Should You Buy a Fleck Water Softener on Amazon?
We get literally dozens of these cases some days:
Customer: Hi. I purchased a water softener on Amazon along with professional installations. The unit is not cycling. I've been trying for a few weeks to reach someone on the Amazon site but no one is replying. I've since had the installer come back out and check to ensure it's been installed correctly, which was verified. I think the product is defective. Please advise on how to get a replacement. US Water Systems: Your only recourse is with Amazon. That's why we urge people to deal with a company with REAL technical support like us. Customer: Are you the manufacturer for the water softener? Amazon only offers service for 30 days, No one can know it's not working in that time. This is not a service issue, is a manufacturing issue. If you are not the manufacturer of the FLECK water softener can you refer me to who that might be? US Water Systems: No, we do not sell Fleck Valve Water Softeners on Amazon. You should be able to look on your original listing or invoice as to who the manufacturer is.
Like I said, we hear this many times every day. A person calls or e-mails or somehow contacts us because the Fleck Valve Water Softener is not working or they are having some issue as to how they should program or set it. Look, I buy lots of stuff on Amazon. It's easy, convenient and not a hassle, but I would NEVER in a million years buy a water softener on Amazon unless I was already a water softener technician. Why? Because a water softener is a device that can be very difficult to program, set or diagnose without good technical support. US Water Systems is the only online company with a true technical support department backed by technicians with over 200 years of combined water softener experience. 200 years of experience in servicing and installing Fleck valves. Some people say "I have a Fleck water softener." No, they have a water softener with a Fleck valve. Fleck does not make water softness - they make the control valves which operate water softeners and backwashing filters.
I teach classes on water softening and after a 40-Hour Week of Training (at a cost of $1,990) you would be competent to install, service, troubleshoot and program a Fleck Valve water softener, or you could just buy a system from a company who has a true technical support department like US Water Systems, and call us for Tech Support, Troubleshooting and Programming Support. Our guys do thus stuff in their sleep - well not really, but it is second nature to them because they have 200 years of experience. When you buy a water softener from Amazon, you are on your own and if you have taken my course, you will be fine. If not, you might be screwed.
Why a Fleck Valve Softener?
Lots of consumers ask for a Fleck Valve water softener by name. Fleck makes lots of water softener and filter valves (see below), but the most popular are the 5600, 5800 series and 2510. Fleck has been building these controls for 50+ years and they have excellent online reviews. I believe that many of these reviews are instituted by Fleck dealers who love the profit they make from water softeners with Fleck valves. You see, a few years ago, Fleck decided that their warranty did not cover the things that go bad the most. They have 5 year warranty on the "Valve" which is like having a 5-year warranty on the block of your car's engine, but no warranty for the pistons, camshaft, lifters, oil pump, etc. The Valve doesn't fail - it's the parts that fail and this is what Fleck's Warranty says. I have copied it verbatim as it relates to the Fleck Valves.
EXCLUSIONS FROM THIS LIMITED WARRANTY This warranty does not cover the following instances:
Damage or failure of a Product or Part caused by friction, wear, chemical attack, or debris build-up on Wear Parts. “Wear Parts” include, but are not limited to: pistons, piston rods, seals, spacers, end cap quad rings, and brine valves on all piston operated valves, as well as valve disk flappers on Autotrol valves, and parts requiring replacement under recommended maintenance procedures, such as filter housing O-rings and gaskets.
Dealers love to charge for those repair parts. It's "normal wear and tear," they say. US Water Systems sells water softeners with Fleck valves at our www.FleckSystems.com site because there is a demand for them and we supply parts and support. However, if you ask us what we prefer, we will tell you that none of us have a Fleck Valve water softener in our homes. Fleck valves have a 5-year warranty, but that warranty does not cover "wear and tear parts" which is only just about everything that can go bad! 
Dinosaur Buttons[/caption] As a comparable system to the Fleck Valve water softeners, we sell the US Water Flexx and US Water Matrixx water softeners, which are Made in the USA and have a much better warranty. The Flexx has a 7-Year Warranty on the Valve and Electronics while the Matrixx has a 10-Year Warranty on the Valve and Electronics, but he's where they are dramatically better: THE FLEXX AND MATRIXX WARRANTY COVERS THE WEAR AND TEAR PARTS. Once you have one, a dealer won't "nickle and dime you to death" with replacement wear and tear parts. Additionally, the Flexx and Matrixx are not programmed with "dinosaur buttons" (shown to the right). The Flexx and Matrixx utilize "Precision Programming" found on the WaterLogix app on your Smartphone (Android or Apple). You don't have to remember which buttons to push - The up or the down button or the other one, etc. All you do is open the app and hit SET, and the softener instantly becomes the time on your Smartphone. 
You can also program the softener's cycles precisely and most efficiently with the Waterlogix app (pictured at the left) and "Precision Programming" so that backwash, brine, slow rinse, fast rise and salt settings are fully adjustable and under your control. This enables you to manage the settings and efficiency better than any softener on the market with our Bluetooth activated app. You can also monitor current water flow, peak water flow, soft water remaining, todays water usage, historical water usage and total water usage. It utilizes a 9 Volt battery that returns the softener to service in case the power fails and the system is in regeneration, so that water will not be wasted. You can regenerate it immediately if needed or at the next scheduled regeneration time.
