A water softener control valve manages the entire softening process by monitoring water usage and initiating regeneration when needed.
Understanding the Control Valve's Role
The control valve is the brain of your water softener. It automates the softening process and ensures you always have a supply of soft water. Here's a breakdown:
Metering Water Usage
- The control valve measures the amount of water passing through the mineral tank and into your house. It contains a meter that tracks the volume of water.
Initiating Regeneration
- As hard water flows through the mineral tank, resin beads exchange sodium ions for hardness ions (calcium and magnesium).
- Once the resin beads are saturated, they can no longer soften water effectively.
- The control valve, based on its water usage measurements, initiates the regeneration cycle.
The Regeneration Cycle
The regeneration cycle typically involves several stages:
- Backwash: Water flows backward through the mineral tank to flush out accumulated sediment and debris.
- Brine Draw: A salt solution (brine) is drawn from the brine tank into the mineral tank. The high concentration of sodium in the brine forces the hardness ions off the resin beads and replaces them with sodium ions, recharging the resin.
- Rinse: The remaining brine solution and displaced hardness ions are rinsed from the mineral tank.
- Brine Refill: The brine tank is refilled with water to dissolve more salt for the next regeneration cycle.
Summary Table: Water Softener Control Valve Function
| Function | Description |
|---|---|
| Water Metering | Tracks the volume of water passing through the mineral tank. |
| Regeneration Trigger | Initiates regeneration based on water usage. |
| Backwash | Flushes sediment and debris from the mineral tank. |
| Brine Draw | Draws salt solution into the mineral tank to recharge the resin beads. |
| Rinse | Removes remaining brine solution and hardness ions from the mineral tank. |
| Brine Refill | Refills the brine tank with water to prepare the salt solution for the next regeneration cycle. |
