Fleck’s new 5800 SXT and LXT seem to be the new trend in the industry. These valves are great whether you’re looking for a filter or softener valve. The 5800 LXT in particular is much easier to program than before. The valve is much simpler than any of its predecessors.
The LXT valve has a great improvement in programming. There is no hidden language or calculations required to find out. The valve is smart enough to do all the calculations for dissolved salts, backwash times and even calculate daily reserve capacity. The 5800 LXT and SXT learns your daily water usage after 4 weeks and calculates your reserve capacity based on that data. You’ll never have to run out of soft water again!
The average person can easily change the settings without professional help. Programming has been greatly simplified where the person programming does not even need to calculate the times required for salt dissolving, brine absorption and even the required backwash times.
Fleck still maintains their 5 year warranty on their new 5800 valves and so far… no complaints. Compared to cheap or off-brand imitations, Fleck water softeners are second to none. Fleck valves have been proven to stand the test of time. Most of these valves easily last 15-20 years without any real problems. Even if you were to repair a Fleck 5800 valve, maintaining the unit is pretty easy too. The valve has all snap-on closures that require no special tools, so you can easily change any part if needed.
Compared to the Fleck 5600 SXT, the Fleck 5800 LXT could be a new standard in the future. Most of this valve is DC powered motor. The 5600 and 7000 valves have a much slower piston change during the regeneration/backwash cycle. Every time the piston of a 5600 or 7000 valve is changed, it takes 30 seconds to a minute for the piston to settle into position. However, the 5800 series only takes a second or two to move into position.
Another great feature is diagnostic analysis. The diagnostics on the 5800 are much easier for the average person to read, so troubleshooting will be easier.
Overall this valve is a great valve to have and it is a valve for the future. I highly recommend looking at this valve in the future if you plan on changing your water softener. So when you get the chance, check out Fleck Whole House Water Softeners.
