Skip to Content

Genesis vs. Fleck Water Softeners: Making the Right Choice

Genesis vs. Fleck Water Softeners, The majority of households and businesses today receive their water from either a municipal supply or from a private well. For some reason, these two water supplies may have contaminants that have to be dealt with as soon as the water reaches the plumbing system.

The various common hardness elements include calcium, iron, and manganese. This has led to people spending thousands of dollars every year on hard water problems such as clogging pipes, wear-off appliances, and even tore off clothing.

As a result, water softeners have been largely utilized in most homes to combat these issues. It is a hot topic as there are many water treatment companies, each willing to make you believe they provide the best water softener system in the market.

So in this article, we’ll take a look at the top-rated water softener in the market: Fleck vs. Genesis water softener.

Water Softeners Explained

Genesis vs. Fleck Water Softeners

After identifying the hardness, the most common method to remove it is by installing a water softener. A water softener refers to a filtration system that serves to remove hardness-causing elements like calcium and magnesium from the water through a process known as ion exchange.

Although all water softeners are designed to function based on the same principle (ion exchange), not all of them operate at the same efficiency level. Perhaps that is why most homeowners tend to compare Fleck water softeners vs. Genesis.

Genesis Water Softener

All of the Genesis water softeners use upflow technology which makes them a high-efficiency system. This upflow technology enables it to function at a much more desirable level.

The system regenerates by delivering brine water up from the bottom. It is a more advanced technology since it saves water and salt by enabling the system to calculate for usage.

In fact, only the Genesis Revolution 1” internal port softener features a 28-day water tracker that ensures capacity is always in line with usage. The fact that it learns usage means it can account for days when more water is required.

Another impressive thing about the Genesis Revolution system is that it functions on a proportional brining system, meaning it can save water and salt usage by not flushing unused capacity.

This great water softener also learns and adjusts to make sure water is always available and capacity is never violated. During heavy use periods, the Genesis water softener system will execute an emergency regeneration. It features a 20-minute regeneration intended to bridge to the end of the next cycle.

Meanwhile, for times of low water usage, this high-efficiency water softener is designed to perform a system refresh. This feature comes in handy to make sure the resin remains fresh and active while keeping it higher performing and lasting longer.

Fleck Water Softener

Made by Pentair, Fleck water softeners utilize the downflow process, which is said to have significantly less efficient performance. Downflow systems such as the Fleck 5600 and 5600SXT, for instance, don’t have the ability to track the amount of capacity that’s used.

The Fleck 5600 SXT is a metered valve, but then on the flip side, it has limited technology. Each regeneration can waste up to 1/3 of the capacity. Due to the rare usage of the reserve capacity, replacing or flushing it will lead to continually wasting salt and water every week.

The Fleck 5600, meanwhile, is a timered system that further cuts efficiency. The fact that regeneration is time-based rather than based on how much water is used means that it regenerates even if the softener can still grab hold of more hardness (magnesium, calcium, and iron).

This can result in a lot of water and salt being wasted. In fact, some reviewers stated that installing a timered water softener is just like leaving the lights on at home all day when no one is there.

Fleck vs. Genesis Water Softener: Comparison

Even though a Fleck water softener does remove hardness, it operates less efficiently and more expensively. In comparison to the Genesis Premier and Revolution, Fleck systems rank 75% higher salt and 64% more water usage.

When it comes to measuring quality, Genesis vs. Fleck Water Softeners is good to state that the Genesis Premier and Revolution water softeners come with a ten-year control valve warranty plus a lifetime warranty on both the brine and resin tanks. Fleck, on the other hand, offers only 5 years on the valve and ten years on the tanks.

The technological advancement and higher quality set the Genesis Premier as well as the Genesis Revolution well above the Fleck 5600 SXT. The whole thing is smarter and greener compared to the Fleck models made by Pentair.

When you factor in the longer warranty and higher efficiency, it’s safe to say that Genesis offers some of the best water softeners on the market today- and it does so at arguably the lowest price.

How to Choose the Right Water Softener

Genesis vs. Fleck Water Softeners

There are various factors to consider when choosing the right water softener system. Doing so can be a little tricky, so we decided to provide some helpful tips so you can quickly narrow down your options.

Consider Your Needs

Perhaps the first and foremost question is whether you really need a water softener. One way to determine this is by testing the water hardness that your household or business is currently using. 

You can do this through an inquiry to the municipal office (for those who use city water) or use a water hardness level kit test kit.

Determine Your Water Softener Capacity

How many bathrooms do you have and how many members are there in the household. Usually, a household with 1-3 bathrooms with three or fewer members requires a small to medium size water softener.

However, a house with 4-6 bathrooms with four or more members may require medium to large size water softeners.

Available Space for Your Water Softener

Water softeners are available in different sizes. Thus, it is best to ensure that you have enough room for it. It is not advisable to go for a large model if you have a small area around your intake pipes. In the event that you want a water softener that can fit almost anywhere, then you might want to consider an electronic descaler.

Buy from a Reputable Brand

Another thing to keep in mind is the brand. You don’t want to buy from an unknown brand just because it is cheaper than the competition. One of the best ways to do this is to read through reviews.

While both the Fleck vs. Genesis water softeners are popular brands in this industry, Genesis is considered as the better option overall, largely to higher efficiency and advanced technology.