How To Hard Reset the Circuit Board of a Fleck 5600SXT

The Fleck 5600SXT water softener control valve is typically a very reliable product. But even the most reliable of products can sometimes have an issue. If your Fleck 5600SXT is throwing up an error code, it could be a sign that something is physically wrong with your system. But before you go to the trouble of figuring that out, you may want to do a hard reset of the control board to make sure it's not a false alarm. Here are the steps to doing just that.

First, here's an example of an error code you might see on a Fleck 5600SXT control valve:

The very first thing you'll want to try is a "soft reset" of the control board. To do this, unplug the unit from the wall outlet to power it down. Then, press and hold the Next Cycle button as you plug the unit back into the wall outlet. Continue to hold the Next Cycle button for 3 seconds and then release it:

This may clear the error code.  But it will certainly reset the valve to the factory defaults, so it will need to be reprogrammed. If the soft reset doesn't clear the error code on your Fleck 5600SXT, then move on to the hard reset instructions below.

The first step to doing a hard reset of the 5600SXT board is to unplug it from the wall outlet. This is important or you might electrocute yourself.  Again - unpower the unit by unplugging it before you do anything else.

Once it's unplugged, remove the side screws so that you can get to the control board clips:

Once these screws are removed you can pull off the front panel to reveal the clips that hold the circuit board cover in place. Release these clips to get at the circuit board:

Once these clips are released, you'll be able to remove the cover that conceals the Fleck 5600SXT circuit board. Here's where you'll find the reset button on newer Fleck 5600SXT control valves:

The board I'm showing above is an older board and does not have the reset button. But it can be reset also, but it takes a few more steps. To do a reset of an older board, you need to get to the back of the board. First, remove the two screws that hold the board in place:

Once these are unscrewed you'll be able to pull the circuit board away from the plastic backing. But before you do that, visually ID the circuit board battery:

What you want to do is flip over the circuit board and locate the two pins that anchor the battery to the circuit board. Here's a photo of the back view of the circuit board showing the two solder pins:

Identify the two solder points that hold the battery to the board. Short circuit these points with a paperclip or piece of wire. At this point, the board has been hard reset. Put the controller back together by re-attaching the circuit board, then the circuit board cover. The circuit board with attached cover is then re-attached to the rest of the controller with the two side screws.

When you go to power the system back up, do so while holding down the Next Cycle (leftmost controller button).

If this does not clear your error code, then it's a legitimate code that is not being accidentally caused by a circuit board error.