How Often Should My Water Softener Regenerate- 6 Fair Reason

My followers often asked me, how often should my water softener regenerate.To understand, you need to know what is hard water & how does water softener work.

If you live in an area that lacks the municipal water supply, you will probably rely on the water vendors or the underground boreholes. The water that is derived from these sources is never really that great. They contain plenty of dissolved minerals, some dirt, and plenty of debris.

You can never drink straight from them hence. Instead, you want to eliminate this debris as much as you possibly can. One sure way of achieving this end is by using the water softener. But just what is it, and how does it function? We answer these and many more in the proceeding discussions.

What Is Water Softener Regeneration?

A water softener is a piece of equipment that has the ability to eliminate dissolved minerals and debris from the water. In the course of doing that, it leaves water that is cleaner, fresher, and completely devoid of any impurities. Such water is also awesome for a couple of everyday household applications.

Water softener regeneration is the standard process to clean water and by using it water softener flushes out the minerals it extracts from the hard water, so it can continue to soften new water as it comes through.

How Water Softener Works

The Hard Water & Water Softening Systems work in four main ways. We explain them in greater detail here below:

Lime Softening

This entails the use of the lime water or Calcium Hydroxide to make the water softer. Particularly, it gets rid of the Magnesium and Calcium ions from the water. To achieve this end, the hydrated lime is passed into the water thereby raising its level of the pH. In the course of doing that, the ions that cause the hardness levels are precipitated and filtered out.

Ion-exchange Resins

The ion-exchange resin is a polymer that serves to facilitate the exchange of the ions. It does this principally by providing the medium that traps some targeted ions while at the same time releasing others. It is mainly used for the large scale and industrial settings that require huge quantities to be handled per unit time.

Nano-filtration

As its name implies, this is the use of sieves or filters that are minimal. These filters can only allow the water molecules to pass through owing to their extremely minute pores or diameters. Typically, the pores measure the minuscule 1-10 nanometers. Most of the time, the mechanism is used for common household needs and applications.

Reverse Osmosis

Lastly comes the reverse osmosis. In this sense, the dirty water is pressured to pass through a semi-permeable membrane. In the course of the dirty water traveling through this semi-permeable membrane, it leaves behind all the dissolved minerals and debris. Only the clean and pure water molecules are allowed to pass through.

How Often Should My Water Softener Regenerate?

It all depends on how often the water softening activity is undertaken per day. If yours is a busy machine, then the regeneration ideally ought to happen more frequently. On the flip side, the regeneration can and ought to take longer if you rarely use the softener.

Generally, a typical household water softener should take two to three days to regenerate. That is given the low volume of water that such items handle per unit time. Then again, it ought not to go beyond that as it may dirty and contaminate the water that is handled by it.

For those water softeners that are used every quite often or for a prolonged duration of time, the regeneration ought to happen a bit too soon. 90 minutes, give or take should be the preferred duration for this regeneration process to happen. Assess your water needs first and foremost before engaging the gadgets.

Using water during water softener regeneration

On the whole, you are strongly advised against using the water during the regeneration exercise. That is due to the risk of interfering with the regeneration cycle. Also, there is the added risk of contaminating the water that is in the process of being filtered. Just hold on until the exercise has come to a complete halt.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

Let’s take a look now at some questions that are frequently asked regarding this particular topic:

How to Properly Size a Water Softener

A. For one, there is no standard size of the water softener that may come to your rescue. The precise is largely dependent on various factors and realities. Some of these are:

The volume of the Water

How much water do you plan to handle and accommodate? Obviously, a larger volume of water requires a larger size of the water softener, all the other factors are held constant. That is for the sheer need to maintain the flow and the consistency thereof as need be.

Frequency of Use

Closely related to the above is the intended frequency of the use of the water softener. Put differently: how often do you plan to dedicate the water softener for your use? If you want to soften the water now and then, the size has to be larger. A smaller version may however do for the occasional water softening needs and outcomes.  

Water Softening Technology

In closing, the water softening process technology in use also has a role to play insofar as the sizing of the water softener is concerned. The reverse osmosis and the ion-exchange resins particularly demand larger spaces to set up and engage for the use thereof. Its nano-filtration counterpart is nonetheless quite small and less demanding.

BOTTOM LINE: To arrive at the most suitable size of the water softener for your home, multiply the number of persons under your household by the average amount of water they use per day. This stands at around 80 gallons (0.3 m³) per person per day. For instance, a family of four will consume 320 gallons (1,211.33 liters) per day. Proceed thereafter to search for a softener that can handle that amount.

How often should I add salt to my water softener?

A. Once a month, it is! You are advised to check the softener and add the salt at least once a month. While at it, you should be sure that the level of the salt in the tank be no less than 3-4 inches (0.1 m) above the water level that is inside the brine tank.

Can I have a water softener with a Morton® Household Filtration System?

A. WHY NOT? As a matter of fact, this Morton® Household Filtration System is generally optimized for the higher performances. As such, it is quite suitable for larger houses or smaller businesses. Those who have already tested it have noted it to deliver great works and overall outcomes, all factors are taken into account.

Considering its complicated parts and components, you need an elevated level of expertise to be able to handle and engage it. This makes it not so great for those who have barely attempted these kinds of gadgets before. You may wish hence to invoke the assistance of someone who has already attempted them before for a start.

What happens if Water Softener Stuck In Regeneration?

A. This leads to the accumulation of the debris and the possible clogging of the systems of the water softener. If and when this happens, you are asked to flush an extra amount of water in the system. This will go a long way in eliminating the building and facilitating the disposal of the clogged debris.

To prevent the sticking from arising in the first place, you are advised to constantly monitor the systems to ascertain its state and progress. Then from time to time, flush the system with copious amounts of water to preempt the clogging in the first place.

How do I know if my water softener is regenerating?

A. Below are some signs to look out for:

Tastes of the Water

A truly regenerated water softener will produce water whose taste is neutral i.e. has no adverse negative or ugly tastes. If the water tastes ugly, that could indicate that the softener is faulty or has not yet completely regenerated. Ensure that your tongue is not compromised before tasting.

Water Texture

The texture of water from a truly regenerated softener is softer and smoother to the tongues. In the event that the water is too rough to the mouth, the same may be indicative of a fault or defect in the water softener overall. You need to try this out on your skin.

Effects on the Soap and detergents

One great way of gauging the efficacy of the water softener is by observing its effects on the soaps and the detergents. A truly regenerate water softener is easier to lather and also takes shorter to leave behind the necessary outcomes. One that is too faulty will produce water that is difficult to lather.

How Long Does It Take For A Water Softener To Regenerate?

A. This takes roughly 85 to 90 minutes. Kindly note though that the duration may be too long if the softener in question is used in areas that are too busy and squeezed in their schedules. You need to exercise some care and attention when engaging your equipment.

Conclusion

We bring an end to our peek into the subject of how often should my water softener regenerate. Having done that, we now defer the matter to you. We challenge you to now proceed and implement the insights we have gladly and generously furnished you. Best of luck as you set out.