Soft Water Basics; Operating Conditions - Hellenbrand ProMate 1 Owner's Manual

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Owner's manual (25 pages)

Table Of Contents

Table of Contents

Hardness

Excess amounts of calcium and magnesium in water produce

hardness. A water softener removes the majority of calcium and

magnesium to produce softened water.

Hardness is measured in terms of grains. (This grain weight

is derived from the average weight of a dry grain of wheat.)

When your water is tested the grain hardness is calculated and

expressed as grains per gallon (gpg). This calculation, as well

as the number of people in your household will help determine

what type and size of water softener will most efficiently soften

your water.

Your water softener contains an ion exchange

media (sometimes called resin) which removes the hardness from

water as it flows through the softener tank. Eventually so much

hardness collects on the exchange media that the softener can

no longer soften water. At this point it is considered "exhausted".

Regeneration is now necessary.

Regeneration

To regenerate the exchange media, it must be rinsed with a

brine (salt) solution. This removes the hardness from the exchange

media and replaces it with sodium. The exchange media is then

ready to remove hardness from water. The hardness minerals

and excess brine solution are rinsed down the drain.

During the regeneration cycle the softener is also back-

washed. This reversing of the normal flow of water serves to

remove sediment which may have accumulated during the soft-

ening process due to the filtering action of the exchange media.

Backwashing also loosens and fluffs up the bed of exchange

media to insure that during regeneration the brine solution will

come into contact with all the media.

Maintenance of Your Softener

Salt: Salt to a softener is what gasoline is to a car. Not only must a softener have salt, but it should be the proper type to insure

efficient recharging of the unit. Ask your dealer what type of salt may best suit your needs. Always have an adequate supply of salt on

hand. Check the salt level of your brine tank every couple of weeks initially to determine how much salt you use - this will depend on

how much water you use. As a rule of thumb, with 20 gpg hard water, about a 1/2 lb. of salt per person per day is used. In other words,

a family of four uses 60 lbs. of salt a month. If your household does not use much water, do not fill your salt keeper over 1/2 full, salt

bridging may occur in the brine tank. This may result in hard water due to ineffective regeneration. Fill the tank approximately three-

fourths full, with a minimum of 12" of salt. DO NOT USE Block Salt when the PM1 control is programmed with a brine tank prefill. Block

salt does not dissolve quick enough to provide a good regeneration.

Cleaning Salt Tank: Salt tank may require periodic cleaning. Inspect the salt tank at least once a year for buildup of insoluble

materials. It is recommended to periodically clean the salt tank no matter what kind of salt you are using. See page 18, miscellaneous

#2 for details on cleaning.

REMEMBER:

Salt is the fuel to run your water softener. Buy the best clean salt available.

Your water conditioner has been designed to adequately

handle up to 100 grains per gallon of hardness that might be

encountered as well as up to 2 ppm of ferrous bicarbonate

iron. This is iron that is dissolved in an oxygen-free water supply.

It is not visible to the eye in a freshly drawn sample because the

water appears clear. But upon standing in contact with air, the

ferrous iron will become oxidized to the ferric state and start to

precipitate as a reddish brown floc. It can then be seen and if

allowed to remain in the supply will cause discolored water. In

order for your conditioner to remove the iron, air (oxygen) must