How a Water Softener Works
Products available that claim to remove the limescale from your water such as:
Physical conditioners and magnetic scale inhibitors.
However, water softeners that use the process of ‘ion-exchange’ are the only proven solution to removing limescale from your water permanently.
The ion-exchange process
Ion-exchange works by removing the calcium and magnesium from your water
(they cause the chalky build up in your home called ‘limescale’).
As water enters your home it will pass through the softener tanks that are filled with ‘food-grade’ resin beads.
These beads attract and hold on to the magnesium and calcium minerals in the water and ‘exchange’ them for sodium ions.
This process makes the water soft.
- 1 – Calcium and magnesium ions in hard water
- 2 – Calcium and magnesium are attracted to the resin beads
- 3 – Ion exchange takes place
- 4 – Sodium ions are released into the water making it soft
Twin-tank water softeners
Twin-tank water softeners are the most efficient and effective at delivering beautiful soft water, on demand, 24 hours a day.
Approximately once a day, depending on water usage, a softener will need to ‘regenerate’ flushing off the magnesium and calcium ions from the resin beads.
With twin-tank softeners, when the regeneration process takes place,
you still continue to get soft water throughout your home, from the other tank
– this is not the case for single tank softeners.
Non-electric water softeners do not have any meters or timers to set,
so your softener will only regenerate when it needs to according to the water you use.
All water softeners need salt to assist with the regeneration process
helping to wash off the calcium and magnesium ions from the resin beads.
That’s why you’ll need to replenish the salt when it gets low, approx 1-2 times per month.
Kinetico water softeners use the process of ion-exchange and are twin-tank, non-electric.