The water softener is just a special type of "filter" that removes the calcium and magnesium in hard water by using plastic beads and cleans itself periodically by a process called “regeneration.”

Water softeners have three main components: A mineral tank, brine tank and control valve. Smaller capacity models combine the mineral tank and brine tanks into one cabinet, but the two tanks are still separated within the cabinet.

Larger flow capacity systems have separate stand alone mineral and brine tanks.

Mineral Tank:
# The mineral tank is where the action is. It is where the water filtration takes place and the hard water is softened (calcium and magnesium are removed).
Brine Tank:
# The brine tank is where a highly concentrated solution of salt or potassium is stored.
Control Valve:
# The control valve is the device that controls the flow of water into and out of the mineral and brine tanks during regeneration.