How Chlorine Can Affect Your Water Softener Resin

Did you know a small amount of free chlorine is in the water you drink and use every day? While it does not affect its drinkability, this chlorine can affect your water softener resin. Below, we explain how your water softener works, the impact of excess chlorine, and what you can do to fight the effects.

Water Softening Process

Hard water occurs when there is a presence of magnesium and calcium ions. These ions can prevent your soaps or shampoos from working effectively and can make your skin feel dry after a shower. These ions are removed through the water softening process.

The hard water enters a chamber with thousands of small resin beads, which have a slightly ionic charge. As the hard water passes through these beads, the magnesium and calcium ions trade places with the charged ions in the resin. The water then filters out as soft water, leaving behind hard ions.

Over time, the softener resin beads will lose their ionic charge and be covered in hard magnesium and calcium ions. After about 10 years, the resin beads will no longer work effectively and will require a replacement.

Impacts of Chlorine

United States water supplies are treated with a small amount of chlorine to kill bacteria and ensure the water’s drinkability. Although this amount is typically between 0.5-1.0 parts per million, or ppm, the chlorine levels of water close to the treatment facility can be much higher.

When water with a chlorine level of above 1.0 ppm passes through a water softener, the chlorine will oxidize the resin beads. This oxidation can affect the softening process and cut the life of your resin in half.

Do Water Softeners Remove Chlorine?

The chemistry behind the water softening process limits what you can do to prevent this oxidation. While your water softener will not remove chlorine on its own, if you install a water filter before your water softener, it can preemptively dechlorinate the water.

If the chlorine has already oxidized your resin bed, it will affect your water softener’s flow rate and capacity. You can restore your softener’s efficiency by replacing the oxidized resin bed with a new one.

Our Team Can Help You Restore Your Water Softener to Full Capacity

If your water softener isn’t working properly or your water has a high chlorine level, your softener resin bed may need a replacement. Our Phoenix technicians can analyze your water, determine the health of your resin bed, and even help with a replacement. We also offer a variety of home filtration solutions to help remove excess chlorine from your system. At All About Water, we are committed to your complete satisfaction, which is why we guarantee our work and our systems.

Schedule your Phoenix plumbing and water treatment service todaywith All About Water. Call (480) 422-2601.