There are some parts in the world where people have to live with the kind of water that they have commonly known as 'hard water'.
Hard water contains high mineral content compared with soft water. It likewise contains high concentrations of Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions. Although it is not dangerous to health, it is not the same in industrial surroundings. These areas keep an eye on the hardness of water because the cooling towers, boilers and other machineries that handle water can go kaput which could cost the company a lot of money.
On the other hand, hard water in a household environment can be identified by its inability to form lather when soap is stirred in the water. This is the problem that people have to face if they have hard water in their area. Households can solve this problem by installing a water softener.
WHY INSTALL A WATER SOFTENER SYSTEM?
Water softener replaces the minerals, magnesium and calcium, that are present in the water with sodium. However, the softener needs to be revitalized or restored if it converts gallons of hard water each day.
To revitalize the water softening system, a huge amount of water that is rich in sodium (brine) must be thrown out. This can be easily done in homes with septic system because brine runs into the septic tank and can find its way to the drain field of the water.
A water softener system eliminates minerals. The mechanical appliance that is directly plumbed into the water supply intake of the home is the most usual type of water softener. Magnesium and calcium are changed to sodium by the water softener and this process is called ion exchange.
The water softener system has two tanks: the mineral and the brine tank. Attached to the mineral tank is the water supply pipe in order that the water going into the house will pass through the tank prior to being utilized.
Resin held by the mineral tank transmits negative electrical charge. We know that positive attracts negative or vice versa. Since the magnesium and calcium are positively charged, they get attracted to the resins that are negatively charged. This results for the minerals to fuse with the resin as the hard water gushes through the mineral tank.
The exterior of the resin in the mineral tank will subsequently be covered with magnesium and calcium minerals. The resins are then cleansed by a strong sodium solution in the brine which is flushed via the mineral tank. A positive electrical charge is also contained in sodium ions although not as much with that of magnesium and calcium. Defeating the magnesium and calcium ions is the huge volume of sodium ions and pushes off the resin into the solution. Drained out of the unit is the sodium solution that holds the minerals. A few sodium ions are left in the tank fastened to the exterior of the resin.
THE PROCESS OF SOFTENING WATER
The normal cycle of softening water goes like this: The hard water goes into the mineral tank. Then, the magnesium and calcium ions contained in the hard water mixes to the resin. When the resin shells have reached the maximum amount of magnesium and calcium, it will not be able to get out of the water. This is the time when the water softener must be restored.
The timer can be used for this 3-step restoring stage or can be programmed by a flow detection meter.
Backwash Stage. The first stage overturns the flow of the water and washes out every dirt particles that have built up outside of the tank and along the drain.
The Recharging or Restoration Stage. Streaming from the brine tank into and via the mineral tank is the sodium-rich brine solution. The brine will then wash the magnesium and calcium from the resin.
The Last Stage. Flushed from the mineral tank is the brine overload, which contains the magnesium and calcium. The solution is then thrown out down the pipe.
Stuck to the resin are the sodium ions from the earlier restoration phase. When hard water gushes into the mineral tank, the magnesium and calcium ions change positions with the sodium ions on the resin. The dislodged sodium ions stay softened in the water.
Author Resource:
I have worked in the drainage industry for a long time, over Twenty years in fact. I have worked on Blocked Drains in London and I have seen some pretty sites and some not so pretty sites.
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