Major components
Major components of our Premium Series water softener include our Premium Series control valve with proprietary electronics, designed to provide greater efficiency, by-pass valve to isolate the unit if necessary, pipe fittings, pressure tank, brine tank to contain the softener salt, ion exchange resin, gravel under bedding to provide even flow distribution, riser tube with bottom distributor and water softener salt, used to strip hardness minerals from the resin beads.
How water softeners work
The process whereby hardness minerals are removed from your water is described as follows:
- Water flow through the resin bed.
- As water flows through the ion exchange resin, hardness minerals (Calcium & Magnesium) are attracted to the resin and are removed from the water.
- Eventually, the resin reaches its capacity and resin must be cleaned. (This process is called “regeneration”.)
- The Premium Series control valve initiates the “cleaning process”, based on gallons used (not time).
- During the cleaning process, brine water flows through the resin and the hardness minerals become attached to the sodium in the brine water.
- After a period of time, the resin is rinsed so no salt will be added to the water.
Cycles
As water flows through the resin bed, hardness minerals are removed by the ion exchange resin. Eventually, however, the resin reaches its capacity and must be cleaned. This process is called, “regeneration”.
Premium Series valves are metered, which it calculates when this cleaning process must occur.
This cleaning process is described as follows:
- Brine tank refill. Here, water is added to the brine tank for make-up water for brine water. Because this cycle is first, conditioned water is used for the brine tank make-up water.
- This is an upward flow to remove any particles and clean the resin.
- Brine draw / rinse. This important step is when brine water flows through the resin to remove the hardness minerals. During this cycle, hardness minerals become unattached from the resin and are attracted to the water softener resin.
- 2nd During this up-flow cycle, salt is rinsed off the ion exchange resin.
- An additional cycle to rinse salt off the resin in a down-flow direction.
- This is when water flows through the softener and into your house.