Skid mounted 1 m3/hr water softener remove hard water residue in fabrics, which can help clothing last longer

                                                                  Automatic water softener

What is a Water Softener?

A water softener is an appliance that is fitted to the mains water supply to a home or commercial premises to remove dissolved minerals (hardness salts). These minerals form lime-scale in pipes and boilers, when the water is heated, and soap-scum in bath water, laundry appliances and sanitary-ware. They are usually fitted close to the mains water entry point in a house but can be sited almost anywhere. Modern domestic softeners are so compact that they can be easily installed under the kitchen sink.

What does a Water Softener do?

Water softeners use a process called ion exchange. The softener unit contains a column filled with beads of a resin which remove the dissolved calcium and magnesium ions from the hard water flowing through it, replacing them with sodium. Periodically, (typically once a day) the softener regenerates the resin by washing with brine (sodium chloride solution), carrying the calcium and magnesium to drain, and leaving fresh sodium ions on the resin ready for the next treatment cycle. Regeneration is usually triggered automatically by either an electronic timer or mechanical water flow meter. The unit has to be refilled with salt (in the form of granules, small tablets or blocks) typically once a month.

Working principle

How does a Water Softener work?

Softeners have been used since the early 1900‘s to prevent scale in boilers, so the technology is well understood and their performance is predictable and reliable.

They involve a process called ion exchange which uses an ion exchange resin. The resin comprises tiny polymeric beads which are specially formulated so that they can be charged with certain ions. Calcium and magnesium, the causes of scale and scum from hard water, are referred to as ions, and as water passes through the resin the calcium and magnesium ions swap places with the sodium ions on the resin. Sodium salts, unlike calcium and magnesium, are highly soluble so sodium does not cause scale or scum. When all the sodium ions have been exchanged for calcium or magnesium, the resin must be regenerated by recharging it with sodium ions. This is done by flushing the resin with salt solution (brine).

Softeners are supplied in different shapes and sizes. All have a tank to hold the resin through which the water is passed to soften it, all have a tank to store and dissolve the salt for the regenerating brine and all softeners regenerate automatically. There are various ways in which softeners determine when to regenerate - some are fitted with a timer and some regenerate after a pre-set volume of water has been treated.

Ion exchange involves the use of a resin bed. Ion exchange resin is a very small synthetic bead-like material that looks a little bit like brown sugar. The beads are very small, about the size of a pin head.

The process is called Ion exchange because the ions calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) are exchanged for small amounts of sodium (Na).

Water softeners use ion exchange (see above) and although they all differ in design they do share the following characteristics.

working principle of sodium ion exchange and softening treatment is to exchange sodium cation with resin to soften the raw water , hardness content Ca2+and Mg2+ in water will be exchanged with Na+ in the resin to absorb the Ca2+and Mg2+ to make the water to be softened. 

2RNa + Ca2+ = R2Ca + 2Na+ 

2RNa + Mg2+ = R2Mg + 2Na+ 

After the water treated by sodium ion exchanger, the Ca+ and Mg+ were exchanged to

 be Na +. 

Dual tank flow rate based control type: which could be divided into one work one standby type, and dual tanks work simultaneously but regenerate separately type.

One work one standby type: one tank is running while the other is alternating, when water yield of operating tank reaches the presetted flow rate, it will start the regeneration , meanwhile, the other tank will start working, these two tanks work and regenerate alternatively to realize continuous 24 hours water supplying. 

Pipe connection 

01.The connection for pipe,please refer to the construction requirement.

02.connect the inlet-outlet pipe as per the controller’s nozzle(the raw water pipe should exceed the water inlet to ensure the capacity).

03.The inlet-outlet water pipe should be with flow meter, pressure gauge and manual valve,the by-pass valve should be installed between inlet and outlet pipe,the sample valve is before water outlet valve.we suggested that Y filter should be installed at water inlet (avoid that the pollutant will block the valves and affect the normal running)

04.To reduce the length of connection pipe and reduce the bending,distance between the control valve and drain drainage ditch should no exceeding 6 meters,the length of drain pipe should be no exceeding 2.5 meters.