How Does a Water Softener Work?

Calcium and magnesium walk into the resin bed. Sodium kicks them out. That’s the DAILY SOAP of the softening technology. 

Not all negative things are bad. Look at the water softener for instance. 

Being negatively charged, the device triggers resin bead opponents to remove positively charged minerals. 

But aren’t minerals good? Not always! 

Such metal bands take a toll on both home and human health. What it does is:

• Affecting appliance lifespan
• Corroding plumbing systems
• Drying out your skin
• Roughening the hair and
• Increasing risks of different disorders

Sadly, 3 quarters may have to deal with them because stats stress that:

“Only 25% of households have water softener.” [Source: Bureau of Reclamation]

The percentage isn’t dramatic. Probably because most don’t know the efficiency of the device.

For this, learning about its function is a must at first. It washes away the troubles, sends them down the drain, and leaves you with smooth-tasting water.

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How Does A Water Softener Work? - Simple 4 Step Solution

The traditional one works in four stages. Here’s the water softener cycle diagram with the steps for you to get it properly. 

Step 1: Hard Water Flows In

As you turn on a tap, hard water moves from your main water supply. It gets inside the water softener, specifically, into the tank called the “mineral tank”.

Step 2: Intro To Resin Beads

The tank is full of tiny resin beads. They come coated with salt ions. It can be sodium or potassium. 

Such salts carry a negative charge. They’re extremely small and can easily swap places with positive ions. 

Minerals like calcium and magnesium have a positive charge. So, they attach to those salt ions. 

Step 3: Ion Exchange Happens 

As hard water flows across the resin beads, the minerals with positive ions stick to the beads. The beads trap the minerals while releasing salt ions into the water.

That’s how the negative and positive ions exchange. 

Step 4: Soft Water Comes Out

The salt doesn’t cause hardness. Instead, it helps remove all the minerals and softens the water. 

Once softened, the water flows out of the faucet and gets ready for use. 

Get the best water softener today from NJ Water Systems!

What Is Hard Water?

Mineral-rich water over 1 GPG. 

Hard water is water with excessive amounts of dissolved minerals. The two most common are calcium and magnesium. 

Water hardness is typically measured in two units:

• Grains per gallon (GPG) or 
• Milligrams per liter (mg/L)

Here, 1 GPG indicates “soft” water whereas any number above 1.5 GPG is “hard” to “extremely hard”. 

How Does Water Become Hard?

Water usually stays soft when it falls as rainwater. 

It touches the ground and flows through several pathways from groundwater to rocks/soil to your faucet. During this journey, the water picks up minerals from the rock deposits like: 

• Limestone
• Gypsum
• Chalk
• Dolomite 
• Halite 

The rocks dissolve minerals in water and increase the hardness level. 

[Image Source: ResearchGate]

Then, it flows through: 

• River and other channels
• Treatment plants for purification
• Municipal supplies 
• Finally, to your homes

Victim of Hard Water? Get An Efficient Water Softener Right Away!

Water Hardness 

As mentioned, you can measure it through 2 units.

• GPG: Refers to the level based on several grains of dissolved minerals per gallon of water. 
• mg/L: Refers to how many milligrams of minerals are there in one liter of water. 

The Water Quality Association has classified the water hardness extent into 5 levels. 

5 Major Effects on Household and Health

1. Scale Buildup 

It comes from the heavy use of hard water. 

Mineral-rich water causes limescale buildup around the surfaces. The deposits stick to appliances and plumbing systems and result in issues like:

• Clogging 
• Reduced water flow 
• Reduced efficiency of functions
• Corrosion
• Damage
• High energy costs 

This includes your pipes, dishwashers, and washing machines. Appliances like water heaters also face negative consequences. 

2. Soap Scum And Less Lather 

Hard water is a big enemy of cleaning products.

The minerals in water react with them and create soap scum. The scum is a filmy residue that sticks to a cleaning product’s surface or blends in the liquid detergent. 

This residue lowers the soap’s ability to lather well. 

So, when you use hard water to:

• Shower
• Wash dishes, or 
• Do laundry

It may make you use more products than needed. 

3. Skin And Hair Troubles

Minerals can affect both skin and hair. 

They strip away natural oils from the skin. This leads to dryness and flakiness. 

Moreover, they worsen the case of skin conditions like psoriasis by up to 20%. 

