The ion exchange process of softening water is
basically the same for all water softeners. Hard water contains
calcium and magnesium ions. Water softeners use resin beads,
which hold sodium ions. When hard water passes through the resin
beads inside the softener, the beads attract and hold the calcium
and magnesium ions and give off the sodium ions. After this
ion exchange process, the water leaving the softener is soft.
Once the resin bed is loaded with calcium and
magnesium ions, it must be cleansed (or regenerated) so that
it can continue to soften water. Salt water is used to wash
the resin beads. The brine solution loosens the hardness ions,
which have built up on the resin beads; then the system backwashes
and flushes the hardness minerals away. Once again, the resin
beads hold sodium ions, and the system is ready to soften more
water.
The difference in water softeners is not in the process of
softening water but in how the softener operates.
The Kinetico valve, uses the energy of moving water, not
electricity. So there's nothing to plug in, no buttons to
push, timers to set and reset, adjustments to make and no
increase in your electricity bill. Without the use of electricity,
your system is remarkably reliable.
The Kinetico valve, using a turbine and gears,
measures the amount of water that is used and determines when
a regeneration is ; needed. Since it regenerates only on demand,
it won't waste water or salt. Other systems must be programmed
to regenerate usually , during the night. So, if you use more
water than usual during the day', you may end up with hard water.
And if you use less water than usual, you'll be wasting salt
and water with unnecessary regenerations.
The Kinetico Block Salt Water Softener will
only regenerate when necessary-at any time of the day. The
twin cylinders in the Kinetico system ensure you'll have a
continuous supply of soft water. You won't run out of soft
water. The Kinetico Block Salt Water Softener is comprised
of twin softening, resin-filled cylinders to provide you with
a continuous supply of soft water any time of day, even through
the regeneration process.
When one cylinder needs to regenerate, service automatically
switches to the other cylinder. Twin softening cylinders also
enable the system to clean itself (or regenerate) with clean,
soft water. Other water softening systems operate with hard
water and use hard water to regenerate. The fine mesh resin
used in the Kinetico Block Salt Water Softener works extremely
well in this compact system. The smaller size creates more
surface area allowing for a more efficient regeneration.
Block salt
The system utilises
easy to use and easy to load blocks of salt. Handling block
salt is much easier than fussing with heavy bags and salt
tablets. No more struggling to load salt into the system or
spilling salt tablets and making a mess of your floor. The
4kg blocks of salt (about the size of a standard brick) are
clean and simple to insert into your system.
The brine measurement system draws the dissolved salt into
the cylinders at controlled amounts for the regeneration process.
Only the precise amount of brine is used, so your system operates
properly and efficiently.
Salt efficiency
The Kinetico
system ensures salt, which is required for the regeneration
process, is not wasted with unnecessary (or too frequent)
regenerations. Unlike other systems that regenerate at a predetermined
time-no matter what the water use has been, the Kinetico system
only initiates a regeneration after a predetermined amount
of water has been used. It doesn't matter if it takes a few
hours or a few days to use the water, the system will only
regenerate when necessary. And that saves salt and water.
Adding salt is about the only thing you'll have to do to
maintain your system. Adding blocks of salt won't be a problem;
the system is designed to let you add salt effortlessly. Once
the blocks of salt dissolve to about 1/3 of their size, you
can simply pop in another salt block on top of the current
ones. And there's no need to worry about exactly when you
must add salt. As long as there is some salt in the system,
it will continue to work.
