How does a commercial water softener work?
If hard water is already destroying your plumbing and equipment, then you’re probably already aware of the benefits of softening your water. But you may be wondering, “How does a commercial water softener work?”
- How exactly does the water softening process work?
- Is it different from residential systems?
- What size is right for the needs of your building?
Use this brief guide to understand how these systems work and what you need to know before selecting a system.
First, what is hard water?
Before you can answer the question “how does a commercial water softener work,” you really need to know what hard water is in the first place.
Hard water is water that contains excessive amounts of minerals, such as magnesium and calcium. The minerals enter the water as water passes through streams, rocks and the ground. Thus, hard water can affect any water source, whether it’s from a well or a municipal treatment plant.
The excess minerals are what wreak havoc on appliances, pipes, fixtures and equipment at your business, causing costly corrosion and hard-to-clean deposits over time. This is why installing a commercial water softener is critical.
Okay, so how does a commercial water softener work?
A commercial water softener works in the same way a residential system does, using an ion exchange process to exchange calcium and magnesium ions with sodium ions, thus making the water “soft.”
Lost ya? Don’t worry. It’s actually a very simple process. Here’s a breakdown of how this process works:
- A commercial water softener system typically consists of at least one brine tank, which is loaded with salt, at least one resin tank, which is loaded with tiny resin beads, and topped with a control valve that controls the whole system.
- Your building’s water supply comes into the water softener’s control valve and into the resin tank. These beads help to attract the magnesium and calcium minerals, exchanging them with sodium ions. This creates soft water, which flows out of the system to any water fixtures, equipment and so on.
- A commercial water softener needs to regenerate periodically to continue delivering soft water. This involves draining the resin tank of all the excess minerals and supplying fresh sodium from the brine tank into the resin tank, so that the process can begin again.
So, just like a residential system?
Basically, yes – same process, though the actual system may look different, depending on the setup.
For example, buildings with higher water usage will need larger systems to be able to sustain a constant supply of treated water. This may require multiple resin tanks and brine tanks. Large industrial facilities, for example, will typically need much bigger systems.
Smaller commercial facilities, such as a restaurant or laundromat, will typically need systems with multiple resin tanks. Commercial control valves from manufacturers like SoftPro and Fleck can be easily linked, expanded and scaled over time as needed to accommodate growing water demands.
How often does a commercial water softener run?
How often a commercial water softener runs (i.e. how often it regenerates) depends on a few factors, including the size of a system, how the control valve is programmed and the business’s water usage.
Controlled valves typically control the regeneration process in one of two ways (or a combination of both):
- Timed: Regeneration occurs at a pre-determined schedule, i.e. once a night
- Metered: Regeneration occurs as needed based on water usage
Metered commercial water softeners are typically much more efficient, because they run only when needed, thus eliminating wasted salt and water.
What size do I need?
The most common question we get, after “How does a commercial water softener work?” is “What size system do I need?”
Use this calculator to find the right system for your specific needs.