Water softening is a water treatment process to reduce water hardness (the lime content in the water). Ion exchange has become established as a common process. A special exchanger resin is used, which filters the calcium and magnesium ions from the water and exchanges them for harmless sodium .
How water softening works
During water softening using ion exchange , the water to be softened flows over a resin bed that is loaded with sodium ions. The ions calcium and magnesium are exchanged for sodium . This process works as a flow process and does not require any water storage. The exchange resin is in a special pressure tank .
Since the capacity (amount of sodium ions) depends on the amount of exchange resin , the resin bed must be regenerated after a certain flow rate. The regeneration of the softening system is triggered by a special control valve that controls the water softening. Regeneration is carried out with salt (NaCl).
Areas of application for water softening systems
- detached house
- Apartment building
- hotel
- car wash
- Industry
- Cleaning for solar systems
Does water softening make sense?
The use of a water softening system makes sense in many areas. Whether in a single-family home or an apartment building, where the water hardness needs to be reduced so that the bathroom or kitchen appliances no longer become calcified. Water softening systems are often used in hotels to make cleaning showers and rooms easier.
More and more waterworks are relying on central water softening as it is increasingly being discovered that soft water offers many advantages.
Benefits of soft water
Soft water offers many advantages over hard water:
- No calcification of water pipes and devices
- Shower walls and bathroom fittings no longer become calcified
- Detergent dosage can be reduced
- Cleaning agents work more effectively
- Descaling agent can be saved
