Understanding the Fleck 5600 Water Softener Control Head

The Fleck 5600 water softener head, also known as the control valve, serves as the brain of your water softening system. This precision-engineered component manages the entire water softening process, including regeneration cycles, brine draw, backwash, and rinse functions. As one of the most widely used control valves in residential water softening systems, the Fleck 5600 is renowned for its reliability, durability, and user-friendly operation.

Key Features of Fleck 5600 Control Head:

• Advanced Control System: Manages all water softening cycles including service, backwash, brine draw, slow rinse, fast rinse, and brine tank refill
• Multiple Configuration Options: Available in time-clock, demand-initiated regeneration (DIR), and metered versions
• Durable Construction: Built with high-quality materials including Noryl and glass-filled Noryl components for long service life
• User-Friendly Interface: Simple programming and diagnostic capabilities for easy operation and troubleshooting
• Serviceable Design: Modular construction allows for individual component replacement rather than complete valve assembly
• Compatibility: Designed to work with various tank sizes and resin capacities for flexible system configuration

How the Fleck 5600 Control Valve Works:

The control head operates using a piston and seal system that directs water flow through different paths during the softening and regeneration cycles. During normal operation, water flows through the resin bed where hardness minerals are exchanged for sodium ions. When regeneration is required, the control valve automatically initiates the multi-stage regeneration process, which includes backwashing to clean the resin bed, brine draw to recharge the resin with sodium ions, and rinsing to remove excess brine before returning to service mode.