A water softener is based on the principle of the ion exchange resin. It is made up of two tanks, like two communicating vessels. The first container includes synthetic resins produced from polymers used for the service phase and the second contains the salts used for regenerating the phase.
That’s it, you have made the (very good) decision to buy a water softener because it is the best solution to remove the lime that circulates in your home. You have realized that there is nothing better than a BWT water softener to protect your household appliances, extend their life and eliminate traces of lime in your bathroom. You are now convinced and you are right that a water softener is a source of well-being, that it makes the skin softer, the hair smoother and the linen softer. You need to choose the best water softener there.
Water, first passing through synthetic resins, gets rid of its calcium (Ca2 +) and magnesium (Mg2 +) ions. Thus “cleaned”, it is loaded with sodium ions (Na +) before arriving, softened, in your taps.
The two phases of water softening
A softener operates in two phases: the service phase and the regeneration phase. During service, the water passes through the tank containing the resin and softens by getting rid of its magnesium and calcium ions, responsible for lime, and by taking on sodium ions instead.
Once the resins have reached saturation, that is to say once they have transmitted all their sodium ions and therefore no longer contain any, the softener goes into the regeneration phase. In fact, in order to restart the softening process, the resin must be regenerated, that is to say, add new sodium ions to it, using a saturated NaCl or sodium chloride solution, the brine, stored in the regenerating salt tank.
This phase, which lasts about an hour, is generally programmed at night, because it causes a drop in the water flow. Once regeneration is complete, your water softener automatically returns to service mode.
The upkeep and maintenance of your softener
As you can imagine, like any household appliance, your BWT water softener deserves regular maintenance in order to constantly operate optimally.
To do this, you must check once a month that the salt level is always at least 1/3 of the height of the tank. Also regularly check the hardness of the water, making sure that it does not vary by more than 10%, a threshold beyond which you will have to review the settings of your device.
In addition, in order to avoid the proliferation of bacteria, think about every six months to clean the resins contained in the tank with a solution that does not contain oxidant, bleach at very low concentration (because the latter could cause inflate the beads and cause the resin to break), or, ideally, IO Clean.
The Final Works
Finally, schedule an annual check-up of your softener by a BWT-approved water treatment professional. Indeed, only he will be able to certify you that the connections, the adjustments and all the parts related to your water softener guarantee it an optimal working condition.
