How to revive replacement water filters. Aquaphor crystal water filter - “don’t be lazy to measure the water hardness before buying this “miracle”. Is it easy to regenerate the anti-scale cartridge? my experience". It’s useful to know how much to drain water

Water filters have become a mandatory cleaning element in apartments and country houses, as well as in enterprises.

They, like any other equipment, need maintenance; in particular, the procedure for regenerating cartridges with ion exchange resin.

And if in single-stage devices, as well as filter attachments and jugs, the used cartridge is simply replaced with a new one, with three-stage devices everything is more complicated.

They consist of a cartridge mechanical cleaning, post-purification of coal and cartridge with ion exchange resin. Due to the long service life of the device, they need to be serviced or replaced once a year.

The filter will function normally, under one condition - if regular regeneration is carried out, that is, the properties of the ion exchange resin are restored.

Resin regeneration technology - how the ion exchange resin in the filter is restored

The ion exchange resin is small balls amber, which convert magnesium and calcium ions into sodium ions. Thus, the water becomes less hard, household appliances no scale is formed.

Knowing the water hardness indicators, you can predict the approximate life of the resin cartridge. To do this, the capacity indicator is divided by the water hardness indicators, expressed in mEq/liter.

The absorption of magnesium and calcium ions is a reversible process. If there is an excess content of sodium ions, the situation will be the opposite, that is, the release of magnesium and calcium ions and the absorption of sodium ions will occur.

To avoid this, they resort to so-called regeneration, that is, restoring the functions of the ion exchange resin so that it can serve your filter for some more time.

Regular table salt will help start the regeneration process, since its effectiveness regeneration of filters with salt has long been proven in practice.

The regeneration process can be carried out many times, but the resin still gradually begins to lose its properties due to the enrichment of water with impurities, and sooner or later the ion exchange resin will have to be changed.

In general, the procedure for regeneration is as follows:

shut off the water flow,
turn on the tap to relieve pressure,
remove the mechanical cleaning cartridge, wash it, as well as the flask, put it in place,

To regenerate a system without a cartridge:

remove the ion exchange cartridge and pour the contents into a pan or other container,
pour the resin with saline solution and leave for 6-8 hours, stirring occasionally,
rinse the resin several times with clean water,

To regenerate a system with a cartridge, the solution is poured inside and left for 8 hours, then it is drained and the procedure is repeated;

after which the resin must be washed with boiled water,
install the cartridge in place,
remove the charcoal cartridge, rinse it, put it back in place,
Turn on the water and let it sit for a few minutes until the salty taste disappears from the water.

Baking soda and even citric acid can also be used instead of salt.

The Geyser company is one of the leaders in domestic market filters. Let's look at how to perform regeneration in three-stage models from this manufacturer.

Shut off the water entering the device.
Release the pressure by opening the tap.
Perform mechanical cleaning of the filter.
Prepare a 10% solution of table salt. It is better to take a larger container, as the foaming process will begin.
Hold the device over the sink and fill with 2 liters saline solution so that the resin does not spill out.
Place the cartridge back into the housing and fill 0.5 liters of solution to the top, leave for 8-10 hours.
Remove the device and allow the solution to drain, then refill with 2 liters of saline solution.
After the solution has drained, install the cartridge back into the housing.
Assemble the filter.
Turn on the water for a few minutes until the salty taste disappears from the water.

Regeneration allows you to restore the properties of B510-04 and KH cartridges.

Replacement module KH for Crystal systems

1. Turn off the water and release the pressure.
2. Remove KH by pressing the button on the device cover.
3. Assemble the included adapter for regeneration or purchase it separately.
4. Cut off the bottom of the plastic bottle and attach it to the adapter.
5. Make a solution of 2-2.5 liters of table salt.
6. Place the device with the bottle and adapter in a saucepan, and lead the adapter tube into the sink.
7. Pass the saline solution through the resin, and then 2 liters clean water.
8. Reinstall the device.

