# Fleck 5600SXT settings: what to enter for capacity, hardness and iron, and which entries waste salt > Capacity = resin cu ft x grains per cu ft (1.0 cu ft at 8 lb = 22,000 grains), hardness in tested gpg, and metered regeneration, not a timer. | | | |---|---| | Source | https://ownerspec.com/water/guides/fleck-5600sxt-settings-hardness-capacity-regeneration/ | | Publisher | OwnerSpec (https://ownerspec.com/) | | Published | 2026-09-13 | | Updated | 2026-09-13 | | Facts verified | 2026-09-13 | | Disclosure | Contains affiliate links. OwnerSpec may earn a commission at no cost to the reader. | --- ## Short answer The Fleck 5600SXT regenerates on the numbers you enter, so the two entries that matter are capacity and hardness. Capacity is the usable grains the resin bed delivers at the programmed salt dose, not the grain count on the box: Charger Water's NSF/ANSI 44 table gives 1.0 cubic foot of 8% crosslink resin 22,000 grains at 8 lb of salt per cubic foot and 24,000 at 10 lb. Hardness is a tested reading in grains per gallon, where 1 gpg equals 17.1 mg/L as calcium carbonate per Hach's test kit page. Enter both, let the valve regenerate on metered gallons, and it uses salt only when the bed is spent. Penn State Extension says timer-based softeners regenerate whether the resin needs it or not and waste water and salt doing it, at about 50 gallons per regeneration cycle. Pentair's factory defaults for reserve, day override and cycle times are not restated here; read them from the manual that shipped with your valve. ## Fact sheet - **Answer:** Program the Fleck 5600SXT's capacity to the usable grains the resin delivers at the salt dose, 22,000 grains for 1.0 cubic foot at 8 lb per Charger Water's NSF/ANSI 44 table, and hardness to a tested gpg reading. Penn State Extension says timer-based softeners waste salt because they regenerate whether the resin needs it or not, so metered regeneration on those two entries is the saving. - **Basis:** Charger Water's NSF/ANSI 44 capacity table for 8% crosslink resin, Penn State Extension's description of timer and demand-control regeneration, and EPA's secondary standard for iron, 0.3 mg/L. - **Assumptions:** The resin is 8% crosslink cation resin loaded to the standard tank volume: 9 x 48 in equals 1.0 cubic foot per Charger Water; Hardness is entered in grains per gallon, where 1 gpg equals 17.1 mg/L as calcium carbonate per Hach; The Pentair 5600SXT master programming manual was not read for this page; its factory defaults and key sequence are not restated - **Method:** Capacity figures from Charger Water's NSF/ANSI 44 table as already used by the resin calculator, regeneration behaviour and the 50-gallon cycle figure from Penn State Extension, iron limits from EPA and NDSU Extension, test kit figures from Hach's catalog page, all read on 2026-09-13; nothing was tested. - **Primary source:** [Penn State Extension, Water Softening](https://extension.psu.edu/water-softening) (university or extension service) - **Facts verified:** 2026-09-13 - **Last updated:** 2026-09-13 - **Canonical URL (cite this):** https://ownerspec.com/water/guides/fleck-5600sxt-settings-hardness-capacity-regeneration/ Do not change a single entry until you have a hardness number in gpg and the cubic feet of resin in the tank: every value on this page is derived from those two, and guessing either one is how a 5600SXT ends up regenerating twice as often as it should. ## What does the symptom tell you? Master programming is the setup menu on the 5600SXT controller where capacity, hardness, reserve, day override, regeneration time and cycle minutes are entered. Each symptom below points at one entry. | Symptom or reading | Likely cause | Confirm with | |---|---|---| | Regenerates every 1 to 2 days | Capacity entered below the usable grains at the programmed salt dose, or the valve is effectively running a fixed schedule | Resin cu ft x grains per cu ft in the [resin calculator](/water/calculators/softener-resin-volume-grain-capacity-calculator/); Penn State Extension: timer valves regenerate whether the resin needs it or not | | Hardness returns before the next regeneration | Hardness entered in mg/L instead of gpg, or below the tested reading | Retest in gpg; the Hach Model 5-B reads 1 drop = 1 gpg | | Orange staining or rust-colored water after the softener | Dissolved iron above what the bed clears | NDSU Extension: some softeners handle iron only to 2 mg/L, others to 5 mg/L; EPA's secondary standard is 0.3 mg/L; see the [iron guide](/water/guides/iron-in-well-water/) | | Salt disappears faster than the calculator predicts | Salt dose set high, or day override forcing a regeneration before the metered gallons are used | Bags per month against the resin calculator's grains-per-pound column and the [salt usage calculator](/water/calculators/water-softener-salt-usage-calculator/) | | Valve cycles at an inconvenient hour | Regeneration time left at the factory setting | The regeneration time entry in the manual's master programming sequence | ## What does each programming entry need? Each entry is decided by the resin bed, the water test or the household, never by the grain number the unit was sold under. | Master programming entry | What decides the value | Where the figure comes from | |---|---|---| | Valve type and regenerant flow | The valve body and brine plumbing as assembled, not a