Living with hard water can wreak havoc on your body and household. Hard water contains high levels of minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, which causes issues like scale build-up in pipes, dry skin, or a significantly decreased lifespan of household appliances. If you live in an area with hard water, having a water softener system in your home is a must. You probably know that you should have one, but you may find yourself wondering how it even works and which one is right for your home.
Parts of the Water Softener
Water softeners have three components that work together to remove the minerals from hard water, leaving your entire home with filtered, softened water.
- The Mineral Tank—where hard water flows into to get filtered and softened.
- The Control Valve—measures the amount of water getting softened and flowing into your home.
- The Brine Tank—holds the brine solution of sodium chloride.
How a Water Softener Works
Water softeners remove minerals from water through a process called ion exchange. Untreated, hard water filters through resin beads, removing any dirt or sediment. Then a brine solution of sodium chloride flows into the mineral tank, where the calcium and magnesium particles attach themselves to the sodium ions. This leaves you with filtered, soft water. The water softener regeneration cycle varies from machine to machine, but the options we have at Advantage Water Conditioning follow a simple four- or five-step process.
Five-Step Regeneration Cycle
- Backwash - Water flows up through the resin tank at a fast flow rate. This flushes out accumulated iron, dirt, and sediment from the resin bed and into the drain.
- Brining and Brine Rinse - Brine travels up through the resin tank and suction is used to move the brine for cleaning. The brine valve then closes and water flushes the minerals and resin into the drain.
- Backwash - A repeat of step one for additional filtering.
- Fast Rinse - A fast flow of water is sent through the resin tank and flushes brine from the bottom of the tank.
- Brine Refill - Water is directed back into the brine tank and mixed with salt. The softener will then return to the Service cycle.
Four-Step Regeneration Cycle
- Backwash - Water flows up through the resin tank at a fast flow rate. This flushes out accumulated iron, dirt, and sediment from the resin bed and into the drain.
- Brining and Brine Rinse - Brine travels up through the resin tank and suction is used to move the brine for cleaning. The brine valve then closes, and water flushes the minerals and resin into the drain.
- Fast Rinse - A fast flow of water is sent through the resin tank and flushes brine from the bottom of the tank.
- Brine Refill - Water is directed back into the brine tank and mixed with salt. The softener will then return to the Service cycle.
How Do Advantage Water Softeners Work?
Brining and brine rinse are done within the same stage for all water softeners. Once all of the water is removed from the brine tank, there is an air check that shuts off moving the softener to the brine rinse. Our softeners refill the brine tank last so that it gets a stronger brine solution. This allows for a more thorough regeneration, thus more capacity. The tank-in-tank softeners like GE, use a fill first to keep the brine tank from bridging. Since we have a separate salt tank, this isn't as much of a concern for our units. For a more in-depth explanation of the differences between our residential water softener options, read our blog Choosing the Right Water Softener for Your Home. You can also view our selection on our Residential Services page.
If you're still not sure which water softener is the best fit for your home, give our friendly pros a call and we will gladly find the best water softening solution for your home.
