How often should a water softening system regenerate? How does it work? What are the benefits and drawbacks?
If you want to get the best value from your water treatment system, then you need to know how often to regenerate it.
Water softeners (see also ‘How To Tell If Your Water Softener Is Working‘) remove calcium and magnesium ions from tap water using ion exchange resin.
They are designed to reduce hardness levels in drinking water.
The resin bed gradually becomes saturated over time, requiring regeneration (cleaning) to restore its effectiveness.
“How often should a water softener regenerate?”
There are two main types of water softeners – mechanical and chemical.
Mechanical systems rely on gravity to move water through the resin bed.
Chemical systems use chemicals to break down the minerals in the water.
Both systems require regular regeneration to maintain their performance.
Regeneration is an important part of maintaining the life of your water softener.
It’s recommended that you regenerate your water softener (see also ‘Best Salt For Water Softener?‘) every 6-12 months, depending on the type of water softener you have installed.
The most common way to determine when your water softener (see also ‘Salt Vs. Salt-Free Water Softeners‘) needs regenerating is by monitoring the amount of salt left in the resin bed.
Salt builds up as mineral particles become trapped within the resin.
As this happens, the salt level will rise above the maximum capacity of the resin.
When this occurs, the resin must be cleaned or “regenerated”.
When the salt level reaches the top of the resin bed, the resin can no longer effectively remove calcium and magnesium ions.
This means that the water has too much hardness and needs to be softened again.
When the salt level gets close to the bottom of the resin bed, there are still plenty of places where the resin can trap more than its full capacity.
This means that the resin is not yet fully saturated with salt and therefore not ready for another round of cleaning.
If you notice any of these warning signs, it’s time to start thinking about regenerating your water softener:
1. Your water softener has reached the end of its useful life.
2. You’ve noticed an excessive build-up of salt in the resin bed.
3. Your water softener is producing less soft water than normal.
4. Your water softener isn’t removing enough calcium and magnesium ions from your water.
5. Your water softener doesn’t appear to be working at all.
6. You’re getting high bills because your water softener is not working properly.
7. You’re getting frequent service calls because your water softener isn’t working properly.
8. You’re experiencing problems with scale buildup inside your home.
9. You’re having difficulty flushing toilets.
10. You’re noticing rust stains around taps and sinks.
11. You’re experiencing corrosion problems in your home.
12. You’re experiencing problems in your laundry.
13. You’re experiencing problems with flaking paint.
14. You’re experiencing problems whitening clothes.
15. You’re experiencing problems making ice cubes.
Table of Contents
ToggleWhat Is The Regeneration?
Water softeners regenerate by adding salt to the water. Salt helps the resin beads flush out the minerals.
Without salt, the resin beads get too full of minerals, and the water softener won’t work anymore.
The sodium ions conduct a swap with the mineral ions, pulling the minerals out of the water and replacing them with the sodium.
Eventually, the resin beads become clogged with the minerals and cannot do this swap efficiently.
Regeneration kicks in, clearing the resin beads and freeing them to be refilled with sodium.
Why Does The Water Softener Need To Regenerate?
Water softeners remove hardness minerals from water by passing it through a bed of resin.
Hardness minerals become trapped in the resin, and over time, the resin gets completely covered with hardness minerals.
When this happens, the resin needs to be cleaned.
Backwashing removes hardness minerals from the resin and makes the resin ready to start softening again.
What Is A Water Softener?
Water softeners remove minerals from the water before entering your home.
Hard water contains more minerals than soft water, but when you use a water softener, the minerals are removed and replaced with sodium.
These minerals can cause corrosion and build-ups in pipes, so if you want to avoid this problem, you should always use a water softener.
Water softeners need routine maintenance. Regular service will increase efficiency and longevity.
An expert should inspect the equipment annually.
How Often Should The Water Softener Be Regenerated?
Regeneration is necessary to maintain the effectiveness of water softeners.
Some people use filters instead of softeners, but if you do this, you’ll need to know how often to regenerate them.
You can trigger a regeneration cycle yourself manually, but knowing how often to do so isn’t an exact science.
If you’re away from home for a long time, you might want to turn off the automatic schedule and trigger a manual regeneration when you return.
