Table of Contents
Here is the list of components of water softeners and their process
If the water supply in your home is not soft naturally, the hardness can be removed with artificial treatments. Installing a water softener is the best way of treating hard water. It can save time and money that gets invested in replacing corrosive water heaters, scaly faucets, and showerheads.
Water softeners can conserve the hours of energy spent on cleaning soapy residues. The purpose of the water softener is simple, that is to remove the minerals that cause the hardness of the water. The investment can increase the life of home appliances and plumbing systems thereby reducing maintenance costs. Let’s discuss the basic components of water softeners that work together to keep our homes safe from the sticky slum.
Components of A Water Softener
Control valve, mineral tank, and brine tank are the three basic components of a water softener. Read below to understand how these parts work in conjunction to turn hard water into soft water.
The Mineral Tank
- It is the main component of a water softener where the basic goal of water softening is served. It is the chamber in which hard water is filtered to remove the minerals like calcium and magnesium.
Hard water enters the tank through a supply line and percolates through resin beads. Sodium and potassium ions cover the bed of resin. Water-hardening minerals are deposited here and water leaves the tank as soft water.
The Control Valve
- The control valve is a device that keeps in check the amount of water flowing in and out of the mineral and brine tank and into the house. The control valve consists of a meter that measures the volume of water entering the tank. Ions of hard minerals are interchanged with sodium ions in the resin beads. Thus, softening the hard water.
Gradually the resin beads are loaded with mineral content. This reduces their ability to work effectively to soften the water. But before that happens regeneration cycle is initiated by the control valve through a pre-programmed activity. Control valves are highly efficient water softening units that act like demand-initiated controllers.
The Brine Tank
The brine tank is a shorter tank that stores a concentrated solution of salts. It plays a role in the regeneration cycle and is placed next to the mineral tank. Brine solution contains potassium salts and is used to recharge and flush out the mineral tank. The brine tank is intermittently refiled with potassium salts to reinstate the resin beads with a positive charge. Short brine tanks can store up to 300 pounds of salts at a time.
The pellets or blocks of salts that are added manually, dissolve in water at the bottom. Salts should be periodically restored otherwise water will no longer be softened.
The Regeneration Process
The regeneration process that is used to clean the resin beads goes through 3 cycles. The process repeats after every few days.
Backwash
Tank is flushed off of the mineral debris by reversing the water flow. The waste is then drained into the sewer system.
Recharge
In the recharge or regeneration cycle, brine solution drives from the brine tank into the mineral tank. This concentrated solution can remove the deposited calcium and magnesium ions from the resin beads. The water containing debris is then flushed out.
Rinse
This is the final step of the cycle in which the tank is rinsed with water. The water softener is now ready to repeat the water softening process.
If you are all set for installing a water softener in your home, call us at 832-772-5501. Or get in touch with the Proline Plumbing team to have your plumbing issues fixed. We are located in Houston, Texas.
