Water Softener
A water softener is a whole-house filtration system that removes hardness-causing calcium and magnesium minerals from your water through a process called ion exchange. A water softener addresses one of the most prevalent and devastating water problems: hard water. Hard water wreaks havoc on the modern home. Scale builds up in your pipes, clogging them and decreasing water pressure. Scale dramatically shortens the lifespan of appliances like dishwashers, coffee makers, and ice machines. Hard water destroys hot water appliances. The higher the temperature of the water, the more calcium and magnesium will solidify and harden into solid deposits inside your water heater. If you live in hard water territory, it can sound like your water heater is popping popcorn. This is because the scale has attached itself to the heating element. As the temperature of the heater rises and the tank expands, the calcified rock deposits crusted on the heating elements start cracking and stretching. Hard water-induced scale is the culprit of that popcorn popping sound. Without a water softener, laundry demands extra detergent to prevent it from looking dingy. Dishes will come out of your dishwasher streaked and stained. Filmy scum builds up on your shower curtains and your soap and shampoo will not lather. Bathing in hard water leaves your skin itchy and dry and your hair lifeless and sticky. The sheer amount of time, energy, and money required to clean up the detrimental side effects of hard water are dizzying. A whole house water softener is the solution to the scourge of water hardness.
How does a water softener work?
A water softener removes calcium and magnesium from water through a process called ion exchange. When the hard water enters the mineral tank, it flows through a bed of spherical resin beads. These plastic beads, usually made from polystyrene, are charged with a sodium ion. The resin beads are anions, meaning they have a negative charge. The calcium and magnesium minerals have a positive charge, making them cations. Since opposite charges attract, the negative charge of the minerals is attracted to the positive charge of the resin beads. As the hard water passes through the resin, the beads grab ahold of the mineral ions and remove them from the water. When the bead seizes the mineral ion, the sodium ion is released. The column of resin strips all the hardness out of the water as it passes through the mineral tank, and softened water flows out into your home.
Types of Water Softeners 1. Ion exchange: This is by far the most common type of water softener in-home application. It works by removing calcium and magnesium ions and replacing them with sodium ions, which have none of the damaging effects of calcium and magnesium. This is a familiar device that includes a large tank of salt pellets. If your home has a water softener, it is very likely this type. 2. Salt-free: This device uses a mechanical filter to remove calcium, but it doesn’t work very well on very hard water. It does not remove magnesium. What are the components of a water softener? The Brine TankThe brine tank is just what its name suggests: a plastic tank that contains brine—water saturated with salt. The control valve The control valve measures the amount of water passing through the mineral tank and into your house. The valve houses a meter that tracks the volume of water entering the mineral tank. As hard water flows through the mineral tank, the resin beads exchange their sodium ions for hardness ions. Over time, this depletes the capacity of the resin to continue to effectively soften water. Before the beads become too burdened with mineral content to continue removing calcium and magnesium ions, the control valve automatically initiates a regeneration cycle. This maximum capacity is pre-programmed into the control valve’s onboard computer and is based on a range of factors, like the size of your house, the number of occupants, and the hardness of your water. Control valves are demand-initiated controllers, which allow water softening units to be extremely efficient. Jalamrut Water Treatment is the leading Manufacturer and Service Provider of Water softeners. For more information, contact us at – (add phone number/website/email)