Water softener system and method of operating the same

A method of operating a water softener system, comprising:

• passing feed-water received into the water softener system through an ion-exchange resin to produce product water;
• determining a hardness indication value of the product water;
• monitoring a cumulative amount of water that has been passed through the ion-exchange resin since a last regeneration of the ion-exchange resin;
• calculating an available exchange capacity of the ion-exchange resin based at least in part on the cumulative amount of water, wherein calculating an available exchange capacity of the ion-exchange resin includes measuring a feed-water conductivity value of the water prior to softening the water and calculating a feed-water hardness value using the feed-water conductivity value, and wherein calculating the feed-water hardness value comprises multiplying the feed-water conductivity value by a coefficient;
• regenerating the ion-exchange resin when either of a first criterion and a second criterion is met, wherein the first criterion is met when the hardness indication value of the product water exceeds a predetermined limit and wherein the second criterion is met when the available exchange capacity is less than a predetermined reserve capacity, and
• updating the coefficient when the first criterion or the second criterion is met.