Home water softner resin

[123hotchef]

I have recently noticed my home water becoming harder.
I have come to the conclusion that the Kinetico softener is not doing its job properly any longer.
So I decided to start stripping it for a clean.

Does any one here know about the resin in the twin tanks? More so what product I can use here in the uk to clean the resin before I replace it. they use Iron Out in the states but I can not find it here in the UK. There must be an equilavant here. http://www.superironout.com/faqs.php

 

[RonA]

I have recently noticed my home water becoming harder.
I have come to the conclusion that the Kinetico softener is not doing its job properly any longer.
So I decided to start stripping it for a clean.

Does any one here know about the resin in the twin tanks? More so what product I can use here in the uk to clean the resin before I replace it. they use Iron Out in the states but I can not find it here in the UK. There must be an equilavant here. http://www.superironout.com/faqs.php

Hi Hotchef,
When I worked on a small power station the water treatment plant used two resin filled chambers to soften the water. One was an Anion unit & the other Cation unit to remove different salts of Calcium & Magnesium from the water. They were regenerated with solutions of Sulphuric acid & Caustic soda. They occasionally required a brine soak to replace lost Sodium ions, they work by ion exchange changing insoluble salts to soluble salts. The resins did have to be changed from time to time & the signal to do so was usually the time to regen the unit.
In domestic units I would suspect you need to add brine from time to time but will eventually need to change resins. Most dishwashers use a similar system.
RonA

 

[123hotchef]

Mine is a kinetico twin pot version it works on the resin units being brined from time to time is is all controlled by cogs ect withing the head of the system. I was reading about the resin needing cleaning with a de ion product before I spend the time and money it has got to be worth a go.

 

[awemawson]

The standard Kinetico with two cylinders works by passing hard water though one, whilst the other has brine pumped through it to regenerate the resin. As mentioned above, a small water driven turbine drives cogs such that after a certain volume of hard water has passed through the first cylinder, they are swapped round in a continuous cycle.

I had big Kinetico's in my launderettes where we were using 5 to 8 cu Metres per day. They were remarkably reliable - occasional jams in the gear train and turbine usually caused by damage to the inlet filter. Odd O ring leaks.

 

[123hotchef]

Yes but did you ever change the resin media in the cylinders? did you ever have to use a chemical to get rid of ion build up

 

[WorkshopChris]

Only experience with softeners is on an industrial scale same as RonA we used to use 1000's ltrs of demineralize water running electrocoat paint lines. The water was used for pre and post rinse, the resin was change every few years as regen times increased.
Does your dishwasher at work have a external single tank softener? I once built a test jig to automatically back flush softener units under refurbishment at a local commercial glass and dishwasher company. But cant remember how they work. Might be worth giving a supplier a call to see if they have anything available.

 

[awemawson]

Yes but did you ever change the resin media in the cylinders? did you ever have to use a chemical to get rid of ion build up

Only time we replaced resin was once when the bag containing it punctured and we got little tiny resin bits jamming virtually every water valve for weeks after - a nightmare - never had any problems with 'exhausted resin'

 

[123hotchef]

This is my home softner Chris, the work one is a single tank plug in jobbie, the one at home is all mechanical Kinetico one. I have striped and cleanned the tank and pipe work and filters regened it a few times now to see if it works.