If you’ve read our recent blog, The Science Behind Your Water Softener, you’ll know all about the importance of the resin beads in the function of your water softener. You may not be aware however that the type of resin beads in your water softener does have a huge impact on how well it works. So why does resin quality matter?
The function of resin in your water softener
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. 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.
Why does resin quality matter?
Resin quality is an important factor in how efficiently your water softener works. Uniform, small resin bead size fits together better and give a higher service capacity between regenerations. Cheaper water softeners tend to have lower quality resin beads which are not uniform and of larger sizes than those used in quality machines.
What does this mean when looking to buy a water softener?
Not all water softeners are made equal and you certainly get what you pay for in terms of quality and efficiency. Whilst it may be tempting to buy a cheaper ‘off the shelf’ model from your local DIY store or online, more often then not this is a poor economy as the resin bead quality is poor resulting in a less efficient machine which is more likely to go wrong.
As a totally independant company, we will always give the best advice on which water softener is best for both your home and budget. Get in contact today to book your home survey and find out more!