How Do Resin Beads Work? The crosslink structure contains negatively charged “exchange sites” that hold sodium ions. As water travels through the softener, positively charged ions like Calcium, Magnesium, and Iron will stick to the exchange sites on the bead.
How does a water softener work with resin?
As water travels through the softener, positively charged ions like Calcium, Magnesium, and Iron will stick to the exchange sites on the bead. 99% of ion exchange happens INSIDE the resin bead. As the Hard Water Ions “stick” to the bead, the sodium ions are knocked off the bead, and into the water supply.
Why do I need to regenerate the resin beads?
Once the resin bead is loaded up, the softener must regenerate the beads with more sodium to continue working. An effective regeneration is CRITICAL for long-term softening performance.
What are the beads in a water softener made of?
Water Softeners use “Ion Exchange Resin Beads” that are little spheres that range from 0.3-1.2mm in size. These beads are made by combining strands of Polystyrene which are wrapped around in a crisscross fashion, along with Divinylbenzene (DVB) which acts like a glue that holds the resin together.
How do you make colored resin beads?
For these beads, I used Castin’ Craft liquid transparent dye in red and green. Mix the color into the resin. Pour the colored resin onto a piece of wax paper. Spread it out to a rectangle shape using a stir stick . Cover and allow to partially cure. When the resin is partially cured, peel it off the wax paper.
What do resin beads do?
Your water softener's tank is filled with thousands of tiny beads called “resin beads.” When hardness minerals come into contact with these beads, they bind to them and are removed from the water that leaves the tank. This process, known as “ion exchange,” is what makes it possible to soften your home's water.
How do resin beads soften water?
The Water Softening Process The pre-charged resin beads are initially coated with sodium ions, which naturally hold a positive charge. The ion exchange occurs when the positively calcium and magnesium ions in the water supply knock the sodium ions off the resin beads, and attach to the resin in their place.
How often do resin beads need to be replaced?
about 10 to 15 yearsResin beads in water softeners typically last about 10 to 15 years. However, they can be damaged by the excessive amounts of chlorine that are found in city water or iron in well water.
Are water softener resin beads harmful?
Water softener resin is not toxic, and the beads can't escape from the water softener cylinder. Each resin is sodium charged, calcium and magnesium ions are attracted to the resin, sodium ions jump off the resin. This is ion exchange.
How do you flush plumbing resin beads?
Place a colander under the faucet to catch any resin beads. Turn on the cold first at full blast and let it run for a couple of minutes. Then turn on the hot water and let it run for a couple of minutes. Toss out the resin beads you catch.
How long should water softener resin last?
10 yearsIn general, standard resin can last up to 10 years when softening water with a free chlorine level up to 1.0 ppm. Chlorine levels of about 1 ppm, or higher, will cut the resin life in half, chloramines about half that of free chlorine. It may be cost effective to dechlorinate the water prior to entering a softener.
Can you replace the resin beads in a water softener?
Indeed it is possible to replace the resin in a water softener.
How full should resin tank be?
* How much resins should be in the tank? Tanks 44" and taller normally are only 55% - 60% full when new. Some shorter tanks ( 40" and shorter ) may be as much as 80% full ( Note - the valve head must have an upper distributor screen or "basket" installed to use this higher percentage of resins ).
What color are water softener resin beads?
amber-coloredIf you have a water softener connected to your home's plumbing system, you might notice amber-colored beads appearing in the toilet, sink and other fixtures at some point. These beads are called water softener resin, and while they're not toxic, they can clog up your plumbing system.
Is it OK to drink softened water?
So is drinking softened water okay? Yes, it is. Where the water hardness is below 400ppm calcium carbonate, softened water complies with the drinking water regulations. There are two specific situations where the use and drinking of softened water is inadvisable.
Is Softened water healthy to drink?
Softened water is considered safe to drink in the majority of cases.
What are resin beads made of?
There are two primary materials that make up most resin beads: polystyrene, which is a variety of plastic common in a lot of consumer applications from K-Cups to styrofoam, and divinylbenzene, or DVB. DVB works to bond the polystyrene. It's a clear yellow liquid with a strong odor.
