Best Water Softener Resin

Purolite C-100e Cationic Resin

Purolite C-100e Cationic Resin

Liquagen Water Softening Ion Resin

Liquagen Water Softening Ion Resin

Abcwaters Built Fleck Water Softener

Abcwaters Built Fleck Water Softener


Do you want to make a replacement on your current water softening resin? Well, this could be due to a number of reasons such as exposure to chlorinated water which causes the fragments of the water softener system to get into the house.

Since this is something you do not have to do on a regular basis, you need to make a wise decision. There are a variety of water softening resins from different manufacturers currently on sell.

Hence, you should be keen on settling for a water softener resin that meets quality and is a good value for your money. To make your work less tedious, below are five best water softening resins that I highly recommend that you go through during your free time.

I have included their features, advantages, and disadvantages for you to compare them and finally decide on the one that will best suit your household.


Best Water Softener Resin List


1

Purolite C-100e Cationic Resin

Purolite C-100e Cationic Resin

Are you looking for a water softer resin that meets and even exceeds the relevant EEC standards and also complies with the U.S Food and Drug Administration Code of Federal Regulations? Well, we could have just found one for you with this Purolite C-100E Cationic Resin.

This means that it is safe for use in treating foodstuffs, beverages, potable waters, and water for processing food. It comes in the sodium form and its polymer structure is the Gel polystyrene cross-linked with DVB.

So how does it look? Its appearance is that of amber, clear, and spherical beads and it doesn't require any batteries. Its package length is 18.0", the width is 14.0" while its height is 8.0". 


Pros

  • It is made in the United States
  • It has a superb chemical and physical firmness
  • Its extractable content is very low

Cons

  • You may have to confirm its shipping rates and policies before making an order

2

Liquagen Water Softening Ion Exchange Resin

Liquagen Water Softening Ion Resin

Have you ever thought of how you could be paying too much for branded products whereas you could get the same quality products for lesser? This LiquaGen Water Softening Ion Exchange Resin has been tested in the lab to ensure that you get exactly that.

To make the deal even sweeter, it comes with its own loading funnel to make your DIY softener change easier. It is perfect for treating foods, beverages, potable water, and water for processing food to remove hardness ions such as calcium and magnesium.

Moreover, it has an outstanding physical and chemical strength and also has a good thermotolerant feature. In case this product suits you and you purchase it, its packaging and labeling may vary depending on the packing needs for shipping.


Pros

  • It comes with a free loading funnel
  • Its physical and chemical strength is excellent
  • It is thermotolerant

Cons

  • There have been concerns on its installation

3

Abcwaters Sofrest

Abcwaters Built Fleck Water Softener

Are you looking for a standard resin that can be used in all standard water softeners for approximately twelve to fifteen years? Well, maybe this ABCwaters SOFREST could have just been made for you. Furthermore, it is USDA, NSF, and FDA certified.

It is also 8% cross-linked with Divinylbenzene and also makes it very easy to replace resin in your water softener. Instead of being shipped in one full cubic foot bag, it can come in two half cubic foot bags and its ionic form is that of sodium. 

Are you wondering about its appearance? It takes the form of spherical beads and the whole bead count is 90% min. Its functional group is that of polystyrene sulfonate.


Pros

  • It has a stable pH range of 0-14
  • It should last you approximately twelve to fifteen years
  • It is approved by the United States Food and Drugs Code of the Federal Regulations 

Cons

  • Confirm its shipping rates and policies before ordering

4

Hydrotec Systems Water Softener Ion-exchange Resin

Hydrotec Systems Water Softener Ion-exchange Resin

This new virgin resin is also another option to consider as you look for the water softener resin that will suit you . It comes in sodium form and makes your water soft against calcium and iron ions that could be present.

Its polymer structure is cross-linked with Divinylbenzene and it takes the form of spherical beads. Its pH range is from 0- 14 and provided that you store it in a cool and dry place, it may last you as long as ten to twenty years.

There are no batteries included or required for its functioning and you do not have to worry about its safety since it is NSF certified for use in water for human consumption.