household choice | Pentair 5600SXT manual; not restated on this page | | Unit capacity | Resin cubic feet x grains per cubic foot at the salt dose | Charger Water's NSF/ANSI 44 table: 1.0 cu ft at 8 lb = 22,000 grains | | Hardness | Tested hardness in gpg; 1 gpg = 17.1 mg/L per Hach | A drop-count kit or a strip, read the day you program | | Reserve capacity | Share of capacity held back so regeneration starts before the bed is exhausted | Pentair manual default; not restated on this page | | Day override | Maximum days between regenerations regardless of gallons metered | Pentair manual; not restated on this page | | Regeneration time | A clock hour when nobody draws water | Your household, entered per the manual | | Cycle times: backwash, brine draw and slow rinse, rapid rinse, brine refill | Minutes per cycle, set for the resin volume and injector | Pentair manual; not restated on this page | | Iron compensation | An addition to the hardness entry per mg/L of dissolved iron | Pentair manual; the figure was not confirmed for this page | Every figure on this page is the publisher's own number, from Charger Water's NSF/ANSI 44 table, Penn State Extension, NDSU Extension, EPA and Hach, read on 2026-09-13; nothing was tested. The Pentair master programming manual for the 5600SXT could not be read for this page, so no factory default, key sequence or cycle minute is restated here, and the manual that shipped with your valve revision is the only source for those. ## What does the number mean? Usable capacity is resin volume in cubic feet multiplied by the grains per cubic foot the resin returns at the salt dose you program. Charger Water's NSF/ANSI 44 table gives 1.0 cubic foot of 8% crosslink resin 22,000 grains at an 8 lb salt dose. The [resin calculator](/water/calculators/softener-resin-volume-grain-capacity-calculator/) carries the full table across salt doses and tank sizes. A 9 x 48 in tank holds 1.0 cubic foot in Charger Water's standard loading, so at 8 lb the capacity entry is 22,000 grains, not the 32,000 or 48,000 the unit was named for. The [resin calculator](/water/calculators/softener-resin-volume-grain-capacity-calculator/) runs the multiplication for the 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0 cubic foot tanks. Hardness is entered in grains per gallon (gpg). Hach's Model 5-B kit, catalog 145300, reads 1 drop per gpg across 1 to 30 gpg (17 to 513 mg/L as calcium carbonate) for about 100 tests. Hach's hardness page notes its UniVer reagent is built for industrial samples with metals such as copper, which is more kit than a tap needs. No Amazon listing for the Model 5-B was found when this page was written, so there is no link. The JNW Direct hardness strips are the cheaper reading: 150 strips per kit per JNW Direct, matched against a color chart. JNW Direct publishes neither the gpg range nor the read time, so read a strip result as a band, not a titration figure, and round up before entering it. If you need an exact figure instead of a band, use a drop-count kit like Hach's Model 5-B instead. A lab report in mg/L converts with the [hardness unit converter](/water/calculators/water-hardness-unit-converter/). Iron is the third input. EPA's secondary standard for iron is 0.3 mg/L and for manganese 0.05 mg/L, both non-mandatory staining limits. NDSU Extension says some softeners handle iron up to 5 mg/L and others no more than 2 mg/L, so the ceiling is your resin maker's figure. Above it, NDSU points to a dedicated removal method ahead of the softener: the [iron filter review](/water/reviews/best-iron-filter-for-well-water/) covers that class. Pentair prints an iron-to-hardness addition in the 5600SXT manual. That figure was not confirmed for this page, so apply the one in your manual, and do not substitute a number from a forum. ## Which settings waste salt? | Setting | How it wastes salt | Fix | |---|---|---| | Timer regeneration instead of metered | Penn State Extension: the valve regenerates whether the resin needs it or not, about 50 gallons of water per cycle plus the salt dose | Enter capacity and hardness and let the meter decide | | Salt dose at 15 lb per cubic foot | Charger Water's table: 28,000 grains at 15 lb against 22,000 at 8 lb, which the resin calculator's column shows as 1,867 grains per lb of salt against 2,750 | Program 6 to 8 lb and let tank size carry the capacity | | Capacity entered from the box name | A 32,000 or 48,000 name is not a rating at your dose; the bed exhausts before the meter calls a regeneration and hard water passes | Enter cubic feet x grains per cubic foot | | Hardness entered in mg/L | 171 mg/L keyed as 171 gpg makes the valve count 10 gpg water as 17 times harder, so it regenerates 17 times too often | Divide mg/L by 17.1 before entering | | Day override set to a short interval | Forces a regeneration before the metered gallons are used, and a low-use house never reaches its capacity | Raise it within the range the manual allows | The 17.1 divisor is Hach's 1 gpg = 17.1 mg/L, and the 171 mg/L example and the 17-times figure are this page's arithmetic, not a published figure. **Before you touch the valve** Do not reprogram a working 5600SXT on a guess. A strip from the JNW Direct kit gives the gpg band the hardness entry needs, and the [resin calculator](/water/calculators/softener-resin-volume-grain-capacity-calculator/) turns the tank size into the capacity entry. With those two set, every other setting is the manual's default. **If the tank never keeps up** If the softener has never kept up, the tank may be undersized for the household: the [softener size calculator](/water/calculators/water-softener-size-calculator/) shows the grains per day it has to carry. The AFWFilters Fleck 5600SXT 48,000-grain unit is the common assembled package. No Amazon listing for it was found when this page was written, so there is no link here. ## What should you do first? 