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WATER
SOFTENERS
When
water is in the ground, it picks up soluble bits of whatever
it passes through. While this can mean contamination that
makes the water unfit to drink, in many cases it simply
means that the water contains minerals found in the earth.
Of these, calcium and magnesium are of particular importance
because they affect the water's ability to function in
boilers, cooling towers and closed loop systems. These
minerals make the water "hard".
The
reason for concern about hard water is its adverse effect on
the system. Calcium and magnesium deposits can build up in
pipes, clogging them and reducing flow. In addition, the
scale buildup reduces thermal efficiency and shortens system
life.
The
solution to the problem is to get rid of the calcium and
magnesium. While there are chemical treatments that do this,
the most popular answer is a water softener.
The
typical water softener is a mechanical appliance that's
connected to the water supply system. All water softeners
use the same operating principle: They trade the minerals
for something else, in most cases sodium. The process is
called ion exchange.
The
heart of a water softener is a mineral tank. It's filled
with small polystyrene beads, also known as resin or zeolite.
The beads carry a negative charge.
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Calcium
and magnesium in water both carry positive charges. This
means that these minerals will cling to the beads as the
hard water passes through the mineral tank. Sodium ions also
have positive charges, albeit not as strong as the charge on
the calcium and magnesium.
When a very strong brine solution
is flushed through a tank that has beads already saturated
with calcium and magnesium, the sheer volume of the sodium
ions is enough to drive the calcium and magnesium ions off
the beads. Water softeners have a separate brine tank that
uses common salt to create this brine solution.
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In
normal operation, hard water moves into the mineral tank and
the calcium and magnesium ions move to the beads, replacing
sodium ions. The sodium ions go into the water. Once the
beads are saturated with calcium and magnesium, the unit
enters a 3-phase regenerating cycle. First, the backwash
phase reverses water flow to flush dirt out of the tank. In
the recharge phase, the concentrated sodium-rich salt
solution is carried from the brine tank through the mineral
tank. The sodium collects on the beads, replacing the
calcium and magnesium, which go down the drain. Once this
phase is over, the mineral tank is flushed of excess brine
and the brine tank is refilled.
Most
water softeners have an automatic regenerating system. The
most basic type has an electric timer that flushes and
recharges the system on a regular schedule. During
recharging, soft water is not available.
A second
type of control uses a computer that watches how much water
is used. When enough water has passed through the mineral
tank to have depleted the beads of sodium, the computer
triggers regeneration. These softeners often are equipped
with two mineral tanks, so that softened water is always
available, even when the unit is recharging.
No matter what equipment you need,
Water Treat
USA
llc
can supply it.
Give us a call today.
215-355-1501 |