What are the resin beads in water softeners?
Water softener resin is the material that is necessary for the ion exchange process, which removes hard water minerals from your water. Small, spherical resin beads are packed in a “bed” inside the tank of a water softener. The resin beads hold a negative charge that will attract any positively charged ions.
How does zeolite soften water?
In zeolite softening, water containing scale-forming ions, such as calcium and magnesium, passes through a resin bed containing SAC resin in the sodium form. In the resin, the hardness ions are exchanged with the sodium, and the sodium diffuses into the bulk water solution.
What type of resin is used for water softening?
polystyrene-type gel resinWhat Is Resin? Resin is the ion exchange media used commonly in water softening applications. The most widely used resin in the industry is polystyrene-type gel resin. This resin has a very porous, skeletal structure and each bead ranges in size from 0.3-1.2mm, containing approximately 45% moisture.
Why are resin beads in my water?
Water softeners use resin beads to remove minerals from hard water through ion exchange. Normally, a screen keeps the beads from entering your water filters and plumbing system.
How does ion exchange resin work?
This occurs when ions present on an insoluble IX resin matrix effectively swap places with ions of a similar charge that are present in a surrounding solution .
How is IX resin formed?
The IX resin matrix is formed by cross-linking hydrocarbon chains with one another in a process called polymerization. The cross-linking gives the resin polymer a stronger, more resilient structure and a greater capacity (by volume). While the chemical composition of most IX resins is polystyrene, certain types are manufactured from acrylic (either acrylonitrile or methyl acrylate). The resin polymer then undergoes one or more chemical treatments to bind functional groups to the ion exchange sites located throughout the matrix. These functional groups are what give the IX resin its separation capabilities, and will vary significantly from one type of resin to the next. The most common compositions include:
What happens to resin after regeneration?
Over time, contaminant ions bind with all available exchange sites in the IX resin. Once the resin is exhausted , it must be restored for further use through what is known as a regeneration cycle. During a regeneration cycle, the IX reaction is essentially reversed through the application of a concentrated regenerant solution. Depending upon the type of resin and the application at hand, the regenerant may be a salt, acid, or caustic solution. As the regeneration cycle proceeds, the IX resin releases contaminant ions, swapping them for ions present in the regenerant solution. The contaminant ions will exit the IX system as part of the regenerant effluent stream, and will need to be properly discharged. In most cases, the resin is rinsed to remove any residual regenerant prior to the next active IX cycle.
What is a chelating resin?
Chelating resins are the most common type of specialty resin, and are used for selective removal of certain metals and other substances. In most cases the resin matrix is composed of polystyrene, though a variety of substances are used for functional groups, including thiol, triethylammonium, and aminophosphonic, among many others.
What is WAC resin?
WAC resins are composed of an acrylic polymer that has been hydrolyzed with either sulphuric acid or caustic soda to produce carboxylic acid functional groups. Due to their high affinity for hydrogen ions (H + ), WAC resins are typically used to selectively remove cations associated with alkalinity.
How to keep resin from sticking to bead?
Once the resin is in the bead form, you will need to apply a piece of masking tape over the end to keep it rolled up while it is curing. At this point, the resin is flexible and a tad tacky but has cured enough that it won’t stick to itself. Leave the tape on while the resin continues to cure.
What happens when resin is partially cured?
When the resin is partially cured, peel it off the wax paper. The resin surface will be sticky but formed. **Since the resin is still not completely cured at this point, you will need to wear safety gloves.
How to cut semicured resin?
Use a pair of utility scissors (not meant for food use) to cut the semi-cured resin into rectangle shape s.
Can you make beads glittery?
In case you were wondering, you can make the beads glittery as well. A little bit of glitter goes a long way since the layers will lie over each other when rolled up.
How to smooth out a bead?
Starting with a course grit use wet and dry sand paper to smooth off any rough edges and flatten the top of the bead if necessary. Use the sand paper wet to avoid breathing in any dust particles from the resin, a face mask is also recommended.
How to pop beads out of a mould?
Pop the beads out of the mould by gently pushing them up from the under side. If you find this difficult after multiple use of the mould you can use a mould release agent, this should be completely dry before using with resin.
