All water softener resin needs periodic cleaning (regenerating) to flush out the mineral deposits removed from the water during the softening process.
A timer controlled machine is designed to regenerate after a pre-set time period (usually a number of days) regardless of the amount of water that has flowed through it. If you are away on holiday and not using any water in the house, this can be a waste of water and the softener will regenerate regardless of what the household has been doing. Equally if the number of people in the house is reduced or increased for any period of time – and the water consumption alters – again the softener will regenerate when it has been told to, meaning either the regeneration occurs too frequently wasting salt and water or not often enough meaning the system runs out of soft water.
A meter controlled softener on the other hand will regenerate after a certain amount of water has passed through the softener. This will be dependent on several factors including the hardness of your water, the number of people in the house, how much water they are using and the capacity of the machine. A meter system automatically adjusts to your water usage meaning regeneration occurs based on water usage which is more efficient.
If you are not sure about what type of machine would suit your household please call us on 0116 276 3334 for impartial advice on all water softeners.