A water softener is a common household appliance that most homeowners know very little about. You probably know that the softener’s job is to remove hard water minerals, but very few know how it does this. That’s why many people may be surprised to find that in making soft water their softener could be wasting lots of water and running up their water bill or filling up their septic tank.
How does a water softener create soft water?
The goal of softening water is to remove minerals like magnesium, calcium, and iron from the water because they cause dry hair & skin, buildup in pipes, spots on dishes, dull and dingy linens, and wear and tear on appliances that use water.
Step 1: Ion Exchange
Water softeners use a chemical process known as ion exchange to take hard water minerals out of your water by replacing them with sodium ions. That’s why water softeners use salt. That salt dissolves in the part of the softener known as the brine tank which then moves into the mineral tank where the sodium ions bind to an ion exchange resin. When hard water is added to the mineral tank, the sodium ions in the resin and the hard water minerals in the water switch places.
Step 2: Regeneration
Regeneration is the process in which the softener system resets itself and prepares to make more soft water. The mineral tank needs to be cleaned and prepared to do a new ion exchange. Salt brine solution from the brine tank is flushed into the mineral tank in order to rinse the hard water minerals out of the resin beads and replace them with new sodium ions. The rinsing process creates mineral laden wastewater that will end up being flushed down the drain.
There are two categories of softener regeneration:
On-demand regeneration – the softener regenerates only when the softener detects that the supply of soft water is depleted and more is required.
Timed regeneration– The softener functions on a timer that will force a regeneration cycle at preset intervals.
How does a water softener waste water?
During the regeneration process and the various rinse cycles, the softener flushes mineral laden water and brine down the drain. This is an unavoidable process that is crucial to the softener doing its job. This becomes a waste if the softener is regenerating before the resin needs to be recharged with sodium, as is often the case with a softener that is regenerating on a timed cycle. The softener could be flushing water down the drain that never needed to be used at all. Additionally, many low tech softeners require more water for their regeneration process.
How much water does a water softener use?
Water usage by your water softener varies a lot depending on its size and design but a general rule of thumb is 20-50 gallons per regeneration cycle. That’s about the same as a load of laundry, ten dishwasher cycles, or two average showers. As you can imagine, if a softener is regenerating and discharging when soft water is not needed, this water usage can really add up!
What’s the solution?
Since softeners need to flush water to regenerate and function properly, the solution to water waste involves minimizing regeneration.
Option 1: Switch to a softener that regenerates only on demand. On-demand regeneration ensures that the softener only regenerates when it is necessary, thereby minimizing the amount of water the machine uses. Aquarius is an authorized, independent dealer for Kinetico water systems, which boasts softeners that are 100% on-demand, non-electric softeners which have been rated as the most efficient softeners in the world.
Compare Kinetico Water Softeners to Standard Electric Softeners
Option 2: If you have a timed regeneration water softener, you should analyze its regeneration cycle to ensure that it is not regenerating more frequently than needed.
If you think that your water softener could be running up your water bills, or is simply not doing its job of providing soft water to protect your body and home, then you should consult with the water specialists at Aquarius Home Services. Our technicians can check your electric softener for performance and can optimize its settings. A trained water specialist can visit you to perform a free water test to assess your water challenges and recommend the Kinetico system that will bring you the best water possible.
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