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HOW YOUR WATER SOFTENER WORKS
SECTION 2
13
2B. SOFT WATER SERVICE AND REGENERATION
BRINING: During brining, the brine is moved
from the salt storage area, into the resin tank. Inside
the resin tank, brine cleans hardness minerals from
the resin beads and they are discharged out the
drain. How much brine is needed to clean the resin
depends on:
--the amount of resin in the softener,
--how fast the brine goes through the bed.
The nozzle and venturi (FIG. 6) make suction to take
brine from the salt tank and put it into the resin tank.
They keep the brine flow down to a very slow rate to
get the best resin cleaning with the least salt.
BRINE RINSE: After all of the brine goes into the
resin tank, the brine valve closes. Water keeps
flowing the same way it did during brining except
the brine flow has stopped. Hardness minerals and
brine flush from the resin tank to the drain. Brining
and brine rinse together vary in the length of time
they take, relative to the fill cycle length.
FIG. 6 WATER FLOW THROUGH THE
SOFTENER IN BRINING AND
BRINE RINSE
hard water
IN
hard water
bypass OUT
brine valve
drain
nozzle &
venturi
brine
BACKWASH: During backwash, water flows UP
through the resin tank (FIG. 7) at a fast rate to flush
iron minerals, dirt and sediments from the bed and to
the drain. The bed lifts and expands for good
cleaning.
FIG. 7 WATER FLOW THROUGH THE
SOFTENER IN BACKWASH
hard water
IN
hard water
bypass OUT
drain
resin bed lifted
and expanded
FAST RINSE: Backwash is followed by a fast flow
of water down through the resin tank. The fast flow
packs the resin bed and gets it ready for return to
service (FIG. 8).
After fast rinse, the softener returns to service. Hard
water goes into the resin tank where the resin bed
again takes out the hardness minerals. Soft water
goes to the house soft water pipes.
FIG. 8 WATER FLOW THROUGH THE
SOFTENER IN FAST RINSE
soft water
OUT
drain
hard water
IN