CNBNews

(Gloucestercitynews.net)(Nov. 26, 2019)--Whether you have just purchased a water softener or still using the one you bought on your last shopping, one of your many worries include when to replace the resin bed. This leads to asking – how long do resin beads in industrial water softeners last?

Also, you inquire further about the kind of maintenance it requires, how they work, and which of these resin beads the best is for you. In this post, we'll provide answers to these questions and help you get the most out of your resin beads.

What is a Water Softener Resin

Water softener resin is a media to remove the hardness of your water. This media uses an ion exchange process to eliminate the high amount of heavy metals and other minerals, causing hardness of water, leaving the water in your plumbing network soft.

While the water conditioner does not remove the hardness in water, the resin descales it. For salt-based models, the resin bed plays an integral part in making your water soft. In most commercial and residential houses, water treatment includes the water softening resin to get rid of minerals, causing hardness.

How the Resin Works

The resin bed of a water softener is a collection of thousands of resin beads located in the unit's tank. When you turn on the tap, water flows into the water softener and passes through the resin bed, where it comes in contact with the plethora of resin beads in the tank. During the process, the resin beads trap calcium, magnesium, and other minerals, allowing only soft water to flow out in your kitchen outlet.

Type of Resin

In the market today, there are two main types of water softeners, which includes:

• Fine mesh resin
• Standard ion exchange resin.

It's vital that you know more about each model before heading to your local store to purchase just any water softening resin that comes your way. However, you should choose the one that best suits your needs.

Fine Mesh Resin

This type of resin is excellent for removing high concentrations of iron. It comes with small-sized resin beads that are capable of removing as high as ten parts in a million dissolved iron.

That's not all: it helps make your drinking water taste better since this resin is sometimes blended with activated carbon. Besides, this type features small-sized resin beads; you must place a flow basket on the upper part to help avoid resin migration when it's regenerating.

Standard Ion Exchange Resin

This is the most popular water softener type on the market. Unlike fine mesh resin, the standard ion exchange resin is only capable of removing up to 5 parts per million of dissolved iron. When it comes to water purification, this model does it better.

Further, standard ion exchange resin uses sodium chloride or potassium chloride to regenerate the resin.

Crosslink Percentage

Crosslink is a crucial factor to consider when trying to pin down the best water softening resin. Crosslink is a measure of the amount of divinylbenzene (DVB), which a resin bed contains. Products featuring higher crosslink percentage, often come with a hefty price tag.

However, it doesn't mean resin with a higher crosslink percentage is the best choice for every homeowner.

To begin with, there are two variations of crosslink percentage - 8 and 10 percent. Let's take a look at each variation and why you should consider it.

8% Crosslink

The 8% crosslink is the most used water softening resin percentage. It's suitable for removing dissolved iron up to 3 - 5 parts per million while softening your water wholly. This resin should serve you for about 10 -15 years, which is based on your water quality. You can expect maximum effectiveness from this unit when used with non-chlorinated water.

10% Crosslink

When it comes to softening hard water, 10% crosslink packs a lot of strength. This type is recommended for people dealing with chlorinated iron-free water. Higher crosslink helps handle the high amount of chlorine in your water. Besides, it permits a huge capacity for water.

Sadly, owning a high crosslink resin can be way over your budget and often leads to a significant drop in water pressure.

Which is best

Still not sure which resin suits your needs? Let's help you make an informed decision.

For homeowners with water offering 5 P.P.M of chlorine, then you should lean more to resin with 8% crosslink. This option is also suitable for people looking to treat their city water.

But if you have got water featuring higher than 5 P.P.M of chlorine, which means you need a strong resin to handle oxidation. Fine mesh or 10% crosslink resin is an ideal choice. Also, for people with well water, you can make sure of any of the resins to remove hardness.

How long do they last

Needless to say, water softener resin requires replacement after a while. Most brands out there boast of a lifetime within 10 - 15 years. But, in the end, it boils down to the quality of your water and the number of times it regenerates.

In addition, keep in mind that the concentration of iron in your water and organic coating of your resin determines how long resin beads last. To simply say, a high amount of chlorine or iron can kill the resin bed faster.