How does the Regeneration Cycle work?

If you have a water softener system then you've probably heard about the regeneration cycle. One common question we get all the time here at PB&J Water is how does it work?

...when does the water softener regenerate?

In our last blog we discussed how a water softener would need to regenerate after 11 days in relation to the grain rating. However a water softener regenerates after gallons used which is usually 800 gallons with a standard system. So if 800 gallons have been used then the system will regenerate at 2am. So if you continue to use water after 11 days and your system hasn't regenerated then you wouldn't get "soft" water anymore because the resin already has hard water minerals bonded to it. That's why it would NEED to regenerate to prolong the life of the resin and to ensure your house is getting soft water.

Today we will briefly discuss the Regeneration cycle, the different steps, and what they do.

Cycles of the regeneration process

Backwash/Rinse (10 minutes)

• The softener changes the flow of water by pushing water down the distributor and this forces the water up through the media and out to the drain line.
• Dirt and sediment also get removed during this process.

Brine Rinse (60 minutes)

• This is when the salt is added to the resin tank where it will stay until the next regeneration.
• The salty water is drawn out of the bottom of the brine tank to the resin tank. Once this water washes over the resin this is when the ionic exchange happens. Once the salty water comes in contact with the resin, the hard water mineral is let go in place of the salt due to the salt having a slightly positive charge. The minerals are then washed down to the distributor through the tube in the middle and out through the drain line. This step could also be referred to as the recharge cycle.

Rapid Rinse (6-8 minutes)

• Water washes the resin to remove excess salt but leaves enough for the softener to be in service. 

Settle Rinse (5 minutes)

• During this step the mineral bed is repacked to ensure proper flow during operation.

Brine Refill (6-8 minutes)

• This is the last step in the regeneration cycle. The brine tank gets refilled with water for the next regeneration cycle, then you are back in service.

If you have any questions regarding your water softener give us a call at 928-706-0546 and we would be happy to answer them for you. Also remember to pick up softener salt at our location if your getting pretty low, in fact we could even deliver it to your address!

Thanks for reading! Next time we will go over the science of a water softener system so stay tuned!