iFilters Water Softener Resin Media Replacement - 1/2 Cubic Foot (CuFt) | 100% Ion Exchange High Quality Premium Cation | 16,000 Grain Capacity | NSF Certified (MED-CAT-025/2)

The product works excellently in extra hard water with sediment. It makes water taste good and very soft

I replaced the old media with this last week. Emptying the old media, flushing the tank and refilling was a job I hope to never have to do again, but after regeneration and running about 250-300 gallons through it, the water tests very soft.

Great product individual bags were very helpful

I have had just under three months of use and the test readings went from super soft to almost very hard. I tried to contact the seller after the community question confirmed this was not normal but have had no reply yet on trying to get them replaced. If I hear from them and maybe just had a bad batch, I will change my rating. But so far I am not able to honestly recommend this product due to the short life and time it takes to get it. This was an expensive inconvenience thus far. UPDATE: After emailing the seller I was told that this resin must be recharged every two weeks to a month. I am not aware of anyone that is aware of that when they purchase or not but in questions I was told no. This was not normal also. The original resin that came with my unit lasted a summer and was strong. And I am one man who showers every other day maybe. No dishes to wash and use the restroom. That is very low use to need changing that often. I decided to replace it in the spring to be safe and regret this purchase. Think about how often this needs to be recharged before you decide on this brand or seller.

This resin does exactly what it's supposed to do - it exchanges sodium ions for calcium and magnesium ions. This is the basis by which water softeners work! As the negatively charged resin grabs positively charged ions (cations) like calcium and magnesium, it releases (or exchanges) positively charged sodium ions. When the resin can hold no more calcium and magnesium, it's time to recharge with a very high concentration of salt solution (brine). This knocks off the calcium and magnesium ions that then get flushed away and are replaced by the sodium ions, and the process starts again. So yes, TDS can remain the same or even INCREASE during this exchange process and this resin worked wonderfully to bring my 16,000 grain portable softener back to life.

I purchased 1/2 CuFt of resin to increase the capacity of an underfilled softener resin tank. Shipment was quick, and there was no damage to the bags containing the resin, which has identical appearance to the resin already in the tank. The only reason for less than 5 stars was that the price would have been lower elsewhere, but I needed it quickly (and it was delivered quickly). Note that when adding new resin, a small amount of leaching- fractured beads/residue- is normal and to be expected when water is first passed through the tank. After connecting the softener tank, I ran water from a faucet near the connection. The water started discolored (gold/tan), but after about 5 gallons ran completely clear. Again, this initial discoloration is to be expected with fresh resin, and I cannot say whether it was from the resin I bought here, or the resin (also fresh) already in the tank. I anticipate no problems with the resin.

Ok

The resin media worked perfectly to recharge my portable water softener.