Description
Aquatrol MED-CAT110E is a premium strong acid cation exchange resin designed for water softening applications. Manufactured with a 10% crosslinked gel structure, CAT110E provides excellent hardness removal together with improved physical strength and resistance to oxidation compared with standard 8% crosslinked softening resins.
CAT110E exchanges hardness-causing calcium and magnesium ions for sodium ions, making it suitable for replacing exhausted resin in a wide range of residential, commercial, and industrial water softeners.
Its higher crosslink level makes CAT110E particularly suitable where longer resin life and greater durability are required, including systems operating on chlorinated municipal water.
Key Features
| Feature | Detail |
| Resin structure | Premium 10% crosslinked strong acid cation resin |
| Ionic form | Sodium-form ion exchange resin |
| Hardness removal | Removes calcium and magnesium hardness |
| Physical strength | Excellent physical bead strength |
| Chemical resistance | Improved resistance to chlorine and oxidation compared with standard 8% resin |
| Applications | Suitable for residential and commercial water softeners |
| Use case | Suitable for replacement and re-bedding applications |
| Regeneration | Regenerated using standard sodium chloride water softener salt |
| Structure | Gel-type resin with uniform spherical beads |
| System compatibility | Suitable for many Kinetico and other premium water softening systems where compatible |
Why Choose 10% Crosslinked Resin?
Most standard water softening resins use an approximately 8% crosslinked polymer structure. CAT110E uses a 10% crosslinked structure, creating a stronger and more tightly bound resin bead.
This provides improved resistance to physical degradation and oxidation, which can help extend resin service life, particularly where the incoming water contains chlorine.
The additional crosslinking is primarily a durability advantage rather than simply increasing softening capacity.
Typical Applications
- Domestic water softeners
- Commercial water softeners
- Twin alternating softeners
- Automatic regenerated softening systems
- Replacement of exhausted cation resin
- Premium or high-cycle softening applications
- Selected Kinetico water softeners
- Bore and municipal water treatment applications
Always confirm the original media specification and required resin quantity for your particular softener model before replacement.
Technical Specifications
| Specification | CAT110E |
| Resin type | Strong acid cation |
| Ionic form | Sodium |
| Polymer structure | Gel |
| Crosslink | 10% |
| Functional group | Sulfonic acid |
| Application | Water softening |
| Regenerant | Sodium chloride |
| Appearance | Spherical resin beads |
| Typical supply volume | Per litre or full bag lot (1 cu.ft / 28 litres) |
Important
Water softener resin should be installed by a suitably experienced person. Resin quantity, freeboard, distributor compatibility, and regeneration settings should be confirmed for the particular water softener being serviced.
Do not fill a pressure vessel with resin. Correct freeboard must be maintained to allow the resin bed to regenerate and expand correctly.
FAQs
How do I know how much resin my softener needs?
Resin quantity depends on your specific softener model and vessel size. Check the original media specification for your unit, or confirm with the manufacturer, before ordering, since underfilling or overfilling affects softening performance and regeneration.
What's the practical difference between 8% and 10% crosslinked resin?
The extra crosslinking makes the resin bead physically stronger and more resistant to breakdown from oxidation, particularly from chlorine exposure. It's mainly a durability upgrade rather than a change in softening capacity, so CAT110E lasts longer under the same conditions rather than softening more water per cycle.
Can I mix CAT110E with my existing resin, or does it need a full replacement?
Full replacement is generally recommended when re-bedding a softener, rather than topping up or mixing resin types, to keep the bed's performance and regeneration behaviour consistent.
Why does the pressure vessel need freeboard above the resin bed?
Freeboard is the space left above the resin that allows the bed to expand during backwash and regeneration. Filling the vessel with resin prevents proper regeneration and can damage the system.
Is this resin suitable for my Kinetico water softener?
CAT110E is compatible with many Kinetico and other premium softening systems, but compatibility varies by model. Confirm your unit's original media specification before replacing, since some systems use proprietary resin requirements.
What's used to regenerate this resin, and how often?
CAT110E regenerates using standard sodium chloride (water softener salt). Regeneration frequency depends on your household water usage and hardness level, and is typically set on the softener's control valve rather than a fixed schedule.
Shipping
Ships nationwide across New Zealand at a fixed freight cost. Orders placed before 11 am ship the same day, subject to stock availability.