The salt water softener reduces the level of hardness in your domestic water. However, this anti-scale system requires time-consuming and expensive annual maintenance. Fortunately, there are effective and more economical alternatives such as the CO2 water softener. Would you like to learn more about it to choose the best softener model for your needs? In this article, SoluCalc goes over the different steps of the water softener resin cleaning and the salt water softener. We also present you our economical and ecological CO2 solution to soften your domestic water.
Why clean your water softener?
Maintenance of your salt water softener allows you to guarantee optimal water quality on a daily basis while protecting your appliance. Indeed, the repeated passage of water loaded with mineral salts gradually depletes the resin of sodium ions. If the softener is not cleaned, there is a risk of unusual degradation of the softener. The softener will then lose its effectiveness against limescale. Regular maintenance of a softener and its components will ensure better operating conditions and increase its efficiency.
How to clean a water softener? Good practices to adopt
In the case of a salt model, the cleaning of the water softener consists of different points:
- Checking the water hardness level in order to adjust the softener settings;
- Checking the level of softener salt and adding salt to the salt container;
- Cleaning the softener resin and replacing the cartridge and water filter;
- Annual maintenance of the softener and all its components.
Would you like to enjoy softened water on a daily basis without worrying about the water softener cleaning ? There are also models that do not require annual cleaning or maintenance. The SoluCalc salt-free water softener works by injecting food-grade CO2 directly into your pipes and drains to treat the limescale level.
Your questions about water softener cleaning
What is involved in cleaning a softener? Which softener resin cleaner is the most effective? In this FAQ, the SoluCalc experts answer your most frequently asked questions about the cleaning of your water softener.
How do I carry out the water softener resin cleaning?
The resin in your salt water softener removes limescale from the water in your pipes by capturing calcium and magnesium ions and exchanging them with sodium ions. As well as treating calcium and magnesium ions, the resin also removes other pollutants and impurities that need to be removed regularly. There are several options for cleaning your water softener resin:
- The regeneration process, which consists of recharging the resin with salts when it is saturated.
- The use of a suitable cleaning agent for your softener resin: in addition to regeneration, it is essential to carry out a thorough cleaning once or twice a year. This involves pouring a suitable cleaning agent into the salt container of the softener.
- Changing the resin balls: after several regeneration processes, the resin balls change and their diameter decreases. After about 10 years, they should be changed.
Water softener cleaning: which products to use?
In order to clean your water softener, it is essential to use the right cleaning products for your water softener. Usually, a disinfectant and a chemical cleaner based on chlorine and phosphoric acid are used. Phosphoric acid is used to remove any limescale deposits in the appliance, while chlorine acts as a disinfectant. This liquid disinfectant is then poured into the salt container of the softener before regenerating the softener resin. Although effective, the softener resin cleaner is chemical and therefore harmful to health and the environment. It is therefore preferable to choose a softener model that does not require maintenance or the use of chemicals.
Is it necessary to call in a specialist for a water softener cleaning?
To carry out the maintenance and complete cleaning of your water softener, you should call in a professional plumber or the installer of your softener. The latter will ensure that the appliance is working properly and will then carry out a complete cleaning of its components. This operation costs a minimum of €60. In addition to the cost of the operation, other costs can quickly be added to your bill:
- The possible cost of repair and replacement of defective parts;
- The cost of household products and cleaners used;
- The cost of any additional water consumption during the regeneration process to recharge the resin with sodium ions.
In order to avoid unexpected costs and the intervention of a specialist, the best option is to opt for a CO2 softener model. Although a little more expensive at the outset, it does not require the intervention of a specialist and does not require any particular maintenance.
Combating limescale without maintaining or cleaning your water softener? Opt for SoluCalc
SoluCalc’s salt-free water softener is an economical and ecological way to soften your water on a daily basis. Thanks to its innovative formula, the device injects food-grade CO2 into your pipes in order to change the calcium carbonate, the limestone, into calcium bicarbonate. Your water treated by SoluCalc thus retains its natural taste as well as its minerals which are beneficial to our health. The CO2 water softener is therefore an ecological and economical alternative to the salt model, as it produces no waste and requires no maintenance and no water softener cleaning products. Moreover, our device is discrete and compact so that it can be perfectly integrated into any type of home. Our product is installed directly after the water meter in compliance with the standards in force in the country.