If you own, operate, rent or have a service agreement for a sodium zeolite ion exchange water

softener which regenerates on-demand, whether it’s a small residential softener, a moderately

sized institutional or commercial softener, or even if it is a large industrial water softener, it could

be wasting money, water and salt by regenerating more frequently than required.

Efficient, On-Demand Water Softeners are installed

with very good intentions. On-Demand Water Softeners

are more efficient than time based regenerated

softeners as they regenerate based on the actual

volume of softened water used rather than solely on a

scheduled date and time for regeneration to occur.

The advantage of On-Demand Softeners versus time

based regenerated water softeners is that the number

of gallons of water softened is actually used to initiate

the regeneration. As long as the water source and

quality is unchanged, the gallons of soft water

produced by your softener for each regeneration

should be relatively the same each time. This makes

On-Demand Water Softeners far more efficient than

timer regeneration based softeners and can potentially

save 30% or more in salt and water… but that is only if

the on-demand controller has been set properly.

Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for even

professionally installed On-Demand Softeners to be

programmed with extremely conservative and

wasteful settings. For example, experience has found

capacity settings as low as 50% of the design

capabilities of the softener based on the water supply

quality. This wastes large amounts of salt and water

because it results in the softener regenerating sooner

and more frequently than necessary. This can

potentially completely eliminate any efficiency that

was presumed to be gained with the use of an On-

Demand Water Softener.

It is relatively easy to compare the actual programmed capacity of your softener to its designed capacity. When you have an On-Demand Water Softener installed, it is strongly suggest that you have the installer explain to you and document the set capacities compared to the softeners design capacity based on your water supply. Let your installer know that you have clear expectations that the softener is to be programmed to be efficient as well as effective.

Is Your On-Demand Water Softener Wasting Water and Salt and Costing You Money?

You May Be Surprised.

Here is a Quick and Easy Method to Check the Capacity Setting.

The approximate softening capacity in gallons of water for your softener can be calculated relatively easily in order to determine what the capacity setting should be. This is a relatively quick and easy method to determine if there is a significant discrepancy between the designed and programmed capacity of your softener.

First, obtain the design capacity of your softener. This is usually defined as its capacity to remove hardness and is measured in grains.

Second, you must know the hardness of your untreated/unsoftened water supply in grains per gallon. The amount of iron in the water is also a consideration.

Third, divide the grain capacity value of your softener by the grains per gallon hardness of the untreated water supplied to your softener.

The result is the gallon capacity of your softener based on the quality of the water you are supplying to it, but this assumes that your softener is operating properly and the resin is in like new condition. If a significant discrepancy between the designed and programmed capacity of your softener is noted as a result of this activity, further investigation and/or contacting a reputable professional installer should be considered. Even if you contact a professional installer, you are urged to participate to understand and assure the efficient programming of the capacity settings.

IS YOUR ON-DEMAND WATER SOFTENER

WASTING WATER, SALT AND COSTING MORE

TO OPERATE THAN IT SHOULD? $

Also, On-Demand Softeners generally have some

Reserve Capacity programmed. The “Reserve Capacity”

is applied if the On-Demand Softener reaches the

preprogrammed volume of water at which it is to

regenerate during periods of the day when water is

being used. The Reserve Capacity is intended to be

enough to continue to supply soft water until a time of

day when water usage is at its lowest, typically during

the night, much like when timer based softeners are

scheduled to regenerate. For the sake of efficiency, the

reserve capacity is generally set equal to a one day of

typical water use. This assures that soft water is

available at all times.

Again, experience has shown, it is not uncommon for

the Reserve Capacity of On-Demand Softeners to be

set as much as a dozen times the capacity necessary to

assure regeneration occurs at a time when water

usage is at its lowest. This again reduces the gains in

efficiency that is presumed to be a benefit with the

use of an On-Demand Water Softener.

Adjusting the settings of an on-demand water softener

for optimal performance is relatively simple but it does

take some time and you do need to know what you are

doing. The performance of the softener should be

checked after the initial installation and programming

of the capacity settings to make sure those are

appropriate to make sure soft water is being produced

at all times and to assure sustained efficient operation.

This requires subsequent visits by the installer after the

installation and initial programming is complete. Future

visits and testing must be timed such that the capacity

settings and softener performance can be evaluated

when the softener nears it programmed capacity values

and is near the point of regeneration. This can be

problematic and somewhat hard to predict when it will

occur in advance, particularly where water usage rates

vary. This explains why capacity and reserve settings

are sometimes programmed with overly conservative

and wasteful settings even by professional installers.

Overly conservative settings are sometimes used to

avoid subsequent visits to assure soft water and thus

little diligence is exercised regarding assuring efficiency.

This reinforces the need for owners, operators and

users to be involved to assure efficiency.

It is recommended that you contact a reputable

professional installer to make adjustments for you or to

provide assistance. If you are doing this yourself, read

your manual and you should be experienced with

softeners and Demand Initiated Regeneration (DIR)

controllers before attempting to make adjustments to

your softener system. Always consult the

manufacturer’s specifications for the softener and the

resin to determine capacities. Also, before making any

adjustments, record all programmable setting so you

can gain an appreciation for any savings realized.

When considering an efficient On-Demand Water

Softener, the thought process needs to go beyond its

initial purchase, installation and programming. New

On-Demand Water Softeners are highly efficient and

effective as long as there is diligence in assuring they

are programmed appropriately with efficiency in mind

and follow-up checks are performed to assure it is

programmed to optimize performance and to confirm

the desired performance is maintained over time.

On-Demand Systems are great tools in increasing

efficiency, lowering costs of operation, saving water,

saving salt and potentially reducing sodium and

chlorides discharged to wastewater treatment plants

and the environment.

The state of California has even enacted legislation that

requires all new water softeners installed in the state to

be of the On-Demand regenerated type. In the wake of

several years of drought, this is one of California’s many

efforts to reduce water usage and lessen the discharge

of sodium and chloride to the environment. Proper

capacity and reserve capacity setting are required to

realize the true benefit of on-demand water softeners.

This is not intended to be a detailed guide to water

softener setup and operation but rather to point out a

few key factors for consideration and some potential

benefits regarding the optimization of programmable

settings for On-Demand Water Softeners.

By Robert Jewell

Know your On-Demand Softener system and potentially increase efficiency, lower costs of operation, save

water, save salt and potentially reduce sodium and chlorides discharged to wastewater treatment plants and

the environment.

Robert has 30 years of career experience in industrial utilities. He specializes in and has extensive

experience in the operation and management of steam plants, central plants, cooling and

refrigeration systems, potable (drinking) water systems, water treatment, wastewater treatment,

and facility management.

He is an advocate of water conservation, energy conservation and protecting our environment while

also incorporating those advocacies into sustainable water and energy efficiency activities and

programs that positively impact the organization and local community by finding efficiency and

savings in existing processes and procedures through creative solutions.

Connect with Robert on Linkedin at http://www.linkedin.com/pub/bob-jewell/26/810/32a