Shop_Locator-512.pngWater Specialties, Inc.
4118 South 500 West
Murray, UT 84123
phone_icon.png 1.801.281.4911
Hours: Monday - Friday 8am - 5pm

Water Softeners

HOW SOFTENERS WORK

A Water Softener is an ion exchanger.

Hard water—water with high calcium/magnesium content—enters the softener through the “In” port. It passes through the control valve and into the tank, where it goes from top to bottom through a specially prepared resin that softens it. The resin consists of specially manufactured beads that have been saturated with sodium ions. “Softening” occurs as the hardness minerals in the water attach themselves to the resin and are “exchanged” for sodium.  The softened water then enters the long center tube, called a riser, via the strainer basket in the bottom of the tank and passes upward through the riser. The water exits the softener via the control valve and is sent home. When hardness minerals saturate the resin, the softener automatically goes into regeneration. (A timer or a meter, depending on the type of unit purchased initiates the regeneration process.) By this process the hardness minerals are washed down the drain and the resin bed is rinsed, resettled, and recharged with sodium. It is now ready to soften water.

The regeneration process is accomplished by passing very salty water from the brine tank through the resin. The brine tank must remain filled with salt at all times so that it can regenerate the softening resin again and again.


Water Softeners are interesting and important ion-exchange devices used to significantly improve water quality by removing calcium, magnesium ions, and bi-carbonate compounds. If your reading this page, I'd advise you to pickup the phone and call our certified sales staff to obtain honest answers about water softeners. Most of our sales staff have over 20 years experience in the commercial and industrial water treatment market. If you have water problems, we have proven solutions.

Reasons to buy a water softener:

  • Gets rid of soap scum & hardness buildup on dishes, showers, & bathtubs.
  • Significantly improves dry skin & eczema skin conditions.
  • Extends the life of your clothes by keeping them cleaner & brighter.
  • Greatly extends the life of your hot water heater, pipes, faucets, & glassware.
  • Significantly improves hot water heating efficiency.
  • Reduces the amount of soap required for washing by up to 50%.
  • Removes up to 3 parts per million of iron (causes red staining).
  • Lengthens the life of reverse osmosis membranes.

Water softeners are currently thought to be the single greatest improvement in energy efficiency a homeowner can make. (Studies are currently being conducted to validate claim.) To find out more about current softener studies, visit www.wqa.org.

Water Specialties, Inc currently uses two brands of water softener controllers, Clack & Fleck. We have chosen these two brands based on durability, pricing, and efficiency. You can count on receiving reliable service from our line of water softeners for 15 - 20 years.

We're pleased to help all the "Do It Your Selfers". We'll program the unit for you, supply all the fittings, piping, & also go over the do's & don'ts. Water Specialties also customizes water softener units to customer specifications by adding granular activated carbon (chlorine, taste, odor, organics), KDF 55 or 85 (chlorine & heavy metals), and filter ag (sediment). Typical turn around on customized water conditioning unit's runs 2-3 business days.