The basic operation of a water softener consists of service and regeneration. The resin inside the mineral tank is specially designed to remove “hard” particles of lime and calcium by a simple ion exchange process.
THE REGENERATION CONSISTS OF FIVE STAGES OR CYCLES:
- Service
- Fill
- Brine & brine rinse
- Backwash
- Fast Rinse
The resin beads inside the softener tank have a different or opposite electrical charge than the dissolved particles of the incoming water. Because of this electrical charge difference, the dissolved particles suspended in your water will cling to the resin beads on contact, thereby ridding the water of these particles, causing the water exiting the unit to be “soft”. The resin has a limit to how much of these hardness particles it can hold, which is why there are many different sizes of softeners and also why regeneration or brining is required.
The salt is used to clean the resin bed. This is done when the unit regenerates. Our Ecowater Systems base the regeneration time on your usage. They won’t regenerate every day & waste water. Ecowater Softeners use 45% less water upon regeneration.