How does an ion exchange system soften water?
1 answer
An ion exchange system softens water by exchanging the hardness ions, such as calcium and magnesium ions, with sodium ions. The ion exchange resin in the system is made up of negatively charged polymer beads that are coated with sodium ions. As hard water passes through the resin, the calcium and magnesium ions are attracted to the negatively charged resin beads and are exchanged with the sodium ions. The resulting water is therefore soft, containing only sodium ions and no hardness ions. The resin beads will eventually become saturated with calcium and magnesium ions and will need to be regenerated with a brine solution to remove these ions and replenish the sodium ions.