Water softeners play a critical role in a wide array of commercial settings. Hotels, laundromats, and even hospitals utilize this process, which removes hard minerals from the water. This process helps reduce maintenance costs, extend the life of plumbing, and improve the overall efficiency of the heating systems and connected appliances. Bulk water softener salt can be a key component in this process, and ensuring the purity of that salt is essential to maintaining the efficiency and longevity of the water softening system.
Water softener salt is utilized to regenerate the ion exchange resins that capture and remove the minerals from water. These resins bead during this process, the solution flushes the minerals that have accumulated from the beads – restoring their softening capacity. The quality and purity of the salt used can have a significant impact on the overall performance of the water softening system.
Improved Efficiency & Performance
Pure salt contains fewer impurities that can interfere with the regeneration process. High-purity salt is generally 99.5% pure, and can make sure that ion exchange resin gets thoroughly regenerated – maintaining overall efficiency of the water softener. Salt that contains impurities like dirt, iron, or other minerals can clog the vital resin beads and reduce their effectiveness. This will likely lead to incomplete regeneration, which results in reduced water softening capacity. It can also lead to more frequent regeneration cycles.
Getting a thorough regeneration process will lead to more consistency with the performance of your water softener. This keeps your appliances more easily maintained, as well as boosting all of the processes that rely on softened water. By reducing the impurities in the salt, it will keep out the dirt and other minerals from infiltrating the system. This will keep the resin beads clean and fully functional for longer periods of time.
Boosted System Longevity
Because high-quality salt has a minimal amount of insoluble materials, that means less opportunity for that dirt and minerals to accumulate in the brine tank as well as the resin bed. Reducing this buildup will prevent blockages and scaling – as both of those can have a negative impact on how your water softener functions. Smoother operation means less frequent maintenance and cleaning, which prolongs the life of the system. This also ensures that the brine solution used during the regeneration process will be free from those impurities.
This will also maintain and preserve the overall integrity of your water softening system. High-quality salt will help prevent chemical imbalances that can occur with lower-quality salts that have reactive impurities. It can also prevent any physical damage that could occur from corrosion. Keeping your system free of impurities will help it last longer, resulting in fewer disruptions and lower operational costs. The higher the purity, the more reliable your water treatment process is – and the better it is for your overall system.
Pure Salt is Cost Effective
Because the pure salt ensures that the water softening system is operating at peak efficiency, it results in multiple benefits. Not only does it significantly help with keeping down the recurring costs of maintenance with the system, but it can also result in lower salt consumption. In commercial settings, where large quantities of water may need to be treated, this can result in huge, long-term cost savings. Making sure you have the purest salt is a way to have a positive impact on your budget, particularly for some of the important industries that use water softeners commercially.
Because there are fewer maintenance issues, there will also likely be fewer disruptions in service. For commercial water softeners, this can be the most crucial aspect of using pure salt. When used in places like hospitals, the last thing they want is anything that can break up their systems and processes. Efficiently regenerating resins also require less energy to operate, meaning the system won’t have to work as hard to soften water. This adds even more energy savings over time.
Improved Water Quality
Consistent water softening with high-quality salt has a direct impact on the overall quality of your water. By keeping the resin beads clean and functional, your system will produce soft water with low hardness levels. For commercial use that requires consistency – such as food processing or pharmaceuticals – this can make a world of difference. Consistency also means reduced contaminants and impurities, meaning cleaner, clearer water. That is extremely beneficial when dealing with beverage production and other high-end hospitality services.
Pure salt can also contribute to keeping water tasting like it should taste. Those minerals and other impurities can introduce variations in flavor and even the odor of the water. You want your water to have this neutral taste, as there are a number of commercial situations where the water will be consumed directly – in places such as hotels or restaurants. Getting rid of unhealthy impurities protects the health of consumers and employees, but removing the chemicals can also lead to an operation that is much more friendly to the environment.
Different Kinds of Softener Salt
There is a wide variety of bulk water softener salt, but some of them might be more appropriate for some situations than others. Evaporated salt is typically the purest form, as the process creates high-purity crystals. This type of salt is made by putting fresh water into existing salt deposits, where it dissolves the salt into a saturated brine. That brine is then pumped back to the surface where it is boiled until evaporated, leaving salt crystals behind.
Another popular type of water softener salt is solar salt. This type of salt is also produced through evaporation, but the process is longer than evaporated salt. The evaporation takes place gradually over time, as seawater is pulled into ponds and then evaporates due to the heat from the sun. This creates a higher concentration of salt in the remaining brine, but is generally not as pure as evaporated salt. However, this makes it a less expensive option.
Rock salt is also used in water softeners, but it typically contains more insoluble minerals and other impurities when compared to evaporated salt or solar salt. This type of salt is usually mined from underground deposits where it forms naturally when salty water evaporates and leaves the salt behind. Because it’s very simple to process and mine, rock salt is usually less expensive than other options. However, it does contain higher levels of insoluble impurities when compared to the previously mentioned types of salt, which may lead to reduced efficiency and more frequent maintenance.
Choosing High-Quality Salt for Your Water Softener
In commercial settings, the purity of bulk water softener salt is crucial. The most important thing is to look at the purity level of the salt – and check for salt that is at least 99.5 percent pure, as mentioned before. It’s also important to consider the form and type of salt. It is available in many different forms, such as pellets, crystals, and blocks. Pellets are typically the best option, because of their high quality and their ability to dissolve easily in water.
You also want to make sure there are no additives or other impurities in your salt. Some of these additives can impact the water softening process. Choose salt with minable insoluble matter to prevent clogging of the system and reduce the needs for maintenance. Of course, budget always comes into play, but that’s the importance of buying in bulk for your commercial needs. Look for suppliers that offer competitive pricing for bulk orders. That will allow you to stretch your dollar further without compromising on the quality of the product. Remember, spending a few more dollars for a purer product can add long-term benefits through reduced maintenance and longer system life.
Use a Reputable Supplier
Reviews are easy to find in today’s digital age, so look around and choose a supplier with a good reputation for consistency and quality. The commercial realm is a different animal, as well, so be sure to look for suppliers with experience in providing bulk quantities for commercial use. How they work with other large bulk orders – or businesses of your size – will give you a glimpse as to what to expect in service and reliability. Your business won’t slow down, so you’ll need a supplier that can keep up with the rigors and demands of your individual business.
There are also some certifications and standards you should be on the lookout for when buying bulk water softener salt. Look for salt that has been certified by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) for water treatment applications. This independent certification applies to the product and its manufacturing process, verifying it to meet their standards for health and safety. Compliance with the American Water Works Association (AWWA) also ensures quality and safety in the product.
There are a lot of things to consider when purchasing bulk water softener salt, but purity is the most important factor. This will help your system run more efficiently, for a longer period of time. For more information on what salt is right for your commercial enterprise, reach out to the experts at Clarity Salt today.