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Frequently Asked Questions
What does ion exchange actually mean?
Two kinds of ion swapping places.
Resin beads hold sodium ions.
Calcium and magnesium are held harder.
So the resin takes those and lets sodium go.
Nothing is filtered out or destroyed.
Where does the hardness end up?
Down the drain, during regeneration.
Brine is drawn through the resin.
Its concentration reverses the exchange.
Calcium and magnesium are flushed away.
And the resin is loaded with sodium again.
Does it add sodium to the water?
Yes, in proportion to the hardness removed.
Harder supply, more sodium added.
On very hard water that is not trivial.
It is the direct result of the exchange.
Not a fault or a side effect.
Why keep one tap unsoftened?
For drinking and filling the kettle.
The kitchen cold tap is taken off first.
Before the softener in the pipe run.
It matters on a low-sodium diet.
And for making up infant feed.
What else should not get softened water?
The garden gains nothing from it.
Fish tanks want the minerals left in.
An outside tap is usually taken off early.
So is any supply to a pond.
Decide the take-off points at installation.
How long does the resin last?
Many years, degrading slowly.
It is a consumable, not a fixed part.
Iron and chlorine foul it early.
Which shortens that life considerably.
Pre-treat a supply carrying either.
Why has it stopped working properly?
Fouled resin, most often.
Iron or chlorine from an untreated supply.
It fails long before its expected life.
A resin clean may recover some of it.
Otherwise the bed is replaced.