How Does A Water Softener Work?
Water softeners remove calcium and magnesium ions from the household water supply. This helps to prevent build-ups in showers and faucets as well as clogs of pipes and potential damage to household appliances.
All softeners use the same principle, which is to exchange hardness minerals with sodium. To begin this process, the control valve releases brine solution from a salt tank into the mineral tanks to recharge resin beads.
Ion Exchange
Ion exchange softeners use resin beds to remove minerals that cause water hardness, such as calcium and magnesium. As the water passes through, hardness ions are bound to resin particles, before being exchanged with sodium ions. This allows calcium and magnesium ions to leave, leaving behind soft water.
When the resin is low on sodium ions it can be replenished by a brine solution. A control valve monitors softener operation, and activates regeneration cycles if necessary. The countercurrent regeneration cycle uses less salt and less water, because it starts at the top where there are more depleted mineral beds and distributes sodium ions to all of them.
Ion exchange softening provides a cost-effective, efficient solution for water softening at home. For industrial and municipal uses, it offers several advantages, including lower maintenance costs and lower capital costs, over lime soda softening.
Regeneration
Over time, your water softener's resin beads may become coated with hardness mineral deposits like Calcium, Magnesium or Iron. This will require periodic regeneration in order to restore the ability to soften your water. This is when you should clean your water softener to restore the production of softened water. This process is called regeneration.
In order to restart the softening cycle, the salt is converted into a brine solution and then passed through your water softener. This will flush away the hardness minerals in its system.
With the demand regeneration setting, you can track your household water usage, and your control valve will automatically initiate regeneration cycles if necessary. This provides softened water with no excess sodium waste, or waste that goes to your septic tanks. Water softener regeneration is initiated by time-initiated regeneration. This occurs after a certain time period, regardless of how much water was consumed at home.
Maintenance
Water softeners can be a great solution for modern plumbing. They remove hardness-causing calcium, magnesium, and other minerals that cause scale buildup in pipes and appliances, such as washing machines, dishwashers, hot water heaters. Ion exchange replaces mineral salts with sodium, resulting in a safer and cleaner water supply for your family.
While you may be able to perform some maintenance on your system, it is best to hire a qualified technician for routine cleaning and inspection. A technician can inspect the salt tank and its components for crud accumulation as well as check for any salt bridges that can prevent your softener running properly.
They can not only check that your water softener consumes the right amount of salt, but also complete its regeneration cycle. They can also test your well for contaminants and suggest a course treatment if your well is particularly dirty.
Installation
Water softeners are a great investment for those who live in areas where the water is hard. They can help eliminate spotting on dishes, dryness of skin and buildup in pipes and other appliances. To ensure optimal performance and to maximize its life, the softener needs to be installed as close as possible from the main point of entrance into their system. For most homes, that means near the water meter.
Most softeners come with a bypass at the inlet and outlet to allow you to temporarily bypass them for maintenance or plumbing work around your home. Water softeners come with drains for regeneration. These should be located at least 10 feet apart from the softener, to prevent backflow or air breaks. The drain line should be connected to a 12 foot drain tube to increase efficiency during the regeneration cycle.
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Water softeners remove calcium and magnesium ions from the household water supply. This helps to prevent build-ups in showers and faucets as well as clogs of pipes and potential damage to household appliances. All softeners use the same principle, which is to exchange hardness minerals with sodium. To begin this process, the control valve releases…