A water softener will bring many advantages and in time will pay for itself. The benefits include: scale-free baths, showers, sinks and taps which stay cleaner for longer; extended life of appliances such as dishwashers, washing machines, and water heaters; greater efficiency of boilers and water heaters; helps alleviate dry skin conditions like eczema; hair and skins feels softer; and savings of up to 50% on detergents like washing powders, shampoo and soaps.
The water in this area is generally hard to very hard (200mg/l calcium carbonate equivalent). Commonly referred to as "hardness minerals," dissolved calcium and magnesium can cause numerous problems when present in a water supply. Water softeners are specific ion exchangers that are designed to remove positively charged calcium and magnesium ions which cause ‘water hardness’. The hard water passes through millions of tiny ion exchange beads in the softener tank, which attract the hardness minerals calcium and magnesium and exchange them for sodium. When the resin beads become saturated with hardness minerals the softener will need to regenerate. In the regeneration process the softener will draw a salt solution slowly into the softener. This salt solution washes through the resin and knocks off the hardness minerals sending them down the drain, in doing so the sodium in the solution is attracted to the resin beads and the softener is ready to soften once again.
Depending on the type of softener, the regeneration process will take place immediately for a twin tank softener or at a pre-set time for a single tank softener.