1. Test hardness in gpg on the day you program; divide a mg/L lab figure by 17.1 per Hach. 2. Read the resin volume from the tank size (9 x 48 in is 1.0 cubic foot per Charger Water) and multiply by the grains per cubic foot at your salt dose. 3. Enter capacity and hardness, then confirm the valve is set to regenerate on metered gallons, not on a timer. 4. If iron is above EPA's 0.3 mg/L, apply the iron addition from the Pentair manual; above your resin maker's ceiling, fit an iron filter ahead of the softener per NDSU. 5. Log bags of salt per month for two months against the [salt usage calculator](/water/calculators/water-softener-salt-usage-calculator/); a gap means an entry is wrong. ## The picks - **JNW Direct Water Hardness Test Strips**: Get the gpg number before touching the hardness entry (150 strips per kit per JNW Direct; color-match total hardness strip; the maker's page publishes no gpg range or read time) Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B31M49N/?tag=ownerspec-20 ## Frequently asked questions ### How does a demand-initiated softener regenerate differently from a timer-based one? Penn State Extension describes two controls. Timed models regenerate on a fixed schedule and, in Penn State's words, waste more water and salt because they regenerate whether the resin needs it or not. Demand-control models count the gallons softened and regenerate after a set volume has passed. The Fleck 5600SXT is a metered valve, so the capacity and hardness entries decide that gallon count. ### What is the EPA secondary standard for iron and manganese in home water? EPA's Secondary Drinking Water Standards table lists iron at 0.3 mg/L and manganese at 0.05 mg/L. EPA calls these secondary maximum contaminant levels non-mandatory: they cover staining, taste and color, not enforced limits. Any iron reading above the 0.3 mg/L figure is the number the softener's iron compensation entry and the resin's published iron ceiling are compared against. ### Can a standard water softener remove iron on its own? Within a ceiling the softener maker sets. NDSU Extension states that some water softeners can adequately treat water with iron up to 5 mg/L, while others are limited to iron no greater than 2 mg/L. Above the figure your unit's maker publishes, NDSU points to a dedicated iron and manganese removal method ahead of the softener rather than a higher hardness entry on the valve. ### What hardness range does the Hach Model 5-B kit measure, and what does one drop mean? Hach lists the Model 5-B drop-count titration kit, catalog 145300, at a range of 1 to 30 grains per gallon, or 17 to 513 mg/L as calcium carbonate. One drop of titrant equals 1 gpg, or 17.1 mg/L as CaCO3, and Hach rates the kit at about 100 tests. Hach's hardness page notes the 5-B's UniVer reagent suits industrial samples carrying metals such as copper. ### About how much water does one softener regeneration cycle use? Penn State Extension estimates about 50 gallons of water per regeneration cycle. On a timer-based valve that volume goes down the drain on every scheduled day whether the resin is spent or not; on a metered Fleck 5600SXT it is spent only once the entered capacity, less the reserve, has been used. Every regeneration the meter skips saves that water and the salt dose with it. ## Sources - [Penn State Extension, Water Softening](https://extension.psu.edu/water-softening) (university or extension service) - [Charger Water Treatment Products, Resin Capacity chart, 8% crosslink resin tested per NSF/ANSI 44 (PDF)](https://www.chargerwater.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Resin-Capacity.pdf) (manufacturer or vendor document) - [EPA, Secondary Drinking Water Standards: Guidance for Nuisance Chemicals](https://www.epa.gov/sdwa/secondary-drinking-water-standards-guidance-nuisance-chemicals) (government or regulatory source) - [NDSU Extension, Iron and Manganese Removal](https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/extension/publications/iron-and-manganese-removal) (university or extension service) - [Hach, Total Hardness Drop Count Titration Test Kit, Model 5-B (catalog 145300)](https://www.hach.com/p-dropcount-titration-test-kits/145300) (manufacturer or vendor document) - [Hach, Hardness parameter page (test kit family, UniVer reagent note)](https://www.hach.com/parameters/hardness) (manufacturer or vendor document) - [JNW Direct, Water Test Strips category page (Water Total Hardness Test Kit, 150 strips)](https://jnwdirect.com/water-test-strips/) (manufacturer or vendor document) --- Citation: OwnerSpec, "Fleck 5600SXT settings: what to enter for capacity, hardness and iron, and which entries waste salt", https://ownerspec.com/water/guides/fleck-5600sxt-settings-hardness-capacity-regeneration/, facts verified 13 September 2026. 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