How Do Water Softeners Work?

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How Do Water Softeners Work?

If you’re a homeowner in the U.S., it’s more likely than not that you have hard water - 85% of the homes in the nation do, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

If you’ve seen limescale buildup on your faucets or wondered why your skin feels dry after a shower, you’ve noticed symptoms.

It’s the minerals in hard water which cause the chalky, plaster-like scale that builds up on faucets, and ruins appliances. Hard water can leave cloudy spots on everything you wash, from glasses and silverware to cars.

Hard water also prevents soap from lathering or rinsing well. A shower in hard water makes skin feel dry and itchy. Shampoo that barely lathers leaves hair looking and feeling limp. Undissolved soap scum builds up in your bath and shower. Laundry washed in hard water may never seem fully clean, the fabric stiff and colors dingy.

The less immediate effects are even more troubling.

According to a 2009 study commissioned by the Water Quality Association, the impact of hard water on household appliances and fixtures can take years off the life of dishwashers and washing machines.

You can enjoy better water and protect your home, while saving time, energy, and money, by investing in a quality water softener to treat the issue.

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What is a water softener and how does it work?

A water softener is a whole house water filtration system, usually installed at the “point of entry” of water into your home so that it treats all of the water that flows through your plumbing.

The purpose of a water softener is to remove hardness minerals from your water, transforming your “hard” water into “soft” water.

Water is classified as “hard” when it has a high concentration of dissolved minerals. As groundwater travels through minerals such as calcium and magnesium, they dissolve into your groundwater supply. The higher the mineral content, the harder the water.

Measured in grains per gallon (GPG), water hardness varies across the country. You may start to see the effects of hard water at around 7 grains of hardness.

A water softener turns hard water into soft by exchanging the hardness minerals (calcium and magnesium) for sodium, and washing them away.

The process through which water softeners remove hardness from water is called “ion exchange”.

The softener’s mineral tank is filled with small polystyrene beads, known as resin, which are charged with negative ions. Calcium and magnesium have positively charged ions.

Because opposite charges attract, as hard water flows through the resin beads, the positive charge of the minerals is attracted to the negative charge of the resin beads.

Sodium ions - which are supplied to the resin from the brine solution in the salt storage, or brine tank - have a lower positive charge than the hardness minerals, so they are easily displaced from the resin. The calcium and magnesium ions trade places with sodium ions on the resin beads. As the mineral ions collect on the resin, the sodium ions are released into the water.

When the beads are saturated with mineral ions, the softener unit begins a regeneration cycle, to flush the collected minerals away through a drain line, and recharge the resin with sodium from the brine tank so that the system continues to soften.

The regeneration cycle is three-fold. During the first “backwash” phase, water flow is reversed to flush dirt out of the tank. During the second “recharge” phase, the sodium-rich brine solution is drawn out of the brine tank into the mineral tank. The sodium collects on the beads, displacing the calcium and magnesium which are flushed out the drain line. Lastly, the mineral tank is flushed or “regenerated”, eliminating excess brine, and finally refilling the brine tank with fresh water.

Breaking down a water softener (components)

A traditional water softener is made up of three standard components: a mineral tank, control valve, and brine tank. Each plays a role in removing minerals from hard water, monitoring the process, and cleaning the system through regeneration.

1. Mineral Tank

The water softener mineral tank houses the resin. The home’s water supply line feeds hard water into the inlet of the attached control valve, which flows into the tank. As hard water flows through the resin beads, the minerals collect on the beads, so that only softened water exits through the outlet of the control valve and into your home.

Tier1® water softener mineral tanks are delivered pre-filled with cation exchange resin.

2. Control Valve

The electronic control valve attaches to the top of the mineral tank. The home’s water supply line plumbs into the inlet of the control valve, while the outlet joins with interior plumbing. A built-in water meter probe tracks water flow through the system. Tier11® softeners feature demand-initiated regeneration, meaning that regeneration is triggered based on your water usage and pre-set programming factors such as your water hardness and number of users. Regeneration is calculated to occur as soon as the resin reaches its maximum treatment capacity.

Two other lines are attached to the control valve: the drain line and brine line. The drain line flushes the hard water minerals out of the resin tank into the drain. The brine line attaches to the brine tank, and allows both the pull of sodium saturated brine water into the resin tank during regeneration, and the flow of fresh water back into the brine tank to refill it.

3. Brine Tank

The brine tank is a shorter tank with a removable lid. The brine tank uses salt (sodium chloride) dissolved in water to create a brine solution. Salt is manually added to the brine tank to replenish it as it is used over time. A typical brine tank can hold up to three 40 pound bags of salt at one time.

If the brine tank runs out of salt, the water softener will not be properly regenerated as needed to continue softening water.

