Is stratification in a softener a real and significant thing, if the fill water is significantly higher than the salt?
I am thinking of an experiment.
#1. My first idea was to have a tube, such as a graduated cylinder or even a vessel made from 3 inch pvc, and capped at the bottom. Some pairs of wires would be inserted from the top. Each pair would be insulated except for maybe 1/4 inch or so. The bare sections would be separated by maybe 3/8 to 1/2 inch. The bare section of the pairs would be distributed at different heights. Each pair would be used as a non-calibrated TDS sensor. A common ohmmeter would be used to measure the resistance between each pair over time. 3 pairs of sense wire would probably be enough. Maybe the bottom one would be 1/4 inch above the salt, the top one maybe 3/8 inch from the bottom, and one would be midway between the others.
Salt would be placed into the bottom of the tube, and water added. A cover to limit evaporation would be placed.
Resistance readings for each pair would be recorded at 10 minutes, 60 minutes, and then daily until the resistances stopped changing significantly.
#2. The second idea would be to put 433 ml of water into a 500 ml graduated cylinder. Add 155.7 grams of pellet salt. Those number were chosen to provide salt at 3 lbs of salt per gallon of water. The 433 should generate about 500 ml of brine if the salt all dissolves.
Put the graduated cylinder where it can be undisturbed. The pre-weighed salt pellets would be dropped as gently as practical into the water, and will drop to the bottom. Photograph the graduated cylinder. Then take additional photos at 10 minutes, 60 minutes, and then daily. If the salt all disappears, stratification did not occur during that amount of time. If the salt does not disappear, but you want to conclude the experiment, agitate the liquid to confirm that the test amount of salt is dissolvable in the water, and that the final volume is about 500 ml.
Unknown is what the expected level of liquid+solid salt will be before the salt dissolves.
Undetermined as to whether to use distilled water, untreated water, or soft water. Distilled has the advantage of being repeatable by others. Soft is convenient, and since my softener fills with soft water, realistic to my system. I am leaning toward distilled.
And I am leaning toward doing this experiment, because methodology #1 is more work.
Suggestions as to what to include in comments:
1. what do you predict?
2. beforehand, would you care to opine on how important it is to keep some salt above the water, or whether you think 3 inches of salt with 8 inches of water above would be close enough?
3. How to better modify either of the proposed mythologies.
Feel free to comment that you think this is foolish and stratification does not matter in real world softeners, or whatever.
I am thinking of an experiment.
#1. My first idea was to have a tube, such as a graduated cylinder or even a vessel made from 3 inch pvc, and capped at the bottom. Some pairs of wires would be inserted from the top. Each pair would be insulated except for maybe 1/4 inch or so. The bare sections would be separated by maybe 3/8 to 1/2 inch. The bare section of the pairs would be distributed at different heights. Each pair would be used as a non-calibrated TDS sensor. A common ohmmeter would be used to measure the resistance between each pair over time. 3 pairs of sense wire would probably be enough. Maybe the bottom one would be 1/4 inch above the salt, the top one maybe 3/8 inch from the bottom, and one would be midway between the others.
Salt would be placed into the bottom of the tube, and water added. A cover to limit evaporation would be placed.
Resistance readings for each pair would be recorded at 10 minutes, 60 minutes, and then daily until the resistances stopped changing significantly.
#2. The second idea would be to put 433 ml of water into a 500 ml graduated cylinder. Add 155.7 grams of pellet salt. Those number were chosen to provide salt at 3 lbs of salt per gallon of water. The 433 should generate about 500 ml of brine if the salt all dissolves.
Put the graduated cylinder where it can be undisturbed. The pre-weighed salt pellets would be dropped as gently as practical into the water, and will drop to the bottom. Photograph the graduated cylinder. Then take additional photos at 10 minutes, 60 minutes, and then daily. If the salt all disappears, stratification did not occur during that amount of time. If the salt does not disappear, but you want to conclude the experiment, agitate the liquid to confirm that the test amount of salt is dissolvable in the water, and that the final volume is about 500 ml.
Unknown is what the expected level of liquid+solid salt will be before the salt dissolves.
Undetermined as to whether to use distilled water, untreated water, or soft water. Distilled has the advantage of being repeatable by others. Soft is convenient, and since my softener fills with soft water, realistic to my system. I am leaning toward distilled.
And I am leaning toward doing this experiment, because methodology #1 is more work.
Suggestions as to what to include in comments:
1. what do you predict?
2. beforehand, would you care to opine on how important it is to keep some salt above the water, or whether you think 3 inches of salt with 8 inches of water above would be close enough?
3. How to better modify either of the proposed mythologies.
Feel free to comment that you think this is foolish and stratification does not matter in real world softeners, or whatever.