What is a square mould?
Square moulds are nice and simple to use, you can easily see the items or colour you are adding to your bead and are easy to sand and finish one your beads have cured. They are are a great choice if you have never tried making resin beads before.
Can you put silicone moulds in a bag?
Remove your silicone mould from the gripseal bag, its always a good idea to keep you moulds in a bag when not using them to prevent dust (or in my case dog hair) from getting into your mould. Place it on a flat surface that you can move around when finished, silicone moulds are very 'squishy' and you don't want your resin accidentally squeezed out of your bead mould.
What is ion exchange resin?
Ion exchange resin is basically porous plastic beads, susceptible to corrosive attack by strong oxidants, such as chlorine and chloramines. The presence of these oxidizers will shorten the working life of resin. Depending on application and source water, resin life varies.
What is the solution used to clear resin?
For this discussion, one assumes the saline solution is sodium chloride. This solution must be of adequate strength to drive the ion exchange reverse reaction.
How to combat resin attrition?
One way to combat resin attrition is to use a stronger bead. Divinylbenzene is the major contributor to bead strength. Resin is available with DVB content of two to 20 percent, but the higher the crosslinking, the more difficult it becomes to introduce functional groups.
How to tell if resin is in the advanced stages of chlorine degradation?
A quick sign that resin is in the advanced stages of chlorine degradation/oxidation damage is the ability to crush the beads between one’s fingers or in the palm of one’s hand. Another sign of resin breakdown is pressure loss .
How does salt brine work in resin softener?
A mass of salt brine enters the softener , builds in strength until a leading wave of 10-percent brine pushes through the resin and dislodges an equivalent amount of hardness ions. Once the exchange is complete, the resin bed is in equilibrium.
What is a water softening resin?
Standard water softening resin beads somewhat resemble a ball of spaghetti, consisting of an extremely porous, skeletal structure or matrix (Figure 2). Most standard, sodium-cycle softening resins are polystyrene and divinylbenzene (DVB). These are the building blocks of a cation-softening resin bead.
Is 10 percent resin better than 8 percent?
Additionally, 10-percent resin is stronger and less susceptible to hydraulic and osmotic shock. Over the life of the resin bed, 10 percent loses capacity at a much slower rate than eight percent, making 10-percent resin a better choice for waters containing oxidants, and systems with hydraulic-shock issues. Conclusion.
How Do Resin Beads Work?
As water travels through the softener, positively charged ions like Calcium, Magnesium, and Iron will stick to the exchange sites on the bead.
What are water softener beads made of?
Water Softeners use “Ion Exchange Resin Beads” that are little spheres that range from 0.3-1.2mm in size. These beads are made by combining strands of Polystyrene which are wrapped around in a crisscross fashion, along with Divinylbenzene (DVB) which acts like a glue that holds the resin together. The structure of the beads looks like a ball ...
How is resin life determined?
Resin life is determined by a combination of the factors we discussed: the % crosslink in the bead, iron damage, chlorine damage, and hydraulic shock. Depending on these conditions, standard 8% resin will breakdown 2-10% each year. Besides removing chlorine or iron, you can also improve resin life by increasing the crosslink %.
How much crosslink resin is used in water softeners?
The number of “links” in the bead will determine its strength, and how long it lasts. Most modern water softeners use 8% crosslink resin. A few High Performance Water Softeners use 10% crosslink resin, which has more “links in the chain” to increase durability.
How to improve resin life?
Besides removing chlorine or iron, you can also improve resin life by increasing the crosslink %.
What happens if you don't clean iron off of a bead?
If the iron is not THOROUGHLY cleaned off the bead, oxygen in the water oxidizes the Iron molecule causing it to grow roughly 20x in size. When this happens, the Resin Bead plugs up and loses a majority of its capacity.
Does iron damage resin?
Iron Damage to Resin. Well Water in our area can have extremely high Iron levels, and most City Water sources still have low levels of Iron – even after going through the water treatment plant. It takes 4x more sodium to clean iron off of a Resin Bead than it takes to remove Calcium or Magnesium. If the iron is not THOROUGHLY cleaned off ...