Soft water how does it work

The calcium and magnesium detach from the resin beads and drain out along with all the salty water. There are also ways to professionally test for hard water. Contact your local Culligan dealer to find out more. Schedule Your Free Water Test. Even Better Water Is Just One Click Away One more thing before you go - let us know a little more about what you and your home need by taking our second quiz. Your responses will help us find the best solution for you and your home. What is A Water Softener?

Quickly find answers to some of our most-asked questions below. What Is A Water Softener? What Is Hardness In Water? How Does a Water Softener Work? Water is softened when calcium and magnesium—the hardness ions—are collected by tiny resin beads through a process called ion exchange. The resin beads are charged with sodium or potassium ions.

When hard water comes in contact with the resin beads, the calcium and magnesium are pulled out of the water and replaced with sodium or potassium, leaving your water soft. Even so, salt is key to the water softening process. The beads act as a sponge, adsorbing the hardness minerals from your water. This process is referred to as ion exchange, and soft water is the result. During this process, the resin beads are washed with the highly concentrated saltwater solution brine from the tank made from the salt you added to the tank.

The brine forces the calcium and magnesium ions to be released from the beads and replaced with sodium or potassium ions. Once the resin beads have been properly cleansed, the brine solution is flushed from the softener with fresh water. Water softener regeneration cycle time is about two hours.

It is not recommended to use water during a water softener regeneration, as hard water will fill the water heater, which could lead to buildup in the equipment. This eliminates the need for a manual regeneration of your water softener. Instead of calculating how often your water softener should regenerate, you can set it and forget, enjoying predictably soft water on a daily basis.

Resin beads in the tank attract and hold onto hard water minerals, removing them from the water. Softened water exits the tank and flows to the plumbing throughout your home. The Chemistry of Regeneration During the softening cycle, sodium on the resin beads is exchanged for hard water minerals in the water.