So, you think you want a water softener with a Fleck valve?
Let me clarify one thing at the beginning - Fleck does not make water softeners. Fleck makes water softener control valves, like one below. Fleck Controls used be called L.W. FLECKENSTEIN, INC. and people would say they had a "Fleckenstein valve." They are now called "Fleck Controls" and are owned by Pentair Water, a world conglomerate of water-related companies.
We still sell water softeners using Fleck control valves, just not as many as we used to. Fleck Controls makes a number of water softener control valves for residential applications including the following:
- Fleck 1500
- Fleck 2510
- Fleck 4650
- Fleck ProFloSXT
- Fleck 5600
- Fleck 5600SXT
- Fleck 5812
- Fleck 9000
- Autotrol 255
- Autotrol Performa 263/268
Yes, they have been around a long time. Yes, they are time-proven - 60+ years and counting, but like many large conglomerates, it seems to many people that they have forgotten their roots: the customer. I have been made painfully aware of this recently when it comes to warranty claims. You see, Fleck Controls offers a five-year (5) warranty on their control valves, however if you try and send in a piston and/or seal kit, they generally will not honor it. They call it "excessive war and tear." Two years old... and the piston and seal kit is bad? Too bad - it's excessive wear and tear! I have a hard time with that! Our customers deserve better, so when Fleck fails to honor their warranty, at US Water we always do. We know we can't treat our customers the way Fleck treats theirs. We eat the cost of a new piston and seal kit and make the customer happy.
Today, most of Fleck's patents have expired, and we now sell water softener control valves that use "Fleck technology" updated for the 21st Century with better seals and spacers, better brine valves and improved cantilever technology that creates less stress on the single moving part. Bottom line: they work better and last longer. Our systems have seven or ten year warranties on the valve and that includes the piston and seals.
What does that mean for you if you are wanting to buy a Fleck valve water softener? It means you should think hard, because our warranty on our Matrixx Smart Metered Water Softener is 10 years on all the parts in the valve and the electronics. PERIOD!
That's double what Fleck offers, and we include everything - the piston, motor, seals, brine valve, electronics - EVERYTHING! Well, there has to be a disclaimer (now you are thinking "got 'cha") and I have to admit that we don't cover everything that there is. If you run into it with a truck, an airplane crashes into it, a tornado, hurricane or tsunami destroys it, or if your house burns down (and any other Act of God), it is not covered! Otherwise, normal wear and tear is not an excuse.
It's my belief that you either have a warranty or you don't. At US Water we have warranties that we honor... none of this "wear and tear" stuff. If it has a bad part, we will replace it. How hard is that? When you build it better (and we do) you can guarantee it better... and we do! Why doesn't every company sell a product as good an reliable as our Fusion NLT? I'll clue you in - a dealer once told me "I couldn't make any money on service with that." At US Water Systems, our business model is not to make money on service. Our business model is to sell water softeners that don't need service for 10-20 years. Consumers love that business model!
54 Comments
Wouldn’t it be much more honest to say that you can Canature (chinese company) valves rather than making it seem like you guys came up with your own valve?
So, do you think Canature makes our valves? Is that what you are saying? If so, that would be wrong. Our valves are made by Chandler Systems in Ashland, Ohio.
I am in the market to purchase a water softener for my home. The Fleck product gets the best reviews but this product can only be bought online and I don’t know if there is a local distributor or which distributor may be desirable for customer service and troubleshooting, parts replacements, etc. I also don’t know if the reviews are valid and trustworthy. I also don’t know what the long range satisfaction is with the Fleck water softener.
Are you a distributor? Do you have a different product line than Flack?
I look forward to any additonal information you can email me pertaining to Fleck or your product.
Barbara,
We are a Fleck dealer and have been a distributor or dealer starting in the early 1980’s. I can’t tell you if the reviews are valid and trustworthy, but I can tell you that we would rather not sell Fleck because a few years ago, they changed their warranty so that it does not cover “normal wear and tear parts.” Our does! Here is the top-selling softener we make:
https://www.uswatersystems.com/matrixx-water-softener-with-smartphone-programming.html
Situations with worn internal parts are both rare and insignifiant to a businessman selling great Fleck products.
Of course, because they make a tidy profit on the repairs. On the other hand, the customer isn’t so lucky. Your focus is on the business, but ours is on the customer!
I have a fleck 5600sxt purchased 1 year ago. Would it b possible to replace the control head without having to replace the mineral tank ?
Yes, you can do that. You might want to consider this one:
https://www.uswatersystems.com/fusion-nlt-water-softener-valve.html
I have a Fleck 5600sxt. It’seems been running fine for 3 years now. I haven’the had a single issue. The whole made in China is horrible. If I would have seen a made in America water softener when I bought the one I have I would of opted for the made in the USA softener. Not because I’m rich (I’m not), but because I believe in supporting American workers first.