Over the many years I have written this column, I have covered a lot of different parts of the groundwater industry. I’ve talked about drilling machines, pump types, water tanks, pipe material and many other topics. Quite often, I have exhausted a topic or subject, only to realize before I write the next column that I missed some parts of it. In last month’s column, I said I would be discussing iron filters this month. However, I realize I failed to cover one rather special type of softener and, also, how the regeneration cycles of automatic softeners are accomplished.
Most all water softeners consist of a mineral tank, which contains the softening mineral, and a brine tank that holds the brine for regeneration. Some models are two tanks standing side-by-side, and others are one large tank that contains the salt and brine with a smaller mineral tank inside. If space for the unit is limited, this second type is the way to go. In my opinion, these tanks inside of tanks are more difficult to service, but they do work. They have the same components as a side-by-side unit. Though I have sold a number of these single-tank units in my career, I really prefer the separate mineral tank and brine tank to a standalone model.