So, hard water isn’t suitable for people with sensitive skin and conditions as they may face: severe itching and irritation. 

Minerals also make the hair feel rough. 

They stick to your shaft which can lead to brittleness. Your hair becomes frizzy, harder to manage, and weak. 

4. Health Risks

High levels of water hardness can be bad for some individuals. 

Different studies have shown different conditions that hard water can lead to. However, it may happen usually when the water is very hard. 

The issues can be: 

• Kidney stones
• Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia

5. White Stains

Hard water evaporates and leaves minerals as a white, chalky residue. 

These are the spots you see on the surfaces. It can be on your glasses, dishes, pipes, marble wall panels, or anywhere.

These residues are a hassle because you have to put extra effort into cleaning them. 

This means more use of water, cleaning products, and energy.

What Is Water Softener?

A device with ion exchange tech. 

A water-softening system is a device that softens water with a special method called ion exchange. 

Inside the softener, there’s a tank with resin beads. These beads trap the minerals, remove them, and soften the water. 

The water softener can address 5+ problems that hard water brings. 

Benefits of Water Softener

No Scale Deposits 

Water softener prevents limescale buildup. 

It lowers the amount of minerals to almost negligible levels. So, calcium and magnesium don’t get a chance to form a mass. 

This helps:

• Smoothen water flow
• Boost the efficiency of appliances/pipes 
• Make them last longer
• Prevent expensive repairs and rust damage 

Cleaning Efficiency 

The softening tech helps improve the lather.

With low minerals, the soft water coming out of the device mixes well with cleaning products. This allows them to foam up and do their work effectively. 

As per a report by the Water Quality Research Foundation:

"Soft water can lower detergent use by around 50% since there’s no soap scum."

Using fewer soaps helps you save money. Plus, you can keep bathtubs, and dishes cleaner and shinier. 

Softer Skin and Hair

The skin and hair feel a lot smoother with soft water. 

This is the benefit water softeners can give. 

Mineral-free water stays easy on sensitive skin. So, even if you have a condition like psoriasis, both the disease and water shouldn’t react. 

Moreover, water softener helps preserve the skin’s natural hydration with soft water. It keeps the oils in your skin well-regulated. 

Not just that. 

The water also helps maintain your hair’s natural shine. It gets a lot easier to detangle and style the hair. 

Besides, water softener improves lather power as you use shampoo. That way, it ensures your hair stays vibrant and healthy. 

Health Benefits

Using a water softener can help with 2 specific health benefits. 

It reduces the risks of kidney stones and neurodegenerative disorders. 

Besides, it offers other advantages if sodium isn’t a concern. Some of them are:

• Smoother taste
• Easy on your digestive system
• Neutral smell 

Know The Water Softener Components

The Regeneration Cycle

[Diagram Source: Softener Parts]

Resin beads work pretty hard to trap minerals. Sadly, over time, they get full of calcium and magnesium. So, they stop working properly. 

To fix this, there’s a regeneration system that uses brine. Brine is salt dissolved in water. 

It cleans minerals off the beads. This helps recharge the beads.

That’s the regeneration cycle. 

Stage 1: Backwash Phase

It starts when the device needs to clean the resin beads. The water flow is reversed at first. It doesn’t go in the normal direction- moving to the resin bed from the top and down through the resin beads. 

Instead, the water flows backward through the bed. This helps loosen and move away the minerals and debris buildup. 

The dirty water and impurities go out of the system. 

Stage 2: Brine Draw Phase

Here, the water softener gets the brine solution ready. 

The water flows into a separate tank in the softener that holds the salt. It creates a saltwater solution. 

This solution then flows into the tank where resin beads sit. As the brine passes through the beads, the cleanup happens.

The brine replaces mineral ions stuck to the beads with its sodium ions. This helps clean and recharge the resin beads. 

The minerals flow with the water and exit through the drain. 

Stage 3: Rinse Phase

After the brine does its job, the water softener starts rinsing everything. 

This includes any leftover brine and minerals. 

Freshwater flows through the resin bed, washing the residue away. The beads become completely clean and get ready to soften the water again. 

Stage 4: Refill Phase

The stage preps the system for the next regeneration cycle. 

Here, you add fresh water to the brine tank. This water mixes with the salt to create a new brine solution. It works as a new supply of brine. 