How do I know if I need a water softener?

Whether you’ve noticed symptoms of hard water or are just curious what might be lurking in your water, it’s always a good idea to verify your water issues.

If you get your water from a municipal supply, you can check out your local Consumer Confidence Report (CCR), an annual drinking water report from your water supplier.

If you want to verify a report’s general results or if you have a private well, you can purchase a water test kit to test it yourself.

By reviewing your CCR or testing your water you can also make sure that you are aware of all of the issues that may be affecting your water to choose the most effective treatment solution.

The difference between a water softener and a conditioner

While traditional salt-based water softeners treat hardness by removing hardness minerals, salt-free, or water conditioning, systems help prevent the scale buildup caused by hard water. These systems may use either a special media, or a magnetic water de-scaler.

Water conditioner: special media

Tier1 water conditioners that use a special media move water through a catalytic media using a physical process called Template Assisted Crystallization (TAC). This process converts hardness minerals from their ionic form to a harmless crystalline form.

Essentially, TAC causes hardness minerals to bind tightly together. In this stable crystallized form, calcium and magnesium do not attach to pipes, appliances, and fixture surfaces. The crystals are so small, that they are easily rinsed away by the flow of water. Because salt-free systems don’t collect any materials, there is no need for a regeneration cycle to remove trapped

Water conditioner: magnetic

A magnetic water treatment system employs a magnetic water conditioning technology to prevent the formation of scale and corrosion in plumbing systems. The conditioning of the water happens in the product’s treatment chamber.

When water passes through the chamber, the alternating, permanent, and polarity-reversing magnetic fields temporarily change the ionic charge identities of calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate.

By doing so, it disrupts the minerals’ natural scale-forming characteristics. The minerals precipitate from the solution in a state of suspension known as aragonite.

Because these systems don’t technically remove the hardness minerals, this process leaves the water “conditioned” rather than softened.

For very hard water, a salt-free conditioner will not be as effective and is not recommended. If your water has iron, manganese or copper, pre-treatment is also needed.

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What are the risks of NOT having a water softener?

Because hard water is so common and not considered a health issue, you may wonder if treating it is worth the hassle.

The truth is, the effects of the choice to solve your hard water problems now will be seen not only immediately but also in the long run.

When hard water is left untreated, energy savings for high efficiency appliances may decrease dramatically. Some appliances specifically list hard water usage as a reason to void the warranty. Hard water cuts the efficiency of hot water heaters by up to 48 percent, with scale buildup shortening the lifespan of the heating elements.

The build-up of mineral deposits in plumbing can also reduce water flow and raise your water bills. Over time, obstructions can damage pipes and appliances, leading to expensive repairs and replacements.

The investment you make today can save you from much bigger headaches tomorrow.

Common Questions/Answers

How much does a water softener cost?

Tier1® offers a selection of quality water softeners to treat your water issues.

If you’ve tested your water to confirm your only issue is hard water, you can feel confident the basic Everyday Series water softener will meet your needs at a beginning cost of around $600.

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If you want to upgrade or treat more complex issues, you can review the full line of treatment systems, or call or contact a Tier1® customer service expert to discuss your options.

Call for personal recommendations from Tier1® customer service at 1-800-277-3458.

How much does water softener maintenance cost?

Once installed, a water softener doesn’t require a lot for upkeep.

The most important regular maintenance need is to keep the brine tank filled with salt. A typical salt usage schedule for a family of four is one 40-pound bag per month. You’ll want to be sure to use salt designed for usage in water softeners,

You may also want to use resin cleaner every few months to keep your resin in optimal condition.

The resin in the media tank can last up to ten years (or more) before it needs to be replaced.

Do I need a professional to install a water softener?

Tier1® water softeners are designed for easy installation, complete with detailed product manuals available online before purchase. Some models also offer online videos with installation and programming instructions.

You can review the product installation and user manual for every Tier1® softener on its website product page under the “Instructions” tab.

For example, Tier1’s most popular softener, the 48,000 grain Everyday Softener, includes not only the installation and user manual, but also easy to follow videos for both installation and programming, so you can see for yourself what’s needed to complete an installation before you buy.

But of course if you’re most comfortable with a professional, you can hand off the installation guides to them, and hold onto your manual for your own future reference.

Either way, our Tier1® customer support team is available to chat and happy to help you ensure the success of your installation.

Softening hard water is an easy fix

While hard water is one of the most common issues homeowners have to deal with, its effects may be not only an annoyance, but the cause of serious issues.

The installation of a water softener is an effective, long-term investment in your home and health.

If you’d like a personalized recommendation for a water filtration system for your home, the Customer Support Team at DiscountFilterStore.com is available to chat or answer your call.