Module B510-04 for Trio systems

1. Turn off the water supply and relieve the pressure.
2. Remove the cartridge.
3. Pour the contents into a plastic or metal container.
4. Prepare a liter salt solution and pour the contents of the cartridge, leave for 6 hours, stirring occasionally.
5. Drain the solution and rinse with boiled water. Repeat the procedure twice.
6. Place the contents back into the cartridge and replace it.
7. Don’t forget about washing the mechanical cartridge.
8. Turn on the filter for 10 minutes, after which it can be used again.

Instructions for regenerating the Aragon filter cartridge

Turn off the water and release the pressure.
Prepare a solution from 40 g citric acid and two tablespoons of soda per liter of water. Since foaming occurs, the container for the solution should have a capacity of 1.5-2 liters. Water must be poured gradually.
Place the Aragon cartridge in the housing and fill it with 0.6 liters of solution. Leave for 12 hours, then remove the cartridge and drain the solution.
Next you will need additional processing the remaining solution. It is better to do this over the sink. The liquid is poured through the neck and left until it drains completely.
Then you need to rinse the device. To do this, first use 3 liters of clean water, which is poured through the neck. Then it is fixed with film and the bottom plug is removed. Holding the cartridge vertically, pour in another 3 liters of water, after which the film is removed and the plug is put in place. All you have to do is put the cartridge in its place in the filter and turn on the device for a few minutes to rinse.

VIDEO INSTRUCTION

Thus, using this technology, you can do it at home without purchasing expensive products, but only using regular salt properties can be restored repeatedly ion exchange cartridges for your filter.

Hi all.

This “miracle” has been under our sink for 4 years. Let me immediately draw your attention to the fact that the filter Aquaphor Crystal- this is a system of three cartridges different types, and depending on the composition of these cartridges, one or another modification of the system is obtained. That is, if you bought, for example, a regular Aquaphor Crystal, and then changed the cartridges to those found in Aquaphor Crystal N, you will already have an Aquaphor Crystal N filter.

I have just Aquaphor Crystal N, that is, a filter that is positioned as softening water, because incorporates a special KN cartridge. The other 2 cartridges are: K3 (carries out primary cleaning from chlorine, heavy metals and other impurities) and K7 (carries out final cleaning - removes very small particles of impurities). All 3 cartridges cost about 1,500 rubles, they need to be changed once a year. As for the KN cartridge, if its resource has expired (that is, the water has become hard and scale has appeared), and it is too early to change it (not a year has passed), then it can be regenerated, that is, “repaired” and return its ability to soften water.

Why did you choose this filter?: We have hard water at home - scale constantly forms in the kettle, which we wanted to get rid of, and there is not enough space under the sink to install a filter reverse osmosis. I was sure that the filter Aquaphor Crystal N It will be more than enough for us, especially since the manufacturer assures that it is easy to regenerate the KN cartridge.

The filter is really compact, our sink cabinet is 60 cm wide, and the filter does not take up much space:

There is a small, neat faucet on the sink:

We use water from the filter: for a kettle, for a coffee machine, for an iron. When it comes to cooking, it varies. Sometimes I pour water from a filter, and sometimes I can cook pasta using water from a regular tap. Why - because I save the resource of the KN cartridge, because... It annoys me to regenerate it!

Scale begins to appear in our kettle after about 2 months. At first it’s not enough, my husband and I spend 2-3 weeks rocking, the kettle is already starting to become overgrown, then we finally buy salt and regenerate the KN cartridge. I won’t give the manufacturer’s instructions - they are on the Internet, I’ll briefly describe them in my own words. Need to:

1. Turn off the water, unscrew the KN cartridge from the filter.

2. Prepare a saline solution (dilute 750 grams of salt in 2.5 liters of boiled water), pour it through the cartridge.

3. Pour 2.5 liters of clean boiled water through the cartridge.

4. Put the cartridge in place.

That is, you must boil 5 liters of water, place it in pans or other containers, cool it, dilute as much as 750 grams of salt in one pan (this is a lot, you have to stir for 7-10 minutes), then build a special structure (photo below) and pour it through filter successively salty and clean water. I timed it - it takes 45 minutes to pour 5 liters. According to the description, everything seems to be not difficult, but it’s frankly annoying to do it.

