Where To Drain Water Softener Backwash

Water softener regen step 1.

Where to drain water softener backwash.

Our softener is only 2 yrs old i may add. Backwash observed when water softener returned to service. I moved into a new house 3 months ago to find the softener to be out of service meaning my inlet outlet valves to softener were closed and bypass open. By code water softeners must be emptied into a laundry sink floor drain sump hole or properly trapped special outlet preserving an air gap of at.

According to most plumbing codes a water softener drain line must not be connected directly to the household waste system. Aha coming from the water source. Then i began to notice the same kind of residue in the bath tub drain and basin drain. This is to prevent non potable water from flowing backwards possibly mixing and contaminating potable drinking water.

The first cycle in a water softener regeneration procedure is the backwash cycle. It does this at a fast speed and flushes iron minerals from the resin bed and out to the drain. Brine disrupts the settling of solids in the septic tank and reduces the available volume for solids separation potentially resulting in solids and grease entering the leachfield. This causes two problems.

We provide five additional versions of the water softener backwash regeneration cycle drawing below explaining water flow and operations during each of five stages in a water softener regeneration cycle. Residential water softener drain installation tips tutorials 4 comments. Why does a water softener regenerate or backwash. Ridem water softener backwash brine bmps may 2012 2 water softener backwash brine can also adversely affect the septic system.

So we checked into the softener and after adding more salt flashing low salt content we were unable to re program. When the water softener resin is backwashed two or three times a week concentrated brine enters the wastewater stream as a slug of 38 to 112 gallons each backwash cycle. During a backwash of a water softener system water runs through a resin tank upward. A cross connection is any point at which a water supply pipe or container is joined directly to a sewer pipe.

You can manually set the water softener to perform an extra backwash and fast rinse cycle before the normal regeneration. This is a large surge load which can upset the settling process in the tank. One of the most important components of a proper softener installation is provision for safe drainage by avoiding a possible cross connection. A water softener dumps from 50 gallons to 100 gallons of water into the system when it regenerates.

If local code allows i would recommend diverting the softener backwash water to another location outside of the septic system.