Fleck 9100 SXT Water Softener Review

If you’re looking for a Fleck 9100 SXT water softener review, you’re in the right place.

You may know that hard water can cause spots on your dishes and damages your pipes, but have you ever considered how much that hard water is costing you? 

You have to use more detergent and more water to clean and it reduces the lifespan of your appliances.

In this post we’ll look at the main properties and talk about the features of the Fleck 9100 SXT.

Fleck 9100 SXT Dual Tank System Reviewed

The Fleck 9100 SXT is a whole-home water softener that can handle anywhere from three people all the way up to ten or more, depending on the options you choose. You have the choice of grain capacities ranging all the way from 24,000 up to 80,000.

The 9100 looks different than many water softeners you’ve probably seen. Many water softeners use a dual tank design with a brine tank and a second tank for resin, or even a one tank design where both are combined into one unit. The Fleck 9100 SXT does things differently, with a tank for salt and two tanks for resin.

With most water softeners, the resin becomes saturated to its full capacity and the system goes into a regeneration cycle. While regenerating, the water softener isn’t softening any water at all. All of the hard water you’re trying to avoid is going through the system.

But the Fleck 9100 SXT has that second resin tank, which it switches to while regenerating. It provides uninterrupted soft water through your unit every hour of every day, all year long.

This alternating dual tank strategy makes this perfect for the home where people have a variety of schedules and may use water at any time. It also makes the high capacity versions, such as the 80,000 grain option, great for small commercial applications, such as a coffee shop. 

When it comes to efficiency, the 9100 is a great performer. The metered regeneration saves you money when it regenerates with its minimal salt usage and water consumption. 

Dual tanks make it even more efficient, letting it use every last bit of the capacity in one resin tank before switching to the other. This on demand flow meter will save water, which you’ll notice on your water bill each month.

The Fleck 9100 removes the hardness minerals calcium and magnesium from your water. You’ll see longer life from your appliances because they won’t become clogged and fail. 

You’ll spend less money on detergents and soaps, which are far more effective in soft water than in hard water.

Lastly, consider the expensive plumbing damage you’ll avoid. By not sending those hard minerals through your pipes, you won’t need to replace them nearly as often.

There are some downsides to this softener. First off, it’s expensive when compared to simpler single and dual tank systems. It’s also overkill for many people, who are perfectly happy with standard demand based regeneration cycles just fine. 

Pros

• Big capacity, making it ideal for homes with larger families and in small commercial spaces
• Dual tanks for resin allows round the clock soft water
• Metered regeneration reduces wasted salt and water usage
• Easy maintenance
• Softens even extremely hard water
• Simple installation
• Great customer service
• NSF certified
• High flow rate of 7 gpm for the small grain capacity softener and up to 20 gpm flow rate for high grain capacity models

Cons

• Expensive
• While the installation is simple, it takes a long time
• Only a 10 year tank, 5 year parts warranty
• It’s a large softener, requiring a lot of free space

What’s In The Box

The Fleck 9100 SXT comes with all of the equipment and components you’ll need to install it, other than a few connectors you may need to splice it into your existing water pipes. 

You get:

• Dual resin tanks
• Brine tank
• Bypass valve
• Support gravel
• Drain hose
• Bypass tube

Fleck 9100 SXT Installation

Most Fleck 9100 SXT reviews from customers say the installation process isn’t all that difficult, but it is time consuming.

Many people find this video showing the process helpful. The manual that comes with the 9100 has more detailed instructions.

Here is a shortened version of what you’ll find in the manual:

1. Turn off the water supply to the home.
2. Place the water softener tanks near a drain and electrical outlet.
3. Attach the main control valve unit onto the tank.
4. Trim the distributor tube to length and attach it to the top of the tank.
5. Connect the drain line to the adapter.
6. Fill the salt tank to about an inch above the grid plate. If there is no grid plate in your system, fill to the top of the air check on the tank.
7. Turn the bypass valve into “bypass” mode.
8. Turn home water supply.
9. Open a nearby cold faucet and allow debris from the installation to flush out of the system, then shut the faucet off.
10. Place the water softener into “service” mode and let water fill the mineral tank. 
11. When the mineral tank on the water softener is full, open a nearby faucet to work air bubble from the plumbing. 
12. Check for leaks.
13. Connect your water softener control valve to an electrical outlet.
14. Begin a full backwash.

For those who find this task daunting or anyone not handy with tools, hiring a plumber may be necessary to install this water softener. However, if you have the patience and skills necessary, you can save a lot of money by installing it yourself.

Maintenance

The most common maintenance you’ll need to perform is adding salt. In fact, that’s the only maintenance for the majority of the time you’ll own the softener. This makes it a very economical softener to own, and easy for most people to handle. Just buy the salt when you need it and top up the brine tank with salt and you’re all set.

Fleck 9100 SXT vs. Top Competitors

To help you make the best decision, we’ll compare this water softener to some of the top competitors. Let’s see how it stacks up to the Quality Water SoftPro Elite for Well Water and the Springwell Salt Water Softener System.

All of these are solid options if you’re looking for an ion exchange, salt based water softener. 

Where the Fleck Stands Out

• Neither of the other water softeners can offer the continuos softening that the 9100’s dual tank resin system offers. 
• If you opt for the larger grain capacity versions of the 9100 SXT then the Fleck far surpasses the capacity of the SoftPro system and equals the Springwell.
• Fleck’s customer service is some of the best rated we’ve found.
• The Fleck system is much more appropriate for large homes or a small business space than the other two.

Where the Others Beat The Fleck

• The 9100 is expensive. Neither of the other units are cheap, but the 9100 is hundreds of dollars more than either of them.
• Both the SoftPro Elite and the Springwell water softeners are much smaller. The 9100 requires a lot of room because of its dual tanks for resin.
• The warranty on the Fleck is only 5 years for parts, 10 years for the tanks. Both of the others offer a lifetime warranty.
• Two tanks for resin and continuous water softening are overkill for most people. Neither of the others offer this, and most people are quite happy scheduling it so their system regenerates during their sleeping hours.

In Conclusion

For large families or locations where people may need soft water at almost any time of night and day, the Fleck 9100 is an ideal choice. You’ll get soft drinking water and soft water whenever you shower or do the laundry. It has the ability to handle a small business, as well, and does a great job softening water in all situations.

For those who require a heavy duty water softener, this is perfect. If you’re unsure, or you just want to compare it to a few others before you buy, we encourage you to read through our list of best water softeners. That way you can make the best decision for you.