McGill Plumbing Water Treatment
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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. You will also find useful information in our FAQ section. Please feel free to call. Our water treatment professionals will be more than happy to answer your questions.
WATER SOFTENERS: BASIC THEORY, COMPONENTS AND OPERATION
Three basic components for all water softening systems:
The controller (or head)
The mineral tank (also called the resin tank)
The brine tank (also called the salt tank)
Two types of controllers
Demand controlled (also called meter controlled)
Time controlled (also called day wheel controlled)
Two types of demand/metered controllers
Solid state
Cable and gear driven
Two types of brine systems
Dry brine systems (uses as shelf with water underneath
wet brine system (no shell, salt fills the entire tank)
Three types of power supply
120 Volts (standard wall outlet)
24 Volts (transformer plugs into standard wall aoutlet)
Water driven (no electric used i. e. Kinetico/Marlo-GLC)
Two types of regenerant used
Sodium chloride (solar salt, rock salt, pellet salt)
Potassium chloride (k-life)
return to top 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 slowly rinsed through the resin bed, releasing 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.
Stage 4 / Brine Refill: Water is refilled to the salt storage tank in order to make brine for the next regeneration process.
return to top GUIDELINES FOR SETTING WATER SOFTENER REGENERATION CYCLES
The four key factors for determining a proper regeneration schedule are:
A) The grain capacity contained in the resin tank
B) The amount of water consumed in the home
C) The amount of reserve capacity allowed
D) 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. Computed by U. S. gallon increments. It is most efficient to determine this by obtaining an average water consumption figures on pas copies of water dept. bill 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.
return to top 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 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 semi permeable 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, freed of 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!!
return to top Thank you! We appreciate the opportunity to serve you! |
