not a bad purchase? I’m not clear on your reply he didn’t sell it to me but I think he wanted me to buy one he is representing.
 

Bannerman

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The 5600 valve is typically recommended for up to 3/4" water service. For 1" or larger service, a higher capacity Fleck model is required or at least recommended.

As your home seems to be equipped with 1" plumbing, is the 5600 you obtained online, equipped to accept 1" connectors or are reducers required?

Will your family actually experience reduced flow in installing the 5600, we can't say. I understand plumbing code requirements dictate the same size or larger connections for a softener as used in the main water service.

What is the total capacity of the softener? What is your hardness level and the number of house occupants?
 

Reach4

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It’s the 5600sxt. So it’s not a bad purchase? I’m not clear on your reply he didn’t sell it to me but I think he wanted me to buy one he is representing.
I misunderstood your post. I messaged you, but that was based on my misinterpreting. 5600SXT is plenty for most houses. Is your plumbing to the softener going to be 3/4 inch or 1 inch? Even at 1 inch, the 5600SXT is probably not going to be a pressure drop problem.

If you have city water, you should have ordered 10% crosslinked resin. For a well, 8% is good, although I got 10% even tho I have a well. Probably not worthwhile, but I will feel better when I sanitize. You should use gravel regardless. It's not terrible to not have gravel, but it is definitely better.

If the system has not been shipped yet, you might want to phone the dealer if you think you might want to upgrade. There is also a 5800SXT for 3/4 plumbing, and it has the advantage over the 5600SXT of using soft water to fill the brine tank.
 

Riovillasteve

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Thank you very much for your informative reply. We are a two bath two person house with 1” line. It looks like the bypass valve that came with the unit is for 1”. We are on a municipal well system. I was not prompted for 8 or 10 percent resin. It sounds like I should be good. Thank you
 

ditttohead

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If you read the review online then it must be true! :)

The 5600 will be fine, and to say it is a terrible valve, lol, only a few million sold. Only the best selling automatic softener valve of all time. Only the most copied softener valve with over a dozen knock-offs from China and counting.

Now the valve may be good, unfortunately you can put that valve on any piece of junk tank anf fill the tank with any garbage you can find... and the brine tank and other build components... but the valve, if it is a real Fleck and not a counterfeit valve will be fine.
 
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