In Conclusion:
Buying a Fleck Valve Softener on Amazon may be right for you if:
- You don't mind not having support for installation, service and tech trouble-shooting;
- You enjoy paying extra for "wear and tear" parts that would be under warranty with a US Water Flexx or Matrixx softener;
- You don't care about ease of programming;
- You don't care about efficiency and water waste and salt waste;
- You don't care about monitoring your water usage; and
- You don't care that the warranty can't holds a candle to a Matrixx or Flexx
In other words, a softener on Amazon might be right for you if you don't know better or don't care. Well, now you know better, but do you care? If you do, a Flexx or Matrixx might just be what you need!
14 Comments
I am very interested in your Flexx Pro series. we just bought an older home with what appears to be an older disconnected unit with a Fleck 2510. I don’t believe the previous owner had used it for the last few years. I have no idea how old the resin tank is. Probably a safe bet to replace all? Did a quick water test with Home Depot test strip. Results were 300 ppm total hardness, PH 7.5, No chlorine, No nitrates. We are out in the country and on a well of about 200 ft deep. The house has only one bathroom and just my wife and I occupy the house. I noticed you have a unit for $895. I am also comparing that to a Flecks ABC water softener 5600sxt for $620. I am leaning towards the Flexx with the better warrenty and support. Can you advise based on our situation and cost difference. Space is not an issue.
ABC Water is a company that we are preparing to sue. On Amazon, they tell people to call us for service. We have nothing to do with them, so that is about as deceptive as you can get. Our Flexx has a 7-years warranty on the valve and electronics while the 5600 SXT has a 5-year warranty which does not cover the wear and tear parts like the seals, piston, brine valve and motor. Ours has a full 7 years on all that. You can get an additional 11% off with the coupon code. Our customer service and tech support is legendary!
Can you please help me with advice on my 15 year to water softener installed by our local kenitco dealer. The service people want to make commission on selling us a new system but I believe that the current softener just need adjustments. I know that our old RO system works well and I can tell that the softener is working but nobody wants to explain the settings to me. It’s been a frustrating experience for many years.
Kinetico has no external settings. A Kinetico dealer has to disassemble the valve and replace the valve discs. No one else can do it. You are at their mercy, but you don’t have to be.
Kinetico typically pays 20 to 30% commissions, so of course they do want to sell you something.
Our Synergy is as good… actually better than a Kinetico, in my opinion… and it is easily programmed without a service tech:
https://www.uswatersystems.com/synergy-twin-alternating-metered-water-softener.html
Let us know if we can help.
What is your recommendation for water softener, Flexx or Matrixx, for 2 stories house, 3 bathrooms, 4 people? I want some options so I can choose. Thank you so much.
Either one works fine. The Martixx has a better warranty the Vortech Tank.
But which company actually manufactures the Matrixx’s valve? USA Made or some overseas junk?
We have it manufactured in the USA and it is not made overseas of junk! We do not divulge the name of any company we deal with in manufacturing. In fact, we all have non-disclosure agreements.
I have (3) Fusion NLTs. Bought from USwatersystems in 2013.
(1) Fusion NLT is used as my water softener backwash valve.
The other (2) run tanks with Katalox to clean out everything.
The problem I am having is the electric motor breaks the little pin internal of the plastic housing (that helps hold the motor gear arm steady) and losses the ability to properly turn the gears inside to open/close the valve.
This then causes other issues, as this can happen at anytime. I am only able to manually check the system once a month (I work out of state). I would think other owners check theirs once every few months, if that.
As the motor cannot turn properly it burns up or destroys itself.
I have replaced these motors, tried to use JB-weld to hold the little pin in place, but now I am seeing the internal parts for the Fusion NLT I used to buy are no longer available on your website.
I replace the valve washers and gaskets once every year.
I paid a significant amount of money for these valves when I built my water treatment system for my home.
Why should I buy the “new” Matrixx or Flexx valves when I already bought your Fusion NLT and now cannot service it?
These things are not cheap. I dropped over $2,000 6 years ago and do not want to do the same for something you may or may not support in the future.
Searching the internet I am finding tons of motors for Fleck valves, none for the Fusion NLT. Not even basic 12VAC, 2RPM, CW, 3W timer motors. Everything is 120VAC.
It looks like the Fleck valve can be serviced easily and probably for decades to come.
Please give me your thoughts on this matter as I am about to replace the Fusion NLTs (as they break) with something, I just do not know what yet.
Thank you…
We sold the Fusion NLT until last year and discontinued it for two reasons:
1. The quality dropped immensely over the years; and
2. We developed a better more robust alternative.
However, the parts are still available and should be on our website. I will check into that and see why they are not on the site. The Fusion NLT is just as easy to
I would like to know why you are having these issues and would like to talk to you about it. Our new Matrixx is similar to the Fleck 5000 but with several robust upgrades to the piston and seals.
Please call me at your convenience. 800-608-8792
this it’s right we should don’t buy water softeners amazon , I purchased a fleck , in January and I have problems with lots of pressure in toilets after generation, I call lots of times and they don’t know, and don’t care , and sellers don’t have local service to repair there products , don’t buy certain things from them, buy directly from suppliers !
Sorry to hear. That’s why a Real Company with Real Technical Support is so important. US Water Systems is one of the few in the water industry that offers that to all of our customers.
I want to buy a residential water softener, from you guys, not from Amazon, and then I need professional installation. Single family home with 5 people. What product do you recommend? Do you know of any local dealers, plumbers/installers in the Denver, Colorado area that have experience installing your products?
We have several in that area. Just give our customer service department a call.