This is what flushing the KN cartridge looks like:

As I understand it, the manufacturer has received repeated complaints and criticisms regarding this filter, so he added the following information to his website:

Crystal H is suitable for water of medium hardness (not higher than 5 mEq/liter).
Please note: If, without using a filter, scale appears in the kettle after a few days, you have high hardness water (!). This means that you will have to change or regenerate the softening modules too often (once every 2-4 weeks). In this case, it is more profitable for you to use reverse osmosis filters

Just like that. When I bought the filter, this information was not available.

If you are in doubt whether to take it or not, how to measure water hardness? Option 1 - take it to a special laboratory. Option 2 - buy strips for measuring water hardness. Last year I bought such strips (can be found in online stores) and measured it, I got about 6-7 mEq/liter, that is, this filter does not fit the water in my home!!!

If you don’t want to bother with determining hardness, there is scale in your kettle, and the faucet in the bathroom quickly becomes covered limescale- it’s better to buy a reverse osmosis filter right away, don’t waste your money and time fiddling with Aquaphor Crystal N!!!

Filtration devices are present in many houses and apartments, providing their owners with clean, safe water. Household filters for water softening most often use special modules with ion exchange resin, which usually exhaust their service life before other cartridges included in the filtration system. In this case, there are two options - replacing the module or regenerating it.

Why and how regeneration is carried out

Opportunity to independently living conditions, performing repeated regeneration of the softening module significantly reduces the cost of operating the filter, especially since this procedure is simple and inexpensive.

The ion exchange resin in the water filter replaces calcium and magnesium ions, which are responsible for water hardness, with sodium ions. Filtered water becomes soft, which ensures that there is no scale inside household appliances. A concentrated solution of table salt restores the supply of sodium ions in the ion exchange resin and it can soften water again.

After each regeneration, the ion exchange resource of the module decreases, so the total number of possible regenerations is limited and sooner or later it will still have to be replaced.

The process of restoring an Aquaphor KN filter with a solution of table salt

Before starting the regeneration process, you will need to make simple preparations:

Assemble a regeneration adapter, which may be included with the filter or sold separately. Insert the sealing gasket into the union nut and screw the nut tightly to the adapter. Place the tube onto the adapter fitting.
Cut off the bottom of a regular plastic bottle.
Prepare a saturated saline solution - take table salt for 2-2.5 liters of boiled water at the rate of 300 g per liter of water.

Now you can proceed directly to the regeneration of the Aquaphor KN filter:

Before starting work, you must relieve the pressure in the filter. To do this, close the water supply tap to the filter and open the filter tap for clean water.
While pressing and holding the button on the filter cover, disconnect the module by unscrewing it counterclockwise.
Firmly insert the adapter into the KN module.
Screw the cut bottle to the adapter.
Place the module with a screwed bottle in vertical position, for example, in a jar. Lower the plastic tube of the adapter into the sink; the solution passed through the module will drain through it.
Pour the solution through the module, being careful not to allow any sediment to get into it.
After spilling saline solution You need to pass about another 2.5 liters of clean boiled water through the module.
Insert the regenerated module into the manifold block until it stops. Using light pressure, turn it clockwise until it clicks into place.

Once the filter is assembled, run water through it for about 10 minutes. Then close the clean water filter tap to ensure all connections are tight. Regeneration is complete and the filter can be used again.

Video: how to regenerate the Aquaphor Crystal N filter at home

Filter for drinking water Today it is far from uncommon. This useful device regularly provides its owners with clean drinking water. But, like any equipment, a water filter needs regular maintenance. One of the most labor-intensive operations is the regeneration of cartridges with ion exchange resin. How to carry out regeneration quickly and correctly?

A high degree of purification in a household drinking water filter consists of three components. Firstly, it is the correct choice of filter type. Choosing the wrong type of filter will result in you being extremely unhappy with its performance or spending too much money on filter maintenance. Secondly, this right choice filter model suitable for your water. Errors in choosing a model can result in insufficient purification of water from contaminants or rapid exhaustion of the filter cartridge resource. And finally, thirdly, effective work filter depends on correct and timely maintenance.

