Water Softeners – An Indispensable Requirement for Any Industry

Water generally turns acidic as it has to pass through an ongoing cycle. It falls as rain or snow, becomes polluted with environmental dirt, and then evaporates into the atmosphere, to complete the cycle. The whole process contributes towards water becoming "hard" or "acidic". Hard water usually contains greater amount of such minerals, as magnesium, iron and calcium, per gallon, than is normally necessary. Water treatment is vital for every industry. The manufacturers of industrial water softeners help a particular industry to meet the standard water quality requirements needed for consistent processes and production. In the industries, the same technique of water softening is followed, as in the domestic sphere, but on a higher scale. Basic functioning of a water softener A water softening unit makes use of an ion exchange process. The water is run in the mineral tank over the water softener's resin beads. In this way the hard minerals in the water get attached to the resin, which releases sodium into the water. The water is made soft by the replacement of the ions - mainly calcium and magnesium, with sodium or potassium. Some softeners help to remove iron content from water. Industrial water softeners collect the minerals causing hardness inside the conditioning tank, and flush them out into the drain at regular intervals. There are various categories of water softeners available in the market for industrial or commercial purposes. Some of them are steel tank – diaphragm valves softeners, FRP tank diaphragm valves softeners, steel tank top mounted valves softeners, and fiber glass tank top mounted valves softeners. Softeners can be operated either manually, in a semi automatic manner, or in a fully automatic manner. Each category of softener is rated according to the degree of hardness it can remove. An efficient water softener lasts for many years, with very little maintenance required, except filling them with softening salts such as rock salt, evaporated salt, and solar salt occasionally. Benefits of water softening Hard water causes minerals such as calcium and magnesium to build up on piping, water heaters, heat exchangers, and boilers. This build up brings with it expensive repairs, higher energy consumption, and clogged boiler tubes and heat exchangers. Water softening helps to remove these negative effects. Some of the places where industrial water softening equipments are used are boiler feed water, manufacturing plants, office complexes, food processing plants, laundries, restaurants, car washes, and hospitals.