SECTION 2
HOW YOUR WATER SOFTENER WORKS
2B. SOFT WATER SERVICE AND REGENERATION
SERVICE | REGENERATION |
When the softener is giving you soft water, it is called •Service". During service, hard water comes from the house main water pipe into the softener. Inside the softener resin tank is a bed made up of thousands of tiny, plastic resin beads (FIG. 7). As hard water passes through the bed, each bead attracts and holds the hardness minerals. This is called ion1exchanging. It is much like a magnet attracting and holding metals. Water without the hardness minerals (soft water) flows out of the softener and into the house soft water pipes.
After a period of time, the resin beads become coated with hardness minerals and they have to be cleaned. This cleaning is called recharge, or regeneration.
FILL: Salt, dissolved in water, is called brine. Brine is needed to clean the hardness minerals from the resin beads. To make the brine, soft water flows into the salt storage area during the fill cycle as shown in FIG. 8.
The length of the fill cycle is factory set to provide softening capacity for an average family. You can reset this time when •fine1tuning" the water softener, pages 18 through 20.
FIG. 8 WATER FLOW THROUGH THE
SOFTENER IN FILL
Hard Water
Regeneration is started at about 2:00 a.m. (factory setting) by the timer. It takes place in 5 stages or cycles. These are:
1 | FILL | 4 | BACKWASH |
2 | BRINING | 5 | FAST RINSE |
3BRINE RINSE
FIG. 7 WATER FLOW THROUGH THE SOFTENER IN SERVICE
Hard Water
IN
Soft Water
OUT
Resin Tank
Resin Bed
Salt Storage
Tank
Soft Water
OUT
Fill Water
IN
Salt
Storage Tank
(salt not shown)
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