Replies

1. 
   4Lorn1 | Apr 11, 2003 04:54am | #1

   I don't know for sure. I'm an electrician.

   Quite a few water softeners around here just drain the back flow onto the ground. Under a house or into a nearby flower bed. Usually kills the flowers I've noticed. The one I installed I ran a drain drain line and trap. Seemed like the way to go.

   The only down sides to draining into a sump would be that the salt water might effect the sump pump. It might depend on the pump. Also it might be a good idea to maintain some sort of air gap or backflow preventer to keep the resin bed safe for potable water. I've never heard of waste water back flowing into a water softener. If the valve fail to close completely I suppose it might be possible. I maintained an air gap on my installation. Here again it just seemed like a good idea.

   These are just my brainstorming results. A plumber would be a surer source. Perhaps Wethead Warrior or another will step up and provide the real answer.

2. 
   stonefever | Apr 11, 2003 05:51am | #2

   Because the effluent water from the softener has very high levels of salt (sodium chloride).  This comes from the back-rinsing of the ion-exchange resin with the highly concentrated NaCl ions to exchange for other ions such as sodium carbonate etc.

   Pouring this discharge into your sump will hasten the death of the pump, and any other corrosable item in contact.  The build-up of the salt over time would probably stink also.

   That's why the plants died in the other post.

   Run it to where it will either be diluted or treated.

1. 
   scaly | Apr 11, 2003 04:29pm | #4

   I have a pump up laundry tube that drains into my septic system. I had to replace the impeller and seals in that pump because it was corroded and wouldn't pump any more. While that pump wasn't working, I switched the drain hose to my sump well for a week and let the softener drain there. I think a sump pump going bad would be cheaper than my laundry pump and septic system going bad. But if I drain it out with the sump, then it doesn't get treated as you suggest.

   First Iraq, then France, then Hollywood!

3. 
   ken1 | Apr 11, 2003 03:55pm | #3

   if you are on septic system watch draining into laundry tub  which leads to septic as salt eats concrete in septic tank. better to drain to dry well.

4. 
   Piccioni | Apr 11, 2003 11:01pm | #5

   I got mine going to my sump. The 'wash cycle' after the brine should be more than enough to dilute the salt. My sump pumps out to a field (I'm in the country) and the grass grows nice & green, which it wouldn't if a high concentration of salt were there. Besides, its mostly Calcium Chloride, which is a kinder, gentler salt. Rain eventually dilutes the heck out of it too.

   Oh, you have to ensure that there is an air gap between the output hose of the softener and the sumper so it it can't siphone.

   An I know a million people will write to say I'm an idiot to deal with the output this way. There are complete papers written on the subject and it is environmentally ok according to every analysis I've read on the matter. Think about it: in the country (which is where you need softeners most often), where else would you send the output? Your septic system wouldn't be a better place, thats for sure.

1. 
   scaly | Apr 11, 2003 11:24pm | #6

   Sounds exactly like my situation, I think I'll keep it that way.

   First Iraq, then France, then Hollywood!

2. 
   RichBeckman | Apr 12, 2003 07:23am | #7

   "Your septic system wouldn't be a better place, thats for sure."

   And yet, that's exactly where the state of Indiana requires it go.

   Rich Beckman

   Another day, another tool.

1. 
   motek999 | Apr 14, 2003 07:50pm | #8

   Draining to the septic field is a common code. I am a biology professor and this seems odd to me but I've read research papers on this and apparently the bacteria in septic field are unaffected. I have not however seen data of the effects of salts on concrete or pumps.