Ummmmmm, I think I or maybe you are confused.
My understanding is that upflow brining is more efficient. Downflow has two disadvantages; the first being that the brine solution gets diluted with the water in the freeboard spacing and second that the calcium/Magnesium gets forced from the top depleted resin down through the bottom where the resin still is good.
But then, I might be high.
When back to normal use, the water is downflow, will not fluidize the bed.
Also, if you do a short backwash after a regen, you mix the "polished" bottom resin into the rest. Read somewhere that this was more efficient.
Good post BTW, I am so looking forward to tomorrow morning.
Yea, that is where the debate is. Let's break it up a bit. A DF system has four cycles; Backwash, Brine pull, Rapid rinse, and Brine fill. Upflow systems are supposed to be as such: Brine pull, Rapid rinse, and Brine fill. When the salt ion is adsorbed onto the resin, the resin releases the elements. The point of backwash is to lift the bed and release all the big particles out. If you have an upflow system, the water SHOULD be flowing through the distributor tube and up through the resin which is supposed to eliminate the need for backwash. Also, systems are not designed to do be one in the same. They really can't be. Its has to be either or. When a system pulls brine in, there is no pump, it is a vaccum pull. That vacuum goes either UF or DF. It can't be mixed up. Let's say if you were running north and I was running south on the same path that was surrounded by a one man tunnel, we would just collide. The water flow must match the valve.m otherwise it simply would not work unless the brine was pumped in.
As far as it being efficient. People don't understand that a household can pull up to 8-10 gpm. That water has minimal contact time with the resin. So the whole system is saturated regardless. Upflow or Down flow. Upfliw brining systems would make sense in light of cleaning efficiency. Though if brine travels up through a bed, then you have gravity fighting the cleaning and hardness and iron sits on top. A DF system on the other hand, if the brine solution is saturated through the bed on down, the calcium and iron flow down through the system and out. Remember if it does decide to cling back onto the resin, then you still have the brine flowing through for approximately 45 minutes to maintain cleanliness. Like I said, it is debatable , its just a matter of choice. If the water is tested properly and the proper equipment is installed, you should have no issues. Sorry I'm long winded but I deal with this daily. To much knowledge to just post small posts.