Pros

  • Some customers are happy with its fast delivery
  • It is NSF certified
  • It removes hardness from calcium and iron ions

Cons

  • You may have to look into its shipping rates before ordering

5

Aquatrol Water Softener Resin

Aquatrol Water Softener Resin

Are you interested in a residential 32,000 grain water softener? If yes, then this Aquatrol Water Softener Resin could do the trick for you. It is 8% cross-linked and appears as spherical beads. Are you worried about its lifespan? It will take you approximately ten years and even double if your water isn't that hard.

Just like the other water softening resins, it replaces hard ions with sodium ions and won't give you a hard time while making the replacement. And that is not all as it comes with a funnel so that you don't have to purchase it differently. 

Furthermore, this type if resin has a 4.8 out of 5.0 rating and you should therefore worry less before making the purchase. 

Pros

  • This resin lasts about ten to twenty years
  • It get rids of hardness in water

Cons

  • Its dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the FDA
  • You may have to find out more about its shipping rates and policies

What is Water Softening Resin?

I can bet you don’t hear this question too often, well mostly because the concept of water softening is on the down low despite its importance in water treatment. But I assure you lots of residential and industrial areas use water softening resin more than you would believe.

Anyway, enough of the suspenseful introduction let me cut down to the chase. Water softening resin is an ion exchange media that softens hard water. It does this by removing the positively charged calcium and magnesium ions and replacing them with either sodium or potassium ions.

The epitomized reason behind this is that hard water is not a blast. It causes scales in hot conditions. This is perilous if you are using hot water equipment that could be vulnerable to destruction once the scales are all up on there.

Which Water Softener Resin Do You Pick?


Like most industrial products, water softener resin comes in types. To be specific two types; fine mesh resin and standard ion exchange resin. Both are very effective at their own level, depends on how you want to soften your water and don’t be cheesy water treatment is a top priority.

Best Water Softener Resin


1.

Fine Mesh Resin


The mesh size simply delineates the dimensions of the resin beads. In simpler terms the finer the mesh is the smaller and tightly packed the beads will be and this offer more ion exchange surface rea and hence more water softening.


However, with fine mesh resin there is a catch .Due to the tightly packed beads the flow rate is a bit slow and you might have to wait longer. But the good thing is that with your patience skyrocketing you will be happy because the end results is just marvelous.


I say this with confidence because, tons of people have attested to the wondrous works of the fine mesh resin. It is also used in combination with activated carbon to tremendously improve the smell, taste and feel of water. You get to kill a couple of birds with one stone!


2.

Standard Mesh Resin


The standard is also a good choice, it removes dissolved iron between 3 to 5P.P.M. Quite frankly it is also less expensive than the fine mesh resin. This isn’t daunting to the quality of the water either.


In case you are wondering the regeneration process to restore your resin to its original form can be done using either sodium chloride or potassium chloride and the resin will be back to its sparkling condition. All in all the standard resin is fantastic for removing heavy metals.


What is Cross Link Percentage?


Since water softener resin is a polymer, meaning it has both a resin and a hardener. Once these two components are mixed together, they result in resins with different cross link percentages .To sum it up, it is the number of molecular cross links contained in the structure of resin beads.



What Crosslink Percentage is in Water Softener Resin?



When it comes to water softening resin, Divinylbenzene (DVB) is used to tighten the bonds between the resins. This tightness is what births the two different crosslink values, which are 8 % crosslink and 10 % crosslink.


If the percentage of DVB is lower, it means that the resin beads are larger and swell up. This isn’t good news, since it also lead to other problems like oxidation, attrition. Which might result in the malfunctioning of the water softener.


Resins with a higher crosslink percentage are the way to go! They have a wow factor that is mumbled up in an effective process. They are physically harder, have a higher ion-exchange surface area, meaning they do a lot more water softening.


Another thumps up to them, is that they are not fouled easily. Fouling is when the iron sits of the resins beads for an extended time and eventually develops an iron slime. Trust me isn’t as epic as it sounds, because it reduces the functionality of the whole softening process.


