What is a salt bridge and how do I fix it?

A salt bridge is a hard crust that forms in the brine tank, creating a gap between the salt and water. To fix it, carefully push a broom handle into the salt to break the crust. Prevent bridges by using high-quality pellet salt and keeping humidity low around the unit.

Why is there too much water in my brine tank?

Excess water usually means a clogged injector/venturi, a stuck brine valve, a clogged drain line flow control (DLFC), or a failed timer/motor. Start by cleaning the injector, as that's the most common cause.

My softener isn't regenerating. What should I check?

Check that the timer/controller is set correctly, the unit is plugged in, and the bypass valve is in the service position. Verify the meter is registering water flow and the meter cable is connected.

My water still feels hard after installing a softener. Why?

Common causes include an incorrect hardness setting, the unit not having regenerated yet, the bypass valve being open, exhausted resin (tank undersized for usage), or iron fouling on the resin.

Why does my water taste salty after regeneration?

Salty water usually means the rinse cycle isn't fully flushing brine from the resin. Check that rinse time is set correctly, the drain line flow control isn't clogged, and the injector/venturi is clean.

My water pressure dropped after installing the softener. What can I do?

Some pressure drop (5-15 PSI) is normal. Excessive drop may indicate an undersized softener, clogged resin bed, clogged pre-filter, or plumbing restrictions. Install a sediment pre-filter to protect the resin.

Guide

Water Softener Programming Guide

Programming a softener is a two-part job: first getting into the settings menu, then entering the right values. This guide covers how to reach the settings on every model we support — Fleck SXT, Fleck mechanical, Clack WS1, GE, and Whirlpool — and then explains each Fleck SXT parameter and the values that suit a typical residential, single-tank, downflow softener.

How to access the settings menu on your model

Every softener we support gets you to its settings a little differently — digital Fleck and Clack valves use button combinations, while mechanical valves use physical dials and GE/Whirlpool units step through a front-panel menu. Find your model below.

Fleck SXT digital controllers

Fleck 5600SXT, 7000SXT, 9100SXT

Make sure no water is running so the valve isn't mid-regeneration.
Press and hold the Up (▲) and Down (▼) arrows together for about 5 seconds until the display changes — this opens Master Programming.
Press the Extra Cycle button (the circular-arrow / regen key) to advance from one parameter to the next.
Use the Up/Down arrows to change the flashing value.
Step past the last parameter with Extra Cycle to save and return to the normal time display.

A quick tap of Up/Down (without the 5-second hold) just sets the time of day. If the keypad is locked, your manual lists the unlock combination.

Fleck mechanical time-clock valves

Fleck 2510, 9000

There is no digital menu — settings are physical dials under the valve cover.
Set the time of day by rotating the large gear until the current time lines up with the time-of-day pointer.
Set regeneration days on the skipper / program wheel by pushing the pins in (or out) for the days you want it to regenerate.
Cycle times are set by the cam and micro-switches — usually left at the factory presets for residential use.
To regenerate now, turn the manual regeneration knob to the regen position.

Twin-tank 9000 valves alternate between two tanks automatically; you only program the one timer.

Clack WS1

From the normal time display, press NEXT and the Down (▼) button together for 3 seconds and release.
Press NEXT and Down (▼) together again for 3 seconds to enter Master Programming.
Use NEXT to advance and REGEN to step back through the settings.
Use the Up/Down arrows to change each value.
Press NEXT past the final screen to save and exit.

If the second screen doesn't appear within ~5 seconds the valve is locked: press ▼, NEXT, ▲, SET CLOCK in sequence, then retry. Set the clock separately with the SET CLOCK button (hours, then minutes).

GE softeners

GE GXSH40V

Press the SET / SELECT (menu) button on the front panel to begin stepping through the settings.
The display advances through time of day, water hardness, and recharge (regeneration) time.
Use the Up/Down arrows to change the flashing value, then press SET / SELECT to confirm and move on.
Finish the sequence to return to the normal display.
To recharge immediately, press and hold the Recharge button for ~3 seconds.

GE softeners auto-sense and often only need the hardness and time set. The exact button labels vary by panel revision.

Whirlpool softeners

Whirlpool WHES40E

Press the PROGRAM button to display the flashing time of day; set it with the Up/Down buttons.
Press PROGRAM again for water hardness (in grains); set it with Up/Down — add ~5 per 1 PPM of iron.
Press PROGRAM again for recharge time (default 2:00 AM) and adjust if needed.
Press PROGRAM again to choose salt type (NaCl or KCl), then PROGRAM once more to exit.
To recharge now, press and hold the RECHARGE button for ~3 seconds until it flashes.

GE and Whirlpool units share the same EcoWater control design, so their menus behave almost identically.

Parameter reference

The exact values you enter for capacity, hardness, and reserve come from your water test and household usage — generate them with the calculator, which prints a personalised version of this table.

Code	Setting	Typical	What it does
DF	Display Format	Gal	Use gallons for U.S. systems (the alternative is litres / cubic metres).
VT	Valve Type	dF1b	Downflow / single backwash — the standard configuration for residential softeners.
CT	Control Type	Fd	Meter Delayed: the valve waits until your reserve is used, then regenerates at the set time.
NT	Number of Tanks	1	One for a standard single-tank softener.
C	Unit Capacity	24–64	Grain capacity (in thousands) matched to your resin volume — e.g. 32 for a 1.0 cu ft tank.
H	Hardness	Your GPG	Compensated hardness in grains per gallon, including +5 GPG per 1 PPM of iron.
RS	Reserve Selection	rc	Use a fixed reserve capacity in gallons (rc) for predictable behaviour.
RC	Reserve Capacity	~3× daily use	Gallons held back so you never run out of soft water before a scheduled regen.
DO	Days Override	3–14	Maximum days between regenerations regardless of usage — keeps the resin bed fresh.
RT	Regeneration Time	2:00	Set to a low-usage hour (2 AM is typical) so soft water is restored by morning.
BW	Backwash	10 min	Lifts and rinses the resin bed; 10 minutes suits tanks up to ~2 cu ft.
BD	Brine Draw + Slow Rinse	60 min	Brine draws in ~20 min; the remainder is a slow rinse that regenerates the resin.
RR	Rapid Rinse	10 min	A fast rinse that flushes the last of the brine before service.
BF	Brine Fill	~10 min/cu ft	Refills the brine tank to dissolve salt for the next cycle.
FM	Flow Meter	t0.7	3/4" turbine meter is standard residential; match to your meter size.

Before you change anything

Write down your valve's current values first, so you can roll back if needed. After programming, run one manual regeneration (hold Extra Cycle) and confirm the brine tank draws down and refills — that verifies the injector, drain line, and brine valve are all working with your new settings.

After programming

Programming is a one-time job, but the softener still needs routine care to keep performing. See the maintenance schedule for what to check weekly, monthly, and yearly, and the troubleshooting guide if something isn't working as expected.