Water Softening Equipment Key Terms

Keep fresh water flowing by learning the basic terminology of water softening equipment

Water serves many purposes in business. Whether used for drinking, washing, production, or a mixture of all the above, water quality is paramount. When municipally treated water is not available, or if the water for your business needs to meet particular specifications, water softener equipment can be an invaluable asset. These units remove minerals common in water that can cause unpleasant taste, inconvenient build up in appliances and pipes, and unwanted staining and coloring on fabrics.

 

Water hardness

Water hardness is a term referring to the amount of minerals dissolved in water. It is measured by determining the number of grains of material per gallon of water as well as the milligrams of material per liter of water. High amounts of minerals means harder water.
Try: Fairfax County Water Authority explains the meaning of water hardness and the scales used to measure it.

Ion exchange process

Ion exchange is the process used by many water softening systems. This process removes the hard mineral ions from the water and replaces them with sodium ions from a concentrated brine solution. In water softeners, a bed of resin beads is charged with sodium ions. Once the exchange takes place, the system recharges by using brine to wash away the hard ions and recharge the resin with sodium.
Try: Excel Water Technologies offers an in-depth explanation of the ion exchange process involved in water softening.

Water softening salt

Water softening salt is a course salt used by water softening units. It provides the system with sodium ions to make the ion exchange process possible. It comes in varying forms, including rock, crystal (solar) and pellet (evaporated), each with their own level of purity.
Try: Cargill offers information on types and use of water softener salt.

Demand initiated regeneration (DIR)

Demand initiated regeneration (DIR) softening units regenerate the resin bed based on a sensor system or water usage measurement, as opposed to automatically regenerating according to a set schedule. This is more efficient and less likely to waste softened water.
Try: Purity Planet discusses several different types of ion-exchange water softeners, including demand initiated regeneration units.

Off-site regeneration unit

Off-site regeneration units eliminate the need to buy softener salt. Instead of recharging the resin bed with sodium ions on-site, these units are retrieved according to a set schedule and taken to a central location to regenerate the ion charge. A freshly recharged unit is delivered when the spent unit is retrieved.
Try: Culligan provides information on the process and benefits of using off-site regeneration units in a portable exchange service.

Magnetohydrodynamic softening

Magnetohydrodynamic softening units use focused magnetic fields to decrease the bonding ability of the minerals in water that cause hardness. This is an alternative to the traditional ion-exchange process of water softening. The minerals are still present but are less likely to "stick" to each other, pipes, or other surfaces, thus acting more like soft water.
Try: Clearwater GMX offers a simplified explanation of magnetohydrodynamics, as it applies to water softening.

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