Conditioning hard water containing alkalinity

Claim 1

A PROCESS OF CONDITIONING WATER CONTAINING SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNTS OF BOTH PERMANENT AND TEMPORARY HARDNESS TO SOFTEN THE WATER AND REDUCE ITS ALKALINITY TO A LOW LEVEL WHICH COMPRISES FLOWING SUCH WATER THROUGH A BED OF GRANULAR ORGANIC CATION EXCHANGE RESINS REGENERATED WITH BOTH SALT AND ACID, SAID BED CONTAINING EXCHANGE RESINS HAVING ACTIVE SULFONIC GROUPS AND OTHER EXCHANGE RESINS HAVING ACTIVE CARBOXYLIC GROUPS IN AMOUNTS PROPORTIONED APPROXIMATELY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AMOUNTS OF PERMANENT AND TEMPORARY HARDNESS RESPECTIVELY IN THE WATER TO BE TREATED, AND SAID BED BEING REGENERATED WITH AMOUNTS OF SALT AND ACID PROPORTIONED TO REGENERATE SAID SULFONIC EXCHANGE RESINS AND SAID CARBOXYLIC EXCHANGE MATERIALS RESPECTIVELY.