Maintenance of water filters largely depends on the design of the filter. Jug filters, faucet filters, single-stage tabletop filters do not cause any particular problems - as the resource is exhausted, the cartridge is simply replaced with a new one. Many filters have special devices that help you not miss the next cartridge replacement date.

Problems arise with the most common three-stage filters. Typically, such a filter includes a cartridge mechanical cleaning, cartridge for water softening based on ion exchange resin and cartridge post-treatment from activated carbon.

The total resource of household filter cartridges reaches 5000-7000 liters, which is quite enough to change them once a year. With the only exception - the resource of the cartridge with ion exchange resin depends on the hardness of the water entering it and is ensured only when regular regeneration.

What is ion exchange resin?

Ion exchange resins have been widely used in water filtration systems since the 1960s. It was then that developed countries paid attention not only to purifying water from mechanical impurities and pathogens, but also to limiting the content of dissolved salts in water (mainly calcium and magnesium salts).

Natural water can contain either a very small amount of such salts (melt “soft” water) or an excessive amount of them (“hard” water from some wells and artesian wells). It is impossible to get soap suds in hard water; when boiled, it produces strong scale in teapots and saucepans, and simply such water is not useful for the human body.

Ion exchange resin in the form of small amber-colored balls, it has the ability to capture calcium and magnesium ions from water, replacing them with sodium ions. As a result of this exchange, the water hardness is brought to a normal value.

In household filters, a standard strong-acid ion-exchange gel-type cation exchange resin is most often used. An example is resin Dowex HCR-S/S based on sulfonated styrene copolymer divinylbenzene. Despite the scary “chemical” name, this substance is absolutely stable and does not release any harmful impurities into the filtered water.

The main characteristic of an ion exchange resin is its volumetric ion exchange capacity. This capacity is measured in gram equivalents and shows the amount of salts dissolved in water that one liter of resin can absorb. For resin in household filters, the usual ion exchange capacity ranges from 1.5-2.1 g-equivalent per liter. Approximately about a liter of resin is usually contained in a standard filter cartridge type 10 SL.

Knowing the hardness of the water entering the filter, you can calculate the approximate resource of the ion exchange cartridge. Water hardness is determined by the salt content and is usually expressed in mEq/liter. By dividing the ion exchange capacity of the cartridge by the water hardness, you can find out the resource.

For example, if the water hardness is 4 mEq/liter and the ion exchange capacity of the cartridge is 2 gEq, the cartridge resource is 2 gEq/0.004 gEq/liter = 500 liters. An increase in water hardness leads to a decrease in cartridge life.

Fortunately, the process of absorption of calcium and magnesium ions is reversible. If there is an excess of sodium ions in the solution surrounding the resin, the process will go in the opposite direction - sodium ions will be absorbed, and calcium and magnesium ions will be released into the solution. This process is called regeneration of ion exchange resin. As a regenerating solution, you can use the cheapest substance containing sodium - table salt (sodium chloride).

Regeneration of the ion exchange resin can be carried out many times. Purely theoretically, the number of cycles is not limited. But the ion exchange resin is gradually poisoned by various impurities contained in the water (iron, chlorine) and loses its ion exchange capacity. This resin should be replaced. For a household filter, it is easier to buy a new cartridge.

How to maintain the water filter and regenerate the ion exchange resin?

The need to service a water filter is determined by a decrease in water flow through the filter or the appearance of scale in the kettle. To service a conventional three-stage filter, you must:

