Water softener how does this work?

[Old Account]

hi guys I’ve fitted enough water softeners but somehow I cannot get my head around this installation.

How does the water pass through the salt to get softened for the properties?

I can see it has a cold water inlet and outlet as usual but don’t seem to understand how it can be softened.
They did not even install a bypass in case something goes wrong. Somehow the salt doesn’t seem to go down according to the owner.

An explanation would be much appreciated.

Attached pictures!

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Bypass is the big lever valve between the draw offs

Supposed to be full of liquid not dry

 

[Old Account]

Bypass is the big lever valve between the draw offs

Supposed to be full of liquid not dry

View attachment 36007

Thanks for that.
The salt is dry no water in there. At the very bottom is something but not too much. An error code is always coming up E1 ... however, it basically sucks the brine into the duplex water softener ? Perhaps they are not working no more and need changing.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Best to get the system serviced and water out checked

One for the softener guys

Didn't you show me the same pic like 2-3 years ago ? With the same fault

 

[chris watkins]

That is a twin tank so water into system should never be hard.

Basically the resin is use (ion-exchange) to chemicals strip the Calcium from the hard water making it soft, after a time the resin can't hold any more & needs to be cleaned, this is where the salt come in the but first your controller switches over from the tank it has been using to the fresh clean other one. The dirty one then goes through a series of fill & flushing one of which will involve drawing up brine from the bottom of the salt bin this is passed through the resin the Sodium strips way the Calcium leaving it clean & ready for the next operation.
The last operation for the controller is to put water back into the salt bin to make more brine ready for the next go.
Hope that helps.

PS, in single tank units if water is drawn when the tank is regenerating then it will be hard, which is why the basic ones have a timer that is set to 2am when the likelihood of water being required is low.

 

[Old Account]

Best to get the system serviced and water out checked

One for the softener guys

Didn't you show me the same pic like 2-3 years ago ? With the same fault

Nah, that’s a different I stallation that’s a new job where I had to change 28 toilets in a convent. The company doesn’t exist anymore and it was build by them. So it’s a little difficult. I could get it started again due to resetting and regeneration.

 

[Old Account]

That is a twin tank so water into system should never be hard.

Basically the resin is use (ion-exchange) to chemicals strip the Calcium from the hard water making it soft, after a time the resin can't hold any more & needs to be cleaned, this is where the salt come in the but first your controller switches over from the tank it has been using to the fresh clean other one. The dirty one then goes through a series of fill & flushing one of which will involve drawing up brine from the bottom of the salt bin this is passed through the resin the Sodium strips way the Calcium leaving it clean & ready for the next operation.
The last operation for the controller is to put water back into the salt bin to make more brine ready for the next go.
Hope that helps.

PS, in single tank units if water is drawn when the tank is regenerating then it will be hard, which is why the basic ones have a timer that is set to 2am when the likelihood of water being required is low.

Thanks so much for your detailed explanation. I was just wondering how it works as I can’t dem to see any water ( brine) inside the plastic container. There is little water at the bottom of say about 10cm ish. I regenerated the softeners today but I guess it seems that they do not work as they should. I can’t see how water should go into the container to disolve the salt? There is only one blue 10mm pushfit pipe which is connected like in the picture which Shaun he’s attached. But where is the water coming in to fill the brine? Should it come from the duplex softeners?

 

[Old Account]

As far ans I can remember from today I think the container with the salt hasn’t got the float valve no more it has a long plastic tube going down to the brine float filter screen.

 

[chris watkins]

The blue tube is used to both drawing the brine up in the cleaning cycle as well as putting some water back down into the tank so that it dissolves some more salt ready for the next cycle.

 

[Old Account]

Thanks to you all!!