- 2025-07-24
What is a water softener
A water softener system is a device designed to soften water by removing the minerals that make it hard. Softening water is a very important process because it reduces the hardness of water for different uses. Softening water is an essential step in treating hard or raw water. Without softening, minerals and other substances in the raw water, such as calcium and magnesium, can accumulate and damage water treatment equipment, especially the membranes used to purify water. Ion exchange systems remove these substances.
Water Softening Process
This process mainly replaces calcium and magnesium ions with sodium or potassium ions. Inside the softener, there is an ion exchange material, such as a layer of small plastic resin beads or zeolite, which is saturated with sodium chloride or potassium chloride. This material absorbs calcium and magnesium ions, which replaces sodium or potassium ions in the water. When the material is completely covered with exchange, the removed minerals are rinsed away with a solution and replaced with regenerating ions, and then the water tank is rinsed clean with clean water. This process is called regeneration.
The ion exchange process in the water softener can reduce the hardness of the water while replenishing the system energy through another ion exchange in the salt water solution. Although the user does not need to maintain the water softener when it is operating normally, it is still recommended to check it regularly and do routine maintenance.
What is the purpose of a water softener?
If the water quality is too hard, it will clog pipes and damage boilers, heat exchangers and many other equipment. Softening water can prevent these negative situations. Hard water increases the risk of scale deposits in residential, commercial and industrial water treatment systems. Once scale accumulates, it will cause pipes to clog and reduce the efficiency of hot water boilers and water tanks. This will increase the cost of hot water for a family by about 15% to 20%.
Another negative effect of scale is that it will damage household appliances, such as washing machines. Using FupengWater water softening system to soften water can extend the life of every household appliance and pipes, such as washing machines. It can also improve the operation of solar heating systems, air conditioning units and many other water-based applications, making them last longer.
How to size a water softener
How do you size a water softener? The size of a water softener is determined by two different parameters: the exchange capacity, which is the amount of water that can be transferred between regenerations, and the maximum flow rate, which is the maximum amount of water required during any peak usage period.
Our industrial water softeners are fully automatic and are controlled by either a timer or meter. The timer control can initiate regeneration at any pre-set time, such as daily or at any other set time. The meter model initiates regeneration based on total water usage.
This steel mineral water tank is designed to operate at 100 psi and tested to withstand 150 psi. The dome on the top of the tank has a manhole.
The interior of the tank is epoxy coated to prevent rust and corrosion. The exterior is primed with an anti-rust primer.
The mineral tank contains a high-quality sulfonated non-phenolic polystyrene resin. When immersed at a rate of 15 pounds per cubic foot, this resin can release 30,000 particles of mineral per cubic foot.
The brine tank is a combination of a high density polystyrene brine metering tank and brine valve, an air elimination valve and a brine replenishment safety shut-off valve to prevent overflow of the tank.
The automatic regeneration controller can be equipped with a 7-day or 12-day calendar wheel. The regeneration time and the length of each regeneration cycle are fully adjustable.
The underdrain utilizes a hub and lateral or header and lateral system to evenly distribute water, prevent resin loss, and ensure minimum pressure drop at peak flow rates.
