EcoPure MW_MW40_450216 - Manual (Page 13)

..................................................AUTOMATIC WATER SOFTENER
Iron in water causes stains on clothing and plumbing
fixtures. It negatively affects the taste of food, drinking
water, and other beverages.
ACIDITY or acid water is caused by carbon dioxide,
hydrogen sulfide, and sometimes industrial wastes.
It is corrosive to plumbing, plumbing fixtures,
water heaters, and other water using appliances. In
can also damage and cause premature failure of
seals, diaphragms, etc., in water handling equipment.
A chemical analysis is needed to measure the degree
of acidity in water. This is called the pH of water.
Water testing below 6.9 pH is acidic. The lower the pH
reading, the greater the acidity. A neutralizer filter or a
chemical feed pump are usually recommended to treat
acid water.
SEDIMENT is fine, foreign material particles
suspended in water. This material is most often clay or
silt. Extreme amounts of sediment may give the water
a cloudy appearance. A sediment filter normally
corrects this condition.
HOW THE WATER SOFTENER WORKS
SOFT WATER SERVICE, AND REGENERATION, see illustrations, page 14.............................
SERVICE
When the softener is providing soft water, it is called
“Service”. During service, hard water flows from the
house main water pipe into the softener. Inside the
softener resin tank is a bed made up of thousands of
tiny, plastic resin beads. As hard water passes through
the bed, each bead attracts and holds the hardness
minerals. This is called ion–exchanging. It is much like
a magnet attracting and holding metals. Water without
the hardness minerals (soft water) flows from the
softener and to the house pipes.After a period of time,
the resin beads become coated with hardness
minerals and they have to be cleaned. This cleaning is
called regeneration, or recharge. The Ultra demand
timer automatically determines when regenerations
occur. Regeneration is started at 2:00 a.m. (factory
setting) by the softener timer, and consists of 5 stages
or cycles. These are: FILL, BRINING, BRINE RINSE,
BACKWASH, and FAST RINSE.
REGENERATION
# FILL: Salt, dissolved in water, is called brine. Brine
is needed to clean the hardness minerals from the
resin beads. To make the brine, water flows into the
salt storage area during the fill stage as shown on
page 14.
# BRINING: During brining, brine travels from the salt
storage area, into the resin tank. Brine is the cleaning
agent needed to remove the hardness minerals from
the resin beads. The hardness minerals, and brine are
discharged to the drain.
The nozzle and venturi create a suction to move the
brine, maintaining a very slow rate to get the best resin
cleaning with the least salt.
# BRINE RINSE: After a pre-measured amount of
brine is used, the brine valve closes. Water continues
to flow in the same path as during brining, except for
the discontinued brine flow. Hardness minerals and
brine flush from the resin tank, to the drain.
# BACKWASH: During backwash, water travels up
through the resin tank at a fast flow rate, flushing
accumulated iron, dirt, and sediments from the resin
bed and to the drain.
# FAST RINSE: Backwash is followed by a fast flow of
water down through the resin tank. The fast flow
flushes brine from the bottom of the tank, and packs
the resin bed.
After fast rinse, the softener returns to soft water
service.
AUTOMATIC HARD WATER BYPASS DURING REGENERATION..............................................
For emergency needs, hard water is available to the
home during the regeneration cycles. However, you should avoid using HOT water because the water
heater will refill with the hard water.
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