How Does A Water Softener Work? Understanding The Basics

Not sure how a water softener from Culligan of Stockton will work, and how it removes mineral deposits from your water supply? You’ve come to the right place. In this guide, we’ll discuss the basics you need to know about how water softeners work.

How Water Softeners Work – Everything You Need To Know

Water softeners work using a principle called “ion exchange.” This process eliminates hard minerals like magnesium and calcium from the water. Here’s how the basic process works.

1. Water enters your home, and is pumped into the water softener before it enters the rest of your plumbing. When it enters the mineral tank of your water softener, it flows over a bed of resin beads. These beads are made from a plastic called polystyrene.
   
   
2. These circular polystyrene beads contain a sodium ion, and they are “anions.” This means they are negatively charged. Minerals like magnesium and calcium, on the other hand, are “cations,” meaning they are positively charged.
   
   
3. In the same way that oppositely charged magnets attract each other, the calcium and magnesium are attracted to the polystyrene beads. As the hard water flows over these beads, they capture the mineral ions and hold them in place, completely eliminating them from your water supply.
   
   
4. When the mineral ions are removed by the resin bed, the sodium ion is released into your water. This is why water from a water softener is very slightly salty – though the change is nearly unnoticeable with a high-quality water softener from Culligan of Stockton
   
   
5. The newly-cleaned water flows out of the water softener, and into your home. Now that it’s free of hard minerals like magnesium and calcium, the water can be pumped through your taps, bath, washing machine, and dishwasher without any negative effects.

Like any other appliance, water softeners don’t last forever. Over time, the resin bed used to purify and remove minerals will begin to fail, and the resin will need to be replaced. With proper maintenance, though, a water softener resin bed can easily last 10-15 years or longer.

Get A Water Softener Now – And Improve Water Quality In Your Home!

If you are noticing issues like stains on your clothes or spots on your dishes, or excessive soap scum residue in your shower or bath, you could benefit from a water softener from Culligan of Stockton. To learn more, just contact us online or give us a call at 209-690-0007.