Whilst it's not hard to see the benefits of having a water softener installed in your home, not everyone has an understanding of how they actually work. Read on to find out about the science behind your water softener.
Although water softeners can differ in design, they all share the same characteristics:
This is when the water softener is producing softened water. During this cycle, hard water from the mains enters the control valve and is sent down through the resin bed where the hardness minerals are removed. The newly softened water then travels up through a tube and out to the rest of the house's water supply.
.png)
Regeneration is the process of flushing through the resin beads so that the service cycle can start again. This is initiated by the control valve. Salty water (known as brine) is sucked up by the control valve and through the resin where it collects the hardness minerals and then flushes them down the drain. The regeneration process is the reason why you need to add salt to your water softener.
.png)
Water softeners use a process called ion exchange to remove the calcium and magnesium minerals from your water. These are the minerals that cause limescale and removing them makes the water soft. As water enters your home it will pass through the softener tanks that are filled with food-grade resin beads. These beads attract and hold on to the magnesium and calcium minerals in the water and exchange them for sodium ions.
.png)
Water softeners need to clean or regenerate using a salt or ‘brine’ solution to clean away the calcium and magnesium mineral deposits they’ve collected. In single-tank designs, this means your home will be supplied with hard water for a short period of time while the tank cleans itself while with a twin tank design you will get beautiful soft water 24 hours a day.
.png)
If you have any further questions on the science behind your water softener, please get in touch and a member of our team will be more than happy to help!
