Fleck Controls used be called L.W. FLECKENSTEIN, INC. and people would say they had a "Fleckenstein valve." They are now called "Fleck Controls" and are owned by Pentair Water, a world conglomerate of water-related companies. We still sell water softeners using Fleck control valves, just not as many as we used to.

It is OK to use any kind of water softening salt, however we find that extra coarse salt works better than pellets. You do not have to add water to the brine tank again after this first time during the start-up.

Untreated (raw) water enters the valve and flows DOWN through the resin. The water is treated as it comes into contact with the resin. The treated water at the bottom enters the riser pipe and flows up through the center tube, around the piston, and into the household plumbing.