Sears 625.34842 owner manual Regeneration

SECTION 2

.ow YOUR WATER SOFTENER WORKS

II

2B. SOFT WATER SERVICE

SERVICE

When the softener is giving you soft water, it is called "Service". During service, hard water flows through the house main water pipe and into the softener.

Inside of the softener resin tank is a bed made up of

thousands of tiny, plastic resin beads (FIG. 4). As

hard water passes through the bed, each bead

attracts and holds the hardness minerals. This is

called ion-exchanging. 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 regeneration or

recharge. Regeneration is started at 2:00 a.m. by the

electronic timer (see page 13). It takes place in 5 stages or cycles. These are:

_-I	FILL	E]	BACKWASH
r_	BRINING	r_	FAST RINSE
r_	BRINE RINSE

WATER FLOW THROUGH THE

SOFTENER IN SERVICE

soft water hard water

OUT IN

salt storage tank (salt -. not shown) *"

brine valve

resin tank

\\\\\\\

resin bed

AND REGENERATION

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, water flows into the salt storage area during the fill stage as shown in FIG.

5.Fill cycle length depends on how much soft water

making capacity you have used since the last

regeneration.		As you use		more	water,	fill time
increases	so	more	brine	is made.	The		greater
amount	of brine cleans		more	hardness	minerals		from
the resin	bed.

WATER FLOW THROUGH THE

SOFTENER IN FILL

soft water hard water

OUT IN

!

salt storage

tank ...... _.

brine valv_

\

\

fill water

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