As a general rule of thumb, a regeneration every 12 to 14 days will ensure optimal performance.
How Long Does It Usually Take For The Water Softener To Regenerate?
Water softeners can take up to an hour to regenerate. As mentioned earlier, they need to be flushed with salt from the brining tank.
Depending on how “hard” your city’s water is, this process uses anywhere between 25-50 gallons of water.
However, the benefits of saving water on laundry and dishwashing far outweigh any potential downside.
How Does It Know When To Regenerate?
Water softeners use a chemical reaction to remove calcium and magnesium ions from tap water.
A water treatment professional determines the valve’s settings based on the quality and quantity of your water, the amount of resin in your tank, household water usage, and other factors.
During regeneration, untreated water is available by means of an automatic internal bypass feature, if needed.
With demand regeneration settings, the valve tracks water usage and then automatically switches to regeneration mode when a certain amount of water has passed through the system.
This helps save water by reducing the number of times the water needs to be cleaned.
Regeneration works very well over many years. Salt and water use is reduced.
The Warning Signs That Your Water Softener Needs Regenerating
Water softeners are very important appliances in every household.
As such, we want to make sure you’re aware of some of the most common issues that may arise.
White Crust On The Faucets
Hard water causes white spots on faucets and showerheads. You need to take care of them by cleaning them regularly.
Water softeners should be checked regularly, as they may cause problems if there are too many minerals in the water.
Clothing Discoloration
Your clothes are getting dirty because the water you wash them with has elevated mineral content.
You need to get a new water softener installed. Hard water stains can be removed easily with laundry detergents.
You can also keep them from coming back by getting your water softener repaired or replaced.
Rusty Rings
Hard water deposits calcium and magnesium minerals on the inside of the toilet bowl.
You can, of course, clean these rings away with some quality cleaning products and a spot of elbow juice, but regenerating your water softener should be your first port of call.
Hair And Skin Feel Brittle
Water stains can be very hard to remove from your appliances and clothes. They can leave mineral deposits on your skin and hair.
They can also cause your hair to feel brittle and tangle up more easily.
A simple water test can tell if your water softener is causing these problems. An expert can fix the problem quickly!
Dishes Are Cloudy
When water isn’t soft enough, it makes washing dishes harder.
Calcium and magnesium deposits on your dishes, causing them to look cloudy even after you’ve washed them.
Adding more soap doesn’t help because the extra detergent causes the water to become even less soft.
Rather than trying to clean dishes with water that’s too hard, check out your water softener!
Fixing the issue there will allow you to wash dishes without worrying about spots.
My Water Softener Isn’t Regenerating
Water softeners (see also ‘How To Add Salt To A Water Softener‘) regenerate fairly quickly. You need to understand how often they do this.
If you find that they regenerate too frequently, check the settings.
If you want them to regenerate on a regular basis, set the schedule accordingly.
Salt pellets must be added regularly to maintain the correct amount of salt in the brine tank.
This prevents salt bridges from forming, which could disrupt regeneration.
Stuck In Regeneration
Softeners regenerate when there is too much salt in the water.
This can happen if you add too many chemicals or minerals into the water. A clog could also cause this type of problem.
When Should They Need Servicing?
Regularly check the condition of the softener. Clean the brine tank. Check the flow of water into and out of the softener.
Replace the salt when necessary. Have the softener checked by an expert every year.
Water treatment professionals know how to properly maintain water softeners. They also know what to look for when cleaning them.
Their services include optimizing settings, cleaning brine tanks, and checking valves and seals.
A water softener needs regular maintenance checks to ensure it works properly.
Your water softener should be checked annually by a trained professional who can inspect the whole unit.
You’ll also get a report showing the results of your water testing.
Final Thoughts
The best way to keep your water softener running smoothly is to follow these tips:
Check the softener regularly. Make sure the valve is set correctly.
If the softener isn’t working as expected, contact your local water treatment professionals.
A water softener uses a chemical reaction to remove minerals such as calcium and magnesium from tap water.
The process involves passing water through a bed of ion-exchange resins, which removes the unwanted minerals.
With the correct regeneration schedule, you can enjoy soft water indefinitely — hooray!