Water softeners rely on resin beads to remove hardness minerals from your water. As a result, the effectiveness of your water softener depends largely on the condition of those beads. Unfortunately, water that’s high in chlorine can damage resin beads and greatly reduce the ability of your water softener to work properly. Today we’re going to talk about the effects of chlorine on your water softener and what you can do to ensure that your resin beads last as long as possible!
A look inside a resin bead
Resin beads are made up of two primary materials: polystyrene and divinylbenzene (DVB). Polystyrene is where the exchange of hardness mineral ions and sodium ions takes place, effectively softening your water. DVB is the glue that holds the resin beads together.
What are the effects of chlorine on a water softener’s resin beads?
Over time, DVB breaks down due to oxidizing agents. One of the most common oxidizers to break down the DVB material in resin beads is chlorine. When DVB dissolves, it causes a resin bead to swell up and break apart, leaving it as a useless mushy substance.
Although all resin beads have a fixed lifespan, tap water with high levels of chlorine greatly reduces that lifespan. In fact, chlorine levels of two parts per million can cut the lifespan of resin beads by half when compared to chlorine levels of 0.5 parts per million.
If your home’s water is high in chlorine levels, you will start to notice that your water softener is losing effectiveness much sooner than you might have expected.
How can you prevent chlorine from affecting your water softener?
In order to prevent the breakdown of your water softener’s resin beads, it’s best to filter chlorine out of your water before it reaches your water softener. One way to do this is to install a whole house filtration system before water reaches your softener. Another option is to install the Hague WaterMax, which is a water softener and filtration device in one compact system. The WaterMax will filter chlorine out of your water before it begins the softening process, allowing it to protect itself from high levels of chlorine in your tap water.
If you have any questions about the effects of chlorine on a water softener, or if you’d like a water treatment system serviced or installed in your home, contact North Carolina Water Consultants, your water treatment dealer in North and South Carolina. We service areas all over the Carolinas, including towns like Oakboro, Charlotte and Davidson, NC.