Shut off the water supply to the filter by closing the inlet tap.
Relieve the pressure in the filter housings by opening the clean water tap.
Using the wrench included in the filter kit, unscrew the first housing along the water flow and remove the mechanical cleaning cartridge.
Thoroughly clean the surface of the cartridge from dirt by rinsing it under running water with a brush. Rinse the filter flask.
Install the mechanical cleaning cartridge and tighten the housing.
Unscrew the middle housing using the wrench included in the filter kit and remove the ion exchange cartridge.
Cartridges different manufacturers may have different structures, so the technology for regenerating ion exchange cartridges varies. Simple cartridges contain a homogeneous backfill of ion exchange resin. The resin from such a cartridge can be poured out and regenerated in a separate container. This will make the regeneration process more efficient. Cartridges from other manufacturers may have more complex structure and contain several layers. Such cartridges are regenerated without removing the resin.
For resin regeneration without cartridge you will need about 2 liters of a 10% solution of non-iodized table salt. Iodized salt will poison the ion exchange resin. For a 10% solution you will need 100 grams of salt per 1 liter of water. The ion exchange resin is poured into a jar, filled with saline solution and left for 6-8 hours. The resin in the solution can be gently stirred periodically. Then the resin is washed 2-3 times with clean (filtered - prepare in advance!) water to remove excess salt and transferred back to the cartridge.
For resin regeneration in cartridge you will need at least 5 liters of a 10% solution of non-iodized table salt. The cartridge is opened top cover(the amber resin should be visible, and not any other layers!) and carefully pour 2 liters of saline solution through the resin. It is necessary to pour carefully so that the flow of liquid does not carry resin granules over the top. After this, the cartridge is placed in a washed filter flask and filled with saline solution (it will take about 0.5 liters). The cartridge is left in this state for 8-10 hours. Then the solution is drained and 2 liters of saline solution are poured through the cartridge again. After this, it is advisable to pour 2 liters of clean (filtered - prepare in advance!) water through the cartridge to eliminate excess salt.
After regeneration, replace the cartridge with ion exchange resin and screw on the housing.
Using the wrench included in the filter kit, unscrew the last housing and remove the cartridge with activated carbon. Rinse the cartridge and filter flask, replace and tighten the housing.
Open the water supply tap to the filter and close the clean water tap. Check the tightness of the filter housings.
Open the clean water tap and pour water through the filter for 2-3 minutes until the taste of salt in the water disappears.

Special cartridges (for example, cartridges for water deferrization) are regenerated differently - with solutions of citric acid and baking soda. For details of this procedure, refer to the operating instructions for the filter and cartridge. Some types of cartridges, when their resource is exhausted, are not restored or regenerated; they are replaced with new ones.

Timely replacement and regeneration of filter cartridges will always allow you to have the cleanest and highest quality drinking water.

And if you find yourself in a place where there is no filter, you can make one yourself. All the details are in the video!

Aquaphor KN- replacement module for Aquaphor Crystal filters for water softening.

Softens water and prevents scale formation
Regeneration possible
Easy replacement in a minute
Replacement with housing
Resource: 6000 liters including regeneration (but not more than 1.5 years)

Used in AQUAPHOR systems with a separate tap: Aquaphor Crystal and Crystal ECO N.

The module is replaced along with the housing for bacteriostaticity, but can be regenerated with table salt.

Replacing the Aquaphor KN cartridge

Remove the shrink film from the new module.
Insert the new module into the block until it stops and, using light pressure, turn the module clockwise until it clicks.
After opening the water supply, make sure the connections are tight.
Run the water through the water purifier for 10 minutes.
Close the clean water tap and let the water purifier sit for 10 minutes.
Run the water through the filter again for 50 minutes.

Regeneration of Aquaphor KN cartridge

The softening cartridge will have to be regenerated quite often. Here is a table of the restoration frequency of the replaceable KN module from the instructions from the Aquaphor company.

Rigidity tap water Sevastopol averages 4.5 meq/l, according to data published by Sevgorvodokanal.

Therefore, cartridge regeneration must be done every 200-250 liters.

How to regenerate an Aquaphor KN cartridge with a solution of table salt:

Turn off the water in front of the water purifier and open the clean water tap to relieve pressure.
Pressing all the way and holding the locking button on the water purifier cover, unscrew the used module counterclockwise.
Assemble and connect the adapter for regeneration to the KH module
Firmly insert the adapter into the KN module
Screw a standard plastic bottle with the bottom cut off (in the form of a funnel) to the adapter.
Prepare 2-2.5 liters of table salt solution (approximately 300 g/l non-iodized salt) using boiled water.
Install the module with plastic bottle vertically (for example, in a jar). Direct the plastic conductor tube into the sink.
Pour the solution through the module. Make sure that no sediment left when the salt dissolves gets into the module.
After the saline solution, pour 2.5 liters of boiled water through the module.
Return the module to the water purifier.