What's the truths on salt shelves, we have a friendly competitor telling our customers that our brine systems on our light commercial softeners will use more salt because we supply the units with a salt shelf. Is there any validity to this statement or are they making it up as they go?
Salt grids to my knowledge have nothing to do with using more salt. Infact, my understanding and reason for use, is that the salt will dissolve into solution more uniform and have less chance to form salt bridging. The water if set at proper levels will only dissolve salt it is in contact with from the bottom, the shelf or grid stopping blocks of hardened salt from displacing space at the bottom for brine to be made.
Your competetor does not understand the issue. You want to disolve enough salt to regenerate the resin and no more. The proper amount of salt can be dissolved in a brine tank with or without a salt platform as long as each is set up properly. With a timed fill the amount of salt dissolved depends on the rate at which the brine tank fills and the time for fill. This works for either setup as long as the water fills over the platform. If the refill is regulated by a float then the float has to be adjusted to shut off once the proper amount of water is added to the tank. This will be a higher level if no salt platform is used. One third gallon of water will dissolve about one pound of salt. So, one must first determine how much salt is needed and then design and adjust the brine system to provide it.
I WAS ALWAYS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT SHELVES ,GRIDS,ELEVATED PLATES ETC. WERE DESIGNED TO KEEP INSOLUBLES FROM FORMING AROUND THE BOTTOM OF THE BRINE CHAMBER.MOREOVER THERE IS AN UPPER THRESHOLD FOR SATURATION OF WATER WITH SALT. APROX. 2.5 LB PER GALLON DEPENDING ON THE TDS OF THE MAKE UP WATER.
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