What is Water Softener Regeneration?

What is Water Softener Regeneration?

Hard water contains high levels of calcium and magnesium minerals, which can be harsh on plumbing systems. Continued exposure to these minerals leads to the accumulation of limescale, causing clogs in drains and reducing water quality. Hard water also leads to residue on dishes and surfaces, exacerbates skin conditions like eczema, and breaks down fabrics.  

Installing a water softening system is a solution to protect your home from hard water. The hard minerals are removed during the water softener regeneration process, resulting in softer water for better efficiency. Learn the incredible advantages of water softener regeneration in this blog. Below, we've put together a comprehensive guide to showcasing its process, duration, frequency, water usage, and much more.

Water Softener Regeneration Process 

Inside a  water softener thousands of tiny resin beads filter out hard minerals before they enter your home’s plumbing. The resin beads attract and bind to the minerals, removing them from the water as they flow through the tank. During water softener regeneration, a brine solution cleans the resin tank, exchanging the hard water minerals for sodium. This water softener regeneration process involves five main stages:

• Fill: Water flows into the salt storage container to dissolve the salt and create a brine solution.
• Brining: The brine solution is sent from the salt storage tank to the resin tank, picking up hardness minerals.
• Brine rinse: After a certain amount of brine solution is used, the brine valve closes, and water flushes out the minerals and brine to a nearby drain.
• Backwash: Water flows quickly upwards through the resin tank, flushing out sediments, iron, and dirt.
• Fast rinse: A speedy rinse ensures any remaining brine is picked up and carried through the resin beads before the standard softening process resumes.

How Do I Know If My Water Softener Is Regenerating?

How often a water softener should regenerate depends on water hardness level, number of people in your household, and your softener tank capacity. Water softener regeneration settings are dependent on the type of softening equipment you’ve chosen for your home.

Timered water softeners regenerate at a predetermined schedule, regardless of how much water is used. This type of softener is best for homes that have consistent water usage and hardness levels, to provide the most effective use of the resin. If your softener is programmed to regenerate at night during low water usage, you may not be awake to hear when it’s happening, but you’ll know if your system is failing to regenerate when the hardness level of your water rises.

Softened water feels silkier and tastes different than hard water. If your softener hasn’t regenerated, you’ll end up with hard water and you’ll soon notice distinct changes. It will taste different, perform differently when used for household chores, and you’ll start to see scale forming on your appliances and surfaces.

High-efficiency, on-demand water softeners regenerate on their own according to the amount of water used. This type of system monitors water usage and begins the regeneration cycle when the resin is full of hard minerals. Regardless of how long a household takes to consume a pre-set volume of water, an on-demand system only regenerates when that amount has been used. The only sound you should regularly hear from your water softener system is the backwashing that occurs during the regeneration cycle.

If you notice changes in your water quality, or your softener salt levels are remaining the same each day, your system is not operating correctly, and your resin bed may not be getting cleaned. A visual inspection of the brine tank when you replenish the salt will let you know if you’re adding enough, too much, or if there’s an obstruction. It’s not uncommon for salt bridges to form inside a brine tank. Luckily, there’s an  easy fix for this. It’s never a bad idea to do a quick check for common problems with easy solutions before spending money on a service call.

How Long is Water Softener Regeneration  

A typical regeneration cycle takes about an hour and a half to complete. During this time, the unwanted dissolved minerals are removed from the water. The backwashing process to remove sediment lasts about 10 minutes before the next step in the water softener regeneration cycle begins.  

The salt brine is then drawn from the tank and pumped backward through the resin to clean out the minerals, which takes about an hour.  

After this is complete, the softener needs another 10-15 minutes to flush the salt brine from the media so that it’s ready to treat more water. The final 10-minute step refills the salt tank with water to create more brine for the next water softener regeneration cycle.  

How Often Does a Water Softener Regenerate?  

The frequency of regeneration depends largely on the water hardness level in a home, the number of people in the household, and the tank capacity. This makes correctly sizing your water softener an important first step when considering the purchase of a new system. To learn more, check out this detailed article, “How Often Should a Water Softener Regenerate?” now.

How Much Water is Needed to Regenerate?

So, how much water is actually needed for water softener regeneration? Generally, the amount of water needed to draw the brine from the brine tank through the injector and then to the resin bed is known as the ‘motive’ water. The volume of motive water needed is three times the volume of the concentrated brine.

Explore Water Softener Products Best for You!

Make hard minerals like calcium and magnesium disappear from your household water. Check out Discount Water Softeners to find top-quality water softener products. Find the perfect water softener for your needs. This article provides more helpful information on selecting the best water softener for your home.

FAQs

• What triggers a water softener to regenerate?

  There is a setting that keeps track of water usage and sends the softener into “regeneration mode.”

• Should I manually regenerate my water softener?

  Yes, there may be instances where you'll need to initiate a manual water softener regeneration.

• Sh• How long does a water softener take to rejuvenate?

  A typical regeneration cycle takes about an hour and a half to complete.