First, let’s look at the issues calcium, manganese and iron cause in your water supply. The three main complaints that arise are staining, metallic unpleasant tasting water and appliance damage. The first of these three can be split further into:
- Laundry staining (orange and brown)
- Bathtubs, sinks and toilets are particularly unsightly when it comes to staining.
- Corrosion in boiler systems (can lead to irreversible damage)
It’s important to note then that both domestic and industrial applications can be achieved with the use of Ion Exchange Resin.
The culprit for the household nightmares listed? Hard water. The solution? Reduce water hardness, of course.
You can do this by using ion exchange resin in a water softener. This works by replacing the calcium, iron and manganese for harmless ones (sodium or potassium in very small, harmless amounts).
CN8-F Resin for removing iron
By using CN8-F Resin as your water softening resin, you combat the high levels of iron and reap the rewards across your home.
Most notably, eliminating the orange and brown staining that can occur in your laundry, or harsh brown streak in sinks and tubs. Not only this, a common complain caused by hard water is the notorious metallic taste or even earthy smell to tap water so if you want the best out of your water in terms of its flavour, then enhance it by opting for the CN8-F resin.
Hair and skin complaints? Soft water can help by eliminating the build-up of hard water minerals so your left with water that is less irritant to your skin, whilst preventing hair from becoming brittle. In short, softer skin and hair!
Looking further ahead, the buildup of limescale is prevented as the hard minerals are reduced in your pipes and kettle for example.
CG8 Resin for Water Softening
Meanwhile, CG8 Resin will also be perfect for beating limescale too. Whilst reducing water hardness, it will treat calcium, iron and manganese – though the CN8-F Resin would be more suited if you are concerned more with iron levels.
The build-up of scale within appliances and pipes is integral to ensuring your appliances last and work as they should so improved efficiency is a welcome plus with the use of CG8 as you water softener resin.
Of course, staining from the manganese dioxide is now reduced, as you remove the ions that would cause this pesky and unsightly issue of brown/black stains.
You will also ensure your water gets the most out of it when cleaning. By softening the water, you can improve the ability for soap to lather, meaning you use less product as what you use works more efficiently. It can also help stop the white spotting on dishes you may find. (The white chalky marks caused by calcium deposit build ups).
Finally, the flavour of your water will be less metallic since calcium and magnesium are removed so you can look forward to better tasting water too.
So, why choose CN8-F for Iron, Calcium and Manganese removal?
We recommend CN8-F for this as it is made for both residential and industrial water softening applications where there is a high amount of ferrous iron within the feedwater.
Its structure also means it can process the oxidation of dissolved metals better than that of a regular resin, so it’s an ideal choice for the removal of soluble iron/manganese, (and not only the water hardness.)
Final Thoughts
It’s clear in day-to-day life that the effects of hard water can wreak havoc in your home. The use of a Water Softener Resin then makes perfect sense to prevent the wear and tear of your appliances and maintain its long-term use, without the disruptive and often unsightly limescale build ups.
Overall, if your goal is to reduce iron specifically then CN8-F would be more appropriate than the CG8 resin. However, the latter can still remove some iron but is primarily intended for the use of removing water hardness. Of course, its uses extend to industrial too such as boiler water treatment. Using it in a water softener here will help stop scale forming in boiler tubes. Hence, the choice of the two resins really depends on if you just want water softening in general, or high levels if iron to be fixed as your main aim.