They are also not vulnerable to chlorine and offer more resistant to breaking due to their tightly packed nature. So we can all agree they are much more efficient and though they come with an high price, they get the job done! Take a close look at the two crosslink percentages.


1.

8 % Crosslink


This crosslink is the most common one and is relatively good. Provided you don’t weight it on the scales against the 10 % crosslink, you should be able to keep your spirits up.It softens hard water that has 3 to 5 ppm dissolved iron.


2.

10% Crosslink


This type of resin is far up the chart, because it is stronger and can hold up much longer than the 8 % crosslink. So longevity? Check! It is especially efficient when used in chlorinated water without iron.


So if you are dealing with higher use applications or chlorine levels, then the 10 % crosslink is a nice pick. However, the problem associated with it is that it produces higher pressure drops than the 8 % crosslink.


What is Cross Link Percentage?


Since water softener resin is a polymer, meaning it has both a resin and a hardener. Once these two components are mixed together, they result in resins with different cross link percentages .To sum it up, it is the number of molecular cross links contained in the structure of resin beads.



Which is the Best Softener Resin?



Since picking one water resin might be a long shot. Allow me to reiterate some of the information I have indicated. Just to help you clear your head up well in order to make a precise decision.


The 8 % crosslink is variably best suited to water with 5ppm of chlorine and is very common in many household. It is also long lasting and if you’re looking for a cheaper solution then you’ve got it!


If the water has chlorines above 5ppm, then you might want to go with 10 % crosslink. It will cost you a few extra bucks but nothing that sets you too far off. The good thing is that oxidation will be prevented and it also last longer.


How Often Should You Change the Resin in Water Softener?




Things obviously wear off after being used for a long period of time. The same case applies to water softener resin. No matter how much you want to set it up and never look back, a time will come when you’ll need to replace it. So the big ask is how often?


Most of these water softener resins have an estimated lifetime of 10 to 15 years but this isn’t entirely a sure bet. Since the condition of the water you’re using can vary the numbers. This is caused by the amount of iron in the water and the resin’s own organic coating.


The frequency of regeneration is also a tip off. Since in this case the effect of the resin continues to wear off with each regeneration. So technically high amounts of chlorine in municipal water or iron in well water destroys the resin bed.


So when exactly do you know it’s time to change your water softener resin? The main tip off will be when your water softener ceases doing its job and that’s producing soft water. This is occasioned by the high levels of chlorine and iron in the resin bed.


The other way to immediately start looking for a water softener resin replacement is when having comfortably regenerated your resin smoothly, it stops letting out soft water after a short period of time.


So if the sodium chloride consumption rate is perfectly normal and yet the process still results in hard water. It might be time to start thinking about changing the water softener resin, or maybe even shopping for one. Since some products don’t have shelf-left hence cannot be stored.



How Does the Water Softener Resin Work?




The hard water enters from the control head and sips through the resin beads. This is where the magic happens and the calcium, magnesium ions and other heavy metal cations mostly found in hard water like lead are replaced with sodium and potassium ions and you have soft water!


This process is fairly simple and repetitive each time you need to soften water. So you can soften water, whether we’re talking city water or just well water. This water will be perfectly fine for cooking, washing and other activities.



How Much Resin Do You Need?




This largely depends on your tank size, but you must be wary of filling your tank with resin all the way to the top. Don’t do that! You have to leave some space that allows the resin to expand when it is backwashed.



Conclusion

Thank you for taking your time to go through my article. I hope that you find the information educative and helpful. I discussed five water softener resins and even included their features, advantages, and disadvantages for you to make comparisons and finally choose the one that is ideal.


I would recommend the Purolite C-100E Cationic Resin. So why would I recommend it? For starters, its resin is of premium grade for removing iron ions in water. And if it makes it any better, it is also a product made in the United States.


Moreover, it is very safe for human consumption in treatment of foodstuffs, beverages, portable waters, and water for processing food. This is as per the EEC requirements and the United States Food and Drug Administration Code of Federal Regulations.


It also has an excellent physical and chemical firmness and appears in amber, clear, and spherical beads. If these are the requirements for your water softener resin, I don't know what you are still waiting for, get yours while stock lasts!


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