Why you need to adjust Water Softener's settings during covid-19?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, more people are being forced to stay at home. This means that instead of spending the majority of your day at school or the office, you are spending it at home.
If you have a manual control valve on your water softener, an increase in water usage at home may result in hard water problems. The hard water is most likely caused by your water softener regeneration settings not being adjusted to the new amount of water usage in your home.
BASIC SETTINGS OF A WATER SOFTENER
There are four basic settings on water softeners:
Regeneration cycle frequency, regeneration cycle time, regeneration cycle length, and salt dose.
The majority of the options revolve around the regeneration process, which is an important step in the water softening process. The hard water is most likely caused by your water softener regeneration settings not being adjusted to the new amount of water usage in your home.
SETTINGS OF A WATER SOFTENER
A water softener can only provide a steady, sufficient flow of softened water if the settings are correct.
Minerals are absorbed by the resin beads after they exchange ions with hard water. Before a new batch of hard water enters the system, these beads must be "regenerated," which means they must exchange calcium and magnesium ions for sodium once more in order to continue the softening process with the next batch of water.
A second container, known as the brine tank, is in charge of spraying a wave of sodium-filled water over the resin beads. To make a brine solution, water is mixed with a high concentration of salt in the brine tank. When the resin beads are exposed to brine, they exchange their mineral ions for sodium ions, preparing them to begin the softening process with a new flood of hard water.
The ideal frequency, timing, and duration of the regeneration cycle vary depending on the schedule and water hardness of each household.
ADJUSTMENT IN WATER SOFTENER’S SETTING DURING COVID-19
1-REGENERATION CYCLE FREQUENCY
The regeneration cycle frequency is the first major setting on your water softener.
Typically, regeneration cycles are manually set for one to seven times per week as long as your water does not harden between cycles, any time within this range is generally acceptable. The amount of water used in your home, the number of contaminants or minerals in your water, and the size of your water softener can all be used to determine the best frequency for your softener and water.
However, if you have set your softener's regeneration cycle to once per day and your water is still hard, the issue may not be the frequency of the cycle. Increase the salt levels in the brine tank; your resin beads may not be receiving enough sodium to regenerate completely.
2-REGENERATION CYCLE TIME
It is critical to select the best time of day for your softener to begin a cycle. For starters, it has an impact on the amount of water output during a regeneration cycle, as the water softener will not provide any new softened water. A water softener may also make loud noises during the regeneration cycle. If you schedule a regeneration cycle for the middle of the night, the sounds may keep you or your family awake.
For the best results, try to schedule a regeneration cycle when your household will not be using much water and will not be disturbed by any potential noise.
3-REGENERATION CYCLE LENGTH
The length of the regeneration cycle can be adjusted on many water softeners.
Most default regeneration cycles, on the other hand, take between 30 and 60 minutes to complete, which is a reasonable time frame for most households. Only change this setting if absolutely necessary; a too-short regeneration cycle may result in ineffective resin beads, while a too-long cycle will lengthen the period of time your home is without soft water.
4-SALT DOSE
Check the manufacturer's specifications to determine the best salt dose for your water softener. Once the salt dose has been adjusted to the recommended level, run the softener through a manual regeneration cycle. After the cycle is finished, check the hardness of the water; if it is still too hard, try increasing the salt dosage.
If your water contains unusually high levels of minerals, you may need to use a higher-than-usual salt dose to soften it.
