Certified Mold Testing  Home  Inspections “ don’t regret, have us inspect” When water is referred to as 'hard' this simply means, that it contains more minerals than ordinary water. These are especially the minerals calcium and magnesium. The degree of hardness of the water increases, as magnesium and calcium dissolves. Magnesium and calcium are positively charged ions. Because of their presence, other positively charged ions will dissolve less easily in hard water than in water that does not contain calcium and magnesium. This is the cause of the fact that soap doesn't really dissolve in hard water. Salt that is dissolved into water is called brine. Brine is needed to clean the resin beads free from hardness. To make brine, water flows into the salt storage tank during the fill stage. The fill cycle length will depend on how much soft water you have used since the last regeneration. A larger amount of brine is needed to clean more hardness materials from the resin beads. In the brining cycle, the brine is moved from the salt storage tank, and into the resin tank. In the resin tank, brine removes the hardness minerals from the beads and they are released into the drain. Suction is needed to pull brine from the salt tank into the resin tank, The nozzle and venturi produce this suction. The flow of the brine is fed at a slow rate to get the best resin cleaning with the smallest amount of salt. During brine rinse, all the brine goes into the resin tank and the brine valve closes. Water flows in the same way it did during the brine cycle except that the brine flow has stopped. Hardness released from the resin beads and brine flush from the resin tank and into the drain. The length of the brine cycle and the brine rinse cycle vary relatively to the fill cycle length. During the backwash cycle, water flows up at a fast rate to flush iron minerals, dirt and sediments from the resin bed and to the drain. The resin bed expands and lifts for cleaning. Which types of salt are sold for application in a water softener? For water softening, three types of salt are generally sold: - Rock salt - Solar salt - Evaporated salt Rock salt as a mineral occurs naturally in the ground. It is obtained from underground salt deposits by traditional mining methods. It contains between ninety-eight and ninety-nine percent sodium chloride. It has a water insolubility level of about 0.5-1.5%, being mainly calcium sulphate. Its most important component is calcium sulphate. Solar salt as a natural product is obtained mainly through evaporation of seawater. It contains 85% sodium chloride. It has a water insolubility level of less than 0.03%. It is usually sold in crystal form. Sometimes it is also sold in pellets. Evaporated salt is obtained through mining underground salt deposits of dissolving salt. The moisture is then evaporated, using energy from natural gas or coal. Evaporated salt contains between 99.6 and 99.99% sodium chloride. At Guardian Real Estate Inspections our NACHI Certified Home Inspectors proudly provide residential and commercial inspections throughout Central Ohio, including but not limited to: Columbus, Pickerington, Lancaster, Pataskala, Newark, Granville, Delaware, Logan, Worthington, Hilliard, Dublin, Gahanna, Grove City, Groveport, Bexley, Whitehall, Circleville, Baltimore, Marysville, Powell, Westerville, Upper Arlington, Millersport, Etna, Buckeye Lake, Hebron, Bremen, Thornville, Amanda, Stoutsville, New Lexington, Junction City, Washington Court House, Carroll, Canal Winchester, Ostrander, Chillicothe, Johnstown, West Jefferson, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Delaware, Licking, Hocking, Madison, Perry, Pickaway, Union counties, in Ohio Back To How It Works