In this issue of the Northeastern Exposure, Richard Mest, Sales Manager, Master Water Conditioning, provides insight into water system technology.

The current technology used for water softening works by manipulating minerals and metals based on their ability to be ionized in water. This technology is known as cation exchange. Cation resin swaps weaker ionized sodium or potassium cations for stronger ionized calcium, magnesium, iron, and manganese cations.

The process of regenerating the water softener with NaCl (sodium chloride) or KCl (potassium chloride) removes the stronger ionized cations and attaches the weaker ionized sodium or potassium onto the resin’s exchange surface.

A cubic foot of cation resin can remove 30,000 grains of a combination of calcium, magnesium, iron, and manganese (listed in their order of affinity to the resin) between regenerations. This means that the water softener resin will remove calcium first, then magnesium, then iron, and then manganese.

Cation resin also has the potential to remove barium, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, and radium from water. Can you imagine treating water in the future without water softeners?

Yet that is what some companies are trying to do. Some water treatment units use technology such as a magnet or sound wave device. The device, which is simply wrapped around a pipe and plugged into an electrical outlet is unproven in its ability to treat water.

But the real question your customers want to know is how much sodium does water softening technology add to their water and how much is too much.

Sodium Intake in Soft Water: The Hard Facts

To measure the amount of sodium being added to water, the following formula is used: Hardness (gpg) x 17.1

(conversion factor) = Hardness (ppm)

Hardness (ppm) x 0.46 (sodium exchange factor) =

Sodium (mg) added to a liter of soft water.

*EXAMPLE:

10 gpg x 17.1 = 171 ppm
171 ppm x 0.46 = 78.66 mg of sodium added to a liter of water

This level is comparative to the sodium level in common foods like bread, pretzels, crackers, and hamburgers.

The Latest Technology for Softening Water

MP Mastermind water softeners use state-of-the-art meter technology to only regenerate the water softener when needed. This technology increases the system’s rate of efficiency in removing calcium, magnesium, and trace levels of iron and manganese. For example, an MP-MBA-30T, a 30,000 grain capacity water softener, can treat 2,000 gallons of water that contains 10 gpg of hardness and 2 ppm of clear water iron, before it needs to regenerate with salt.

Water softener salt is a safe regenerant – it can be eaten, used in cooking, purchased for a competitive price at many locations, and hauled away without a toxic waste license.

For More Information: If you have questions about water softener technology or water systems in general (including complete water treatment systems), please contact one of our Water Systems Specialists listed: Don Bartsch (302) 378-7880, James Mays (410) 515-1900, Jim Schueler and

Bob Ehrenberg (410) 515-1900

If you have questions regarding well pump products or water systems in general (including complete water treatment systems), please contact one of our water systems specialists.