Water softener backwash - DIY Chatroom

BimmerDOm · 10-20-2009, 10:03 AM

My water softener back-washes into my sump pit, and then the sump pump flushes it out through the pipe to outside.

I was wondering if it would be advisable to route the backwash directly into the sump pipe as opposed to running it through the pit.

It seems to make sense to me, the sump pump wakes me up at 2AM when the system regenerates, and all the on-off cycles concern me with potential over use of the sump pump (not to mention the power usage) and premature failure.

Could I link the backwash directly into the out pipe? I presume I would need back flow valve

Gary Slusser · 10-21-2009, 11:06 AM

Yes you could and you could install a check valve in the drain line of the softener and then deal with the softener not backwashing the resin well enough and then having to replace the resin. Ya see, all softenrs flow control the water going out the drain line, and any restrictions in the line reduces that flow more and that is bad for resin.

You should look at it this way, the one night a week that the sump pump wakes you is like a test of the sump pump system. Waking you means its working as designed, not waking you means you should test the system sometime to make sure it will work when needed, right, and you really don't want to do that, right? If it is waking you more frequently than once a week, you need to set your softener up on a more efficient setting, and it probably is too small so you might want to replace it and run the new drain line into the sewer or septic system where it belongs IMO. Choices choices...

BimmerDOm · 10-21-2009, 04:44 PM

My softener backwashes every 4 days, that's how it was installed. Not sure how often I should get it to backwash.

My test at time of well drill was 318mg/L of hardness. I have a 42k grain softener, we are 2 adults and 2 small children in home.

Is 4 days too often?

Anti-wingnut · 10-21-2009, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BimmerDOm

Could I link the backwash directly into the out pipe? I presume I would need back flow valve

I would leave it like it is. A high quality pump should last a long time. Furthermore, it is normally code to have an air-gap between the domestic system, and any waste water system. And I assume that is what is being accomplished by this "backwash".

A number of things can be done to limit the noise

Gary Slusser · 10-21-2009, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BimmerDOm

My softener backwashes every 4 days, that's how it was installed. Not sure how often I should get it to backwash.

My test at time of well drill was 318mg/L of hardness. I have a 42k grain softener, we are 2 adults and 2 small children in home.

Is 4 days too often?

Your softener 'regenerates' every four days, backwashing is part of the regeneration and many softener control valves actually have two backwashes per regeneration.

And it is not set up/programmed to give you 42K or it would be regenerating every 9 days on average but with terrible salt efficiency.

318/17.1=18.6, call it 19 gpg. You should have it set for 1947 gals or 37K IF you don't need a 24 hr reserve. If you do use 4560 grains or 240 gals per 24 hrs (1675 gals).

That gives you a regeneration every 7-8 days. That conserves water and salt.

You can learn all about that by Clicking Here

BimmerDOm · 10-22-2009, 08:55 AM

Thanks Gary!