Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: keyser soze on April 08, 2012, 08:09:29 pm

Title: how do you know if a water softener works
Post by: keyser soze on April 08, 2012, 08:09:29 pm

anybody knows how to check to see if a softener is working as it should be

Title: Re: how do you know if a water softener works
Post by: bobplum on April 08, 2012, 08:40:14 pm

tds level?

Title: Re: how do you know if a water softener works
Post by: keyser soze on April 08, 2012, 08:47:24 pm

thanks for replying bob . how much would you expect it to drop. my source tds is around 300 .

Title: Re: how do you know if a water softener works
Post by: bobplum on April 08, 2012, 08:53:38 pm

i think you would have to try a new softener as against the old one to compare results

Title: Re: how do you know if a water softener works
Post by: best on April 09, 2012, 07:00:00 am

without a softner mine comes out of my merin @ 015ppm
with a softner it comes out @ 006ppm

When the ppm rises i recharge my resin in the softner

Title: Re: how do you know if a water softener works
Post by: Paul H on April 09, 2012, 09:04:47 am

hi sorry to hijack this but after a bit advise

my tap water is just a little over 200ppm

i,m in the process of setting a wandow cleaning service (wfp)

i have the RO unit... now am i right in thinking just running the supply through this will take the reading down?

Also when i add / attach DI vessel this will take it down to 0 pmm?... or will it not go to exactly 0 if not what do i do are what is the lowest acceptable for cleaning..

Thanks i'm wrapping my head around this slowly but surely

Title: Re: how do you know if a water softener works
Post by: Perfect Windows on April 09, 2012, 09:09:32 am

Quote from: andrew @ keep it clean on April 08, 2012, 08:47:24 pm

thanks for replying bob . how much would you expect it to drop. my source tds is around 300 .

Well, my domestic softener raises my TDS from 280 to 450 or so.  Remember, you're just replacing Calcium ions with Sodium, so you're not going to see a drop in TDS.

Unscientifically, if you just want reassurance that it's plumbed in correctly, wash your hands in a bowl of softened and unsoftened water.  You'll know if it's working.

VIn

Title: Re: how do you know if a water softener works
Post by: keyser soze on April 09, 2012, 02:02:51 pm

i ve tried a hard water testing kit normally used for water quality for fish .( from a pet store)and it shows the softener is working efficiently. so happy with it now. wasnt sure if it was doing the job it supposed to do . (second hand unit). when i bought it the sensor wasnt working on it and the guy i bought it off was using it and it was not running properly . so i wanted to make sure the resin was being recharged. everything looking good ....thanks for all the help guys

Title: Re: how do you know if a water softener works
Post by: Spruce on April 09, 2012, 03:00:58 pm

Quote from: Paul H on April 09, 2012, 09:04:47 am

hi sorry to hijack this but after a bit advise

my tap water is just a little over 200ppm

i,m in the process of setting a wandow cleaning service (wfp)

i have the RO unit... now am i right in thinking just running the supply through this will take the reading down?

Yes


Also when i add / attach DI vessel this will take it down to 0 pmm?... or will it not go to exactly 0 if not what do i do are what is the lowest acceptable for cleaning..

 Yes. A good r/o should be between 98 and 99% efficient. So if it's running at 98% then the produced pure will show a reading of 4 ppm. If you have this or less after r/o you can clean windows with this. If you do then put this water through a di then the resin will reduce it to 0. In time your resin will become spent/exhausted and will not longer 'do its job'. How soon this will occur will depend on the size of your di unit and how much water you process. I personally wouldn't clean windows with anything higher than 5 although I maintain my water at 0. Some have indicated that 10 ppm is fine, but I wouldn't chance that, especially as I live on the North East coast.

Thanks i'm wrapping my head around this slowly but surely

Title: Re: how do you know if a water softener works
Post by: Paul H on April 09, 2012, 09:16:20 pm

Quote from: Spruce on April 09, 2012, 03:00:58 pm

Quote from: Paul H on April 09, 2012, 09:04:47 am

hi sorry to hijack this but after a bit advise

my tap water is just a little over 200ppm

i,m in the process of setting a wandow cleaning service (wfp)

i have the RO unit... now am i right in thinking just running the supply through this will take the reading down?

Yes

Spruce - thats great thanks for that .. need to get a few bits n bobs sorted now and get this set up and running...


Also when i add / attach DI vessel this will take it down to 0 pmm?... or will it not go to exactly 0 if not what do i do are what is the lowest acceptable for cleaning..

 Yes. A good r/o should be between 98 and 99% efficient. So if it's running at 98% then the produced pure will show a reading of 4 ppm. If you have this or less after r/o you can clean windows with this. If you do then put this water through a di then the resin will reduce it to 0. In time your resin will become spent/exhausted and will not longer 'do its job'. How soon this will occur will depend on the size of your di unit and how much water you process. I personally wouldn't clean windows with anything higher than 5 although I maintain my water at 0. Some have indicated that 10 ppm is fine, but I wouldn't chance that, especially as I live on the North East coast.

Thanks i'm wrapping my head around this slowly but surely

Title: Re: how do you know if a water softener works
Post by: Paul H on April 09, 2012, 09:18:02 pm

spruce - thanks for that mate

just need to get a few bits n bobs and get this thing set up and running..