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Educational Information
With calendar clock initiation regeneration (also known as Time clock or Automatic), the control valve will regenerate the softener at a set fixed interval of days at 2:00 a.m. To ensure the softener does not run out of capacity due to high demand, an adequate reserve must be calculated and the estimated fixed interval reduced accordingly.
Metered initiation regeneration control valves (also referred to as volume or demand initiation) count down the set capacity of the softener in gallons. A softener with a meter initiation control will only regenerate when required as determined by the volume of water softened. The meter initiated regeneration is typically delayed until 2:00a.m., and thus an adequate reserve in gallons must be calculated to ensure the unit will provide soft water up to the regeneration time. By using a meter initiation control, the owner saves both water and salt by regenerating the softener only when required as compared with calendar clock initiated controls.
Conventional down-flow brining is the process of drawing in the brine solution and pushing it through the resin bed from the top to the bottom. Up-flow brining (or counter-current brining) is reversed, where the brine solution is drawn from the brine tank and moved up through the resin bed from bottom to the top.
The advantages of up-flow brining are the reduction of hardness leakage and increased efficiency. The reduction of hardness leakage is due to the lowest regenerated resin which is found at the top of the resin bed. The highly regenerated resin is at the bottom of the resin bed around the distribution. Conversely, the lowest regenerated resin in a down-flow brining is gained through reduction of water required to regenerate the softener.
Mechanical timers: clock initiated or meter initiated have been around for a long time. They are relatively simple to operate and maintain. Regeneration cycles are typically fixed or adjusted with pins and cam changes.
Simple Electronics (SE): advantages are the programming can be adjusted by the touch of a button. Regeneration cycles, regeneration type or time of day are adjustable. Regeneration overrides are available. The regeneration settings and volume remaining are settings remain safe during power outages. Additionally, electronic timers have now been on the market for years and with proven reliability.
Advanced electronics: provide greater efficiency with variable reserve. The control does not require the installer to calculate a reserve; rather the valve continuously calculates the required reserve based on the owners usage patterns. Advanced electronics also maintain usage history as a diagnostic tool and typically have other features available to them.
A standard mesh 8% cross-linked resin bead is the most commonly type of resin used in a residential or commercial water softener. It provides good capacity, is economically priced and will deliver a long service life.
Fine Mesh resins are a smaller bead size then the standard resins. Fine Mesh typically has a 10% greater capacity but conversely will result in a higher pressure drop through the softener. Fine Mesh resins have typically proven to have a greater ability to remove iron and release it again in regeneration. As the resin is lighter, fine mesh resin requires lower backwash flow rates than standard resin.
As a general rule the higher the salt setting the lower the salt efficiency. Higher salt settings result in greater softening capacity up to a point. Salt efficiency is the resin capacity (in grains) per pound of salt required in regeneration. The efficiency decreases because the capacity curve is not linear, but levels off at the resin's maximum capacity.
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