Tank Based and Ion Exchange Process Water Softeners

Water Softeners are used to remove the dissolved hardness minerals - calcium and magnesium - from water.

Calcium and magnesium are inversely soluble with water temperature. That is, calcium and magnesium precipitate out of the water as the temperature rises. Another way to say this is that water can hold less calcium and magnesium in solution as the temperature increases.

Inverse solubility becomes very important when you heat water in a boiler. The temperature at the boiler tube surface is so high that the calcium and magnesium plate out and produce very hard and difficult to remove scale on the surface of the tube. This scale is also insulating and makes the boiler less efficient wasting energy. This scale ultimately causes corrosion because of the excess heat and reduced circulation at the tube surface.

As a result, in almost all boiler water, water softeners are used to remove the hardness minerals - calcium and magnesium - from the feedwater.

Water softening is an Ion Exchange Process. The hardness minerals are "exchanged" replaced with sodium(Na+) ions.

Water softeners are Tank Based Systems. The tanks can be either Fiberglass or steel.

For detailed catalog information on Fiberglass Tank Water Softerner Systems, please click on this link: Fiberglass Softeners.

The typical design is to have 2 tanks each run separately in a Duplex arrangement. A water meter sends a signal to the system controller, based how much water has run through the system and based on the water analysis, determines that regeneration or reactivation of the on-line column needs to take place.

The on-line column is taken off-line and the stand-by column is placed into service.

This all happens automatically so that you never have to be without softened water. System maintenance is largely now maintaining the salt level in the brine tank.

The information we need to help you with a softener system is the amount of hardness minerals in your water. This is usually found in a standard inorganic analysis of your water. Please email and/or fax that to us and we can help you design a water softener system.