Water Softeners Work Via A Process Called Ion Exchange
Although there are different types of water softener, the principle of ion exchange remains constant. The process, described below, would be true of a single cylinder, electric softener as well as a twin cylinder, non electric softener.
Ion Exchange Process
All water softeners will have cylinder(s) containing resin, this resin is charged with sodium ions.
As hard water flows through the cylinder, the calcium and magnesium ions are attracted to the resin.
In exchange, sodium ions are released into the water, replacing the calcium and magnesium ions, leaving you with softened water.
Regeneration
Over time, the resin becomes saturated with calcium and magnesium ions and there is no available surface area to continue softening water.
The water softener enters a regeneration cycle, where a brine solution is flushed through the resin.
The waste, including the displaced calcium and magnesium, is flushed out of the system, and the resin beads are recharged with sodium ions, ready to soften more water.
Rinse and Repeat
After regeneration, some systems will perform a final rinse with soft water to make sure residual brine is removed.
The water softener is now reset and ready to continue softening incoming hard water.
This is the basic concept of how water softeners work. Different types of water softeners will perform the regeneration process in a different way. We explain more on the page “Types of Water Softener”