That way, you can use it for future regeneration phases if the resin beads get dirty again.

There Are 3 Types of Water Softeners

1. Salt-Based Water Softeners

Traditional technique.

The main highlight of such a device is salt. It uses an ion exchange method where resin beads with negatively charged salt attract positively charged minerals. 

This cleans up the minerals and lets cleaner, softer water pass through. As per an article by WCP, 

“On average, a salt-based softener can remove 4,000 grains of hardness per pound of salt.”

Pros

• Highly efficient
• Easily available
• Simple upkeep and easy-to-use

Cons

• Not for people on a low-sodium diet

2. Salt-Free Conditioners

A manipulator. 

Water conditioners work as formulations. They vary based on the technique and each softens water differently. 

The formulations don’t remove minerals like the traditional softeners. Instead, they alter the chemical and physical structures and properties of minerals. 

Two common technologies used in conditioners are: 

Template-Assisted Crystallization (TAC)

It uses small beads to help minerals form tiny crystals. These little crystals float in water rather than sticking to surfaces. This helps prevent scale deposits. 

Electromagnetic Methods

The main media is electromagnetic fields. They help change how minerals behave in water. The fields alter the mineral charge so they don’t stick together and build up limescales. 

Among these two, the first one is the most common. Stats say,

“TAC typically shows consistent scale reduction over 88%, making it an efficient method.” 

Pros

• Lower-maintenance 
• Ideal for those on low-sodium diet
• Softens water to a good extent

Cons

• Doesn’t completely remove minerals 
• Not great for households with extremely hard water
  

3. Dual-Tank System

Traditional softener with an extra tank.

The dual tank system features two resin bead tanks. They alternate during the regeneration process.

In such systems, one tank softens water while the other regenerates. This gives a continuous supply of softened water that helps prevent downtime. 

It’s different from single-tank where you don’t get soft water during regeneration. 

Pros

• Never runs out of soft water
• Great for bigger households
• Minimal downtime

Cons

• Not for smaller homes
• Expensive

Book a free water testing service from NJ Water Systems.

Choosing the Right Salt for Your Water Softener

Rock Salt

Natural but may contain impurities.

Rock salt is natural and super inexpensive. 

Then again, it may have impurities like dirt or clay. The contaminants can cause device issues like clogging and reduced efficiency. 

To prevent this, dissolve rock salt first and let the impurities settle. This will help clear the solution. Use that for the softener. 

Solar Salt

Purer than rock salt. 

Solar salt originates from evaporated seawater. It’s cleaner than rock salt because it has fewer contaminants. Stats say,

The advanced technologies and detailed processes help lead to the production of 99.94% pure solar salt. This involves: 

Biological management, crystallization, harvesting techniques, and salt processing. 

Vacuum Salt

Highly pure, ideal for minimizing residue.

Vacuum salt is the purest form of salt. It’s made of evaporated brine under vacuum. 

Such a salt has minimal residue and works most effectively in advanced softeners. As you can see in the stats,

“Vacuum salt is typically 99.8 - 99.95% pure.”

Common Questions About Water Softeners

How Do Water Softeners Work Step by Step?

Water softeners mostly work in 3 steps. Hard water enters the resin bead tank, the beads exchange mineral ions with sodium ions, and then the device distributes softer water. 

What is the Working Principle of a Softener?

It’s the ion exchange. This is the traditional working principle of a softener. Some others are TAC, conditioning, and dual tank.  

What are the 5 Stages of the Water Softener Regeneration Process?

The 5 stages of the water softener regeneration process are: fill, brining, brine rinse, backwash, and fast rinse. 

How Does Water Flow Through a Water Softener?

Hard water flows through a resin beads-filled tank in the softener. The beads exchange the hard water minerals for sodium ions. This helps soften the water. 

How Does A Water Softener Work With Salt?

The salt-coated resin beads in water softener have negative ions that attract and trap minerals with positive ions. That’s how the softening technology works with salt. 

What Is The Best Salt For Water Softeners?

Get vacuum salt. It’s one of the best salts for water softeners because of its 99.99% purity. Some other options are rock salt and solar salt. 

How Does Water Softener Regeneration Work?

The Water Softener Regeneration has 4 common stages: Backwash, brine draw, rinse, and refill.