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Our Passion is Excellence
Welcome
to our Water Treatment section. Our goal is to provide you with a
magnitude of information on water treatment, such as water softeners,
water filters and reverse osmosis systems. You will also find useful
information in our FAQ section. Please feel free to give us a call with
any questions you may have, our water treatment professionals will be
more than happy to answer your questions.
Water Softeners: Basic Theory,
Components
and Operation
There are three basic components for all water softening systems:
1. Controller (or head)
2. Mineral tank (also called the resin tank)
3. Brine tank (also called the salt tank)
There
are two types
of controllers:
1. Demand controlled (also called meter
controlled), two
types:
Solid
State
Cable and
Gear Driven
2. Time controlled (also called day wheel controlled)
There are two types of brine systems:
1. Dry brine systems (uses a shelf with water underneath)
2. Wet brine system (no shelf, salt fills the entire tank)
There
are three types
of power supply:
1. 120
Volts (standard wall outlet)
2. 24 Volts (transformer plugs into standard wall outlet)
3. Water driven (no electricity used; i.e. Kinetico/Marlo-GLC)
There
are two types
of regenerant used:
1. Sodium
chloride (Solar salt, Rock salt, Pellet salt)
2. Potassium chloride (K-Life)
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Water
Softeners: The
Regeneration Process Explained
Raw or untreated
water passes
through the mineral/resin tank and the
media contained therein. This media is called resin or zeolite. The
calcium/magnesium carbonate in the water (two elements responsible for
water hardness) are attracted to the resin media and are removed before
exiting the resin tank. When the resin beads are fully coated, they
lose their ability to store hardness. It is then that the salt/brine
solution is pumped through the resin tank, releasing the hardness
stored on the beads and after flushing the residue during the purge
cycle, the beads are recharged and ready to store hardness again.
Four Stages of the Regeneration
Cycle
Explained
Note: Intended as the order for most systems
Stage 1 - Backwash:
The initial stage of regeneration. Produced cross current to rapidly
upflow or "fluff" the packed resin beads so that brine water can be
evenly distributed throughout the resin bed.
Stage 2 - Brining
(Salt Rinse): This is the most important part of the process. A venturi
(suction) allows the brine solution to be pumped from the brine tank
into the resin tank and is then slowly rinsed through the resin bed,
releasing the
hardness content.
Stage 3 - Purge (Rapid
Rinse): A fast rinse, purging residual brine and hardness through the
drain. The resin is now ready to store hardness again.
Stage 4 - Brine
Refill: Water is refilled to the salt storage tank in order to make
brine for the next regeneration process.
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Guidelines for Setting Water
Softener
Regeneration Cycles
The four key factors for determining a proper regeneration schedule
are:
1.
The grain capacity
contained in the resin tank
2. The amount of water consumed in the home
3. The amount of reserve capacity allowed
4. The amount of hardness present in the water
Grain
Capacity: The
amount of resin, generally measured in cubic feet or 1,000 unit
increments. 30,000 grains = 1 cubic ft.
Water
Consumption:
The use of water in the home, calculated in U. S. gallon increments. It
is most efficient to determine this figure by obtaining the average
water
consumption figures on past copies of water department billing
statements. If
this is not possible, allow for 75 gallons per day average per person,
and 75 gallons per day for automatic washer/dishwasher combined.
Reserve
Capacity: The
amount of grain capacity allowed as a reserve to ensure softened water
until the delayed regeneration time occurs.
Water
Hardness: The
amount of calcium and magnesium carbonate and sulphide, measured in
grains per gallon or parts per million.
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Water
Filters
Who
is better
qualified to assist you with water filtering systems for all of your
home drinking and cooking water needs than your licensed plumbing
professionals at McGill Plumbing? We carry a wide variety of filtering
systems and replacement filter cartridges. From simple in-line ice
maker supply filters, shower head filters, under the counter type
reverse osmosis systems, and whole house filtering systems, we have it
all and we can point you in the right direction to suit your specific
needs.
Tired
of making trips to the grocery store, a vending machine, and
storing those bulky plastic gallon jugs of "bottled” water"? By
installing a filter system of your own, you can have bottle quality
water on tap in your home for pennies per gallon. Take charge of the
quality of water you drink today.
Everpure
Systems: For over 30 years, McGill Plumbing
and Water Treatment has been
installing and servicing Everpure brand filtering products. These
systems, featuring an easy track lock design make it easy for most
homeowners to "do it yourself" when the time comes to change filter
cartridges. Visit our showroom today and check out our complete line of
Everpure systems.
Reverse Osmosis
Systems: Having
a reverse osmosis system in your home
is like having a small "water factory". These systems are comprised of
a filter housing unit, a storage/holding tank, and a dedicated filter
faucet that is mounted on the counter at your kitchen sink. The system
fits under most average size kitchen cabinet spaces.
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How It
Works:
Your city or county water supply passes
through a trio
of pre-filters
consisting of two sediment type filters and one granulated activated
carbon type filter. The water is then passed through the workhorse
portion of the system which is the “membrane”. Water is
"squeezed" through this semipermeable thin film composite membrane and
at this stage, the user (or product) water moves on to a
storage/holding
tank and the rejected water is diverted down the drain. The storage
tank holds approximately 1.3 gallons of filtered water that is passed
through a final "polishing" filter on its way out of the filter faucet
(or your ice maker supply) when the water is used. This is an "on
demand" system, meaning that filtered water is only processed as you
need it. The end result is a high quality water, free from a variety of
unwanted contaminants as well as dissolved solids. Come to our showroom
and let one of our water treatment experts show you the advantages of
owning your own "water factory" today.
20 plumbing
service trucks
serving Pinellas County...One is in your
area at all times!
We
meet all your
plumbing needs...water heaters repaired or replaced,
sewer lines cleared, water softeners & filters, advanced leak
detection, and more!!
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