lossary of terms

To return to the page of frequently asked questions, see our FAQ page.

Brine: A salt & water solution used during regeneration to re-charge the resin.

Brine Tank: The tank in which the brine solution is mixed and held. This is the tank you add salt to.

Cabinet Model: A compact water conditioning system whose brine tank & mineral tank are contained in a single cabinet. An attractive, space-saving alternative to a free-standing system.

Capacity: A measure of the amount of water a water softener can soften before it has to regenerate. Capacity is measured in terms of grains.

Conditioning: Any treatment or combination of treatments to a water supply, such as softening, Iron removal, or filtration.

Control Valve: Valve which controls the flow of water through a water conditioning system. Our Standard Valve has a plastic body. Our Premium Valve is solid brass. All our Commercial/Industrial units utilize a high-quality, high-volume, solid brass control valve.

Free-Standing Model: A water conditioning system whose brine tank & mineral tank are two separate tanks.

Grains: A measure of the hardness of your water supply. Also used as a measure of a water softener's capacity.

Hardness: The amount of minerals present in a water supply, usually measured in grains. The hardness of your water is used to calculate the capacity of the Water Conditioner you will need.

Initiation: The act of triggering a regeneration cycle. Timer Initiation triggers a regeneration at regular intervals based upon a clock setting. Meter Initiation saves water, salt, & money by using a meter to measure how much water has run through the system, triggering a regeneration only when necessary. Meter Initiation can also extend the life of the system's resin.

Meter: A component which measures the volume of water which has run through a conditioning system, and is used to trigger a regeneration.

Meter Initiation: See "Initiation".

Mineral: Generally refers to impurities like Calcium and Iron in your main water supply. The resin particles contained in the mineral tank are sometimes referred to as "Mineral."

Mineral Tank: The tank which contains the resin. This tank also typically has the control valve & timer mounted on top of it.

Premium Valve: See "Control Valve".

Regeneration: The process during which the water softener re-charges the resin particles contained in the mineral tank.

Resin: The particles contained in the mineral tank which remove Iron, Calcium, & other minerals from your water thru an ionic reaction.

Standard Valve: See "Control Valve".

Timer: A clock used to trigger a regeneration cycle at a predetermined time, much like an alarm clock.

Timer Initiation: See "Initiation".

Valve: See "Control Valve".

Water Softener: A system for reducing the hardness of a water supply.

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