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SECTION 2 .ow YOUR WATER SOFTENER WORKS
I I
2B. SOFT WATER SERVICE AND REGENERATION
SERVICE
When the softener is giving you soft water, it is called
"Service". During service, hard water flows through
the house main water pipe and into the softener.
Inside of the softener resin tank is a bed made up of
thousands of tiny, plastic resin beads (FIG. 4). As
hard water passes through the bed, each bead
attracts and holds the hardness minerals. This is
called ion-exchanging. It is much like a magnet
attracting and holding metals. Water without the
hardness minerals (soft water) flows out of the
softener and into the house soft water pipes.
After a period of time, the resin beads become
coated with hardness minerals and they have to be
cleaned. This cleaning is called regeneration or
recharge. Regeneration is started at 2:00 a.m. by the
electronic timer (see page 13). It takes place in 5
stages or cycles. These are:
_-I FILL
r_ BRINING
r_ BRINE RINSE
E] BACKWASH
r_ FAST RINSE
WATER FLOW THROUGH THE
SOFTENER IN SERVICE
soft water hard water
OUT IN
salt storage
tank (salt -.
not shown) *"
brine valve
\\\\\\\
resin tank
resin bed
REGENERATION
[] FILL: Salt, dissolved in water, is called brine. Brine
is needed to clean the hardness minerals from the
resin beads. To make the brine, water flows into the
salt storage area during the fill stage as shown in FIG.
5. Fill cycle length depends on how much soft water
making capacity you have used since the last
regeneration. As you use more water, fill time
increases so more brine is made. The greater
amount of brine cleans more hardness minerals from
the resin bed.
WATER FLOW THROUGH THE
SOFTENER IN FILL
salt storage
tank ...... _.
brine valv_
\
soft water
OUT
\
fill water
hard water
IN
!
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