15 Jun / By Admin
As affective as it is, ion exchange resin problems do still occur – which of course can be frustrating. However, there are solutions at your disposal. Whether you have water softener resin issues or industrial resin problems, we’ll guide you through some options to get it working again.
Typically, we see a failure in the resin because of exhaustion. This is when the resin becomes filled so the ions (calcium and magnesium) can no longer continue to be adsorbed.
You’ll know this is occurring by looking out for exhausted resin symptoms such as: increased TDS levels (though this is not applicable to check for the water softener system), scale starting to return (for water softener, this is showing that calcium and magnesium have come back), or even a reduction in flow rate.
Physically, you should keep an eye out for discolouration too. A good healthy resin bead will have that recognisable amber, translucent look to it whereas as resin fouling will show up as dark and in clumps.
The physical and chemical structure of the resin can be altered when high temperatures cause thermal degradation. During the regeneration cycle, you can avoid this by regenerating at lower temperatures. You could also try adding temperature interlocks.
As good practice, remember to avoid sudden sharp changes in temperature as this can cause cracking of the resin beads.
A drop in resin bed pressure can be a warning sign of some resin troubleshooting. Thermal shock can shatter beads so very small resin fragments end up settling into the open spaces between the whole beads. This means the bed has now lost its porosity, so the baseline pressure drop will be a lot higher than it was when the resin was new.
Have you noticed the water becoming hard again? (indicating possible mineral build up). Then the beads could have become coated and therefore, not able to attract the hardness causing ions.
You can use certain heavy-duty cleaning products suitable for water softeners to fix this. They can come in liquid form on platforms such as Desercart India and can help get your water softener system working as it should again. These deep cleans are perfect for removing the mineral build up that naturally occurs within a water softener overtime.
Generally speaking, you can expect your ion exchange resin to have a long life span of about 10-15 years. However, you should keep a keen eye out for these symptoms still.
Replacing the resin if it is like this ensures your can get the most out of your system again.
Regenerating the resin is carried out when the failure is because of exhaustion. Basically, when the exchange sites are too saturated with the hardness causing ions. By doing this, you perform a reset button as you now have fresh ions that can be ready to start treating your water again.
A few tips to bare in mind when performing a regeneration cycle is being careful not to: Expose the resin bed to air as this could result in oxidation which would go onto hinder the performance.
Be mindful of using water that contains chlorine for regenerating – this is because long term exposure to this can end up damaging the resin.
You should also be mindful of your system (if it’s water softener or a deionisation for example). When regenerating the DI systems. If you don’t sperate cation and anion layers fully, then the acid and bases will end up neutralising one another. This would lead to running the batch.
With these tips in mind, you can always look out for signs that your ion exchange resin is failing. The return of contaminants and water hardness being a key indicator, as it shows the water isn’t meeting the standard required. Not forgetting, the exhausted resin symptoms check list is helpful so you have a good understanding of what healthy resin should look like.
How long should ion exchange resin last?
The lifespan of ion exchange resin is usually between 10-15 years.
How do I know if my ion exchange resin is broken?
Visible signs include changes to the shape or mushing of the beads, as well as discolouration (turning a dark brown).
How can I fix Ion exchange resin that is failing?
You need to first work out if it is a simple exhaustion that’s needed, or if the resin itself needs replacing due to fouling/other issues.
How much is a bag of ion exchange resin?
It depends on the type but typically, a regular 25kg bag would cost between ₹3,000 to ₹11,000 for regular cation and softener resins.
Where can I buy replacement ion exchange resin?
You can select from a variety of different ion exchange resin on the Pure Resin Products website.
