Whirlpool® Water Softeners

Water Softener Interactive Demo

Learn more about the operation, installation and maintenance of these water softeners.

How Water Softeners Work

A water softener filters out the calcium and magnesium through thousands of tiny, plastic resin beads. Here’s how it works:

Softening cycle

During the softening cycle, hard water flows from the main water pipe into the water softener. The hard water passes through a resin (or mineral) tank made up of resin beads that have a negative charge. As the water passes through, each bead attracts and holds the calcium and magnesium, which have a positive charge. The now softened water then flows from the water softener to the rest of the house.

Regeneration cycle

Eventually the resin beads become coated with calcium or magnesium ions. At this point, the water softener needs to replenish the beads with sodium ions. This process, called “regeneration,” occurs when the resin beads are washed with a strong salt-water solution. The sodium forces the calcium and magnesium ions to be released and discharged as waste, and the beads are ready to collect the calcium and magnesium ions again.

Regeneration consists of five cycles—brine fill (water saturated with a salt or potassium), brining, brine rinse, backwash and fast rinse—and takes approximately two hours. All Whirlpool® Water Softeners utilize Demand Initiated Regeneration with Salt Saving Technology so the system only recharges when necessary, saving salt and water.

Still have questions? Read our Frequently Asked Questions.

Water
Hardness
Level†

	Number of Persons Per Home
	3	4	5
10	5 Bags	7 Bags	8 Bags
15	7 Bags	10 Bags	13 Bags
20	10 Bags	14 Bags	17 Bags
	Whirlpool^® Softeners

	Number of Persons Per Home
	3	4	5
10	7.5 Bags	10.5 Bags	12 Bags
15	10.5 Bags	15 Bags	19.5 Bags
20	15 Bags	21 Bags	25.5 Bags
	Competitive Models

* Assumed: 40 pound bags of NaCl 75 gallons per person per day average usage. (Per research conducted by the Water Quality Research Council and Water Quality Asociation) †To determine your water hardness level, contact your municipal water supplier.