Water softener plumbing water supply & drainage piping arrangements, specification, & softener plumbing troubleshooting FAQs.

How should the piping for a water softene or water conditioner be routed, spaced, sized, located, & installed? Sequence of equipment installation, piping sizes & distances.

This article series describes procedures for diagnosing and repairing water softener or water conditioner problems including water conditioner control settings and adjustment or repair, brine tank and brine tank float cleaning and repair, and the proper amount of water softening or conditioning that is needed.

Water Softener Plumbing Installation, Location, Problems & Questions

The illustration above, adapted & expanded upon from a Morton® System Saver® water conditioner installation and operation manual, shows the proper sequence of plumbing connections for typical residential water treatment equipment.

[Click to enlarge any image]

Water supply brought from a municipal supply or from a private well, pump and tank system feeds through an optional sediment or iron filter and in to the water softener.

A cold water line for outdoor water hose bibbs or other outdoor uses is taken off of the system ahead of all water treatment filters and equipment, but all water entering the building flows first through the water treatment system such as a water softener or if neede a water disinfection system.

This sequence reduces the chance of contamination or clogging in the building's water supply piping, water heater, or other equipment.

Typical Water Softener Plumbing Details

Below are typical water conditioner or water softener plumbing recommendations. Be sure to read and follow the installation instructions provided by your water conditioner manufacturer as those may differ.

• Water softener distance to water heater: Some manufacturers such as Water Right recommend that the water softener be installed close to (within 10 feet) the water heater to minimize pressure losses and scale formation in the sytsem.
• Water softener drain line routing: Keep the water softener drain piping as short and low as possible: less than 30 feet in length and no more than 8 feet above the floor level.
  
  The drain line must be of adequate diameter to handle the water conditioner's backwash flow rate. Use a 3/4" diameter pipe if the drain flow is more than 7 gpm.
  
  Watch out: To avoid an unsanitary cross connection such as that shown below never connect the water conditioner drain driectly to a sewer pipe.
  
  When draining to a sewer pipe keep the drain line 1 1/2" (or 2 x the pipe diameter) above the floor drain or abover the opening of a drain standpipe or laundry sink flood rim.
  
  Details are at CROSS CONNECTIONS, PLUMBING

• Freeze protection: Protect the water treatment equipment and its piping from freezing.
• Shutoff valves: Install a shut-off valve at the water treatment equipment's inlet side.
• Manual bypass valve: Optional: install a manual bypass valve or globe valve if the water treatment equipment does not include a bypass valve that can remain in place if the equipment needs to be removed for repair or replacement.
• Brine tank location: the brine tank should be located close to the water softener to avoid long tubing runs and it should be placed where readily accessible to add salt or to clean the system.
• Brine tank connection to water softener: typically a 3/8" O.D. polyethylene (plastic) tube is connected from the water conditioner's re-fill elbow to the brine tank inlet fitting.
  
  Watch out: take care to avoid crimps in the tubing between the brine tank and water softener. Also inspect the tubing for nicks or cuts.
  
  A crimped tubing section will prevent brine draw from the brine tank, will prevent or reduce water flow into the brine tank to make new brine, and will thus prevent proper water softener operation.
  
  A cut or leak in the tubing between the brine tank and the water softener resin tank or control head will also prevent proper brine draw from the brine tank.
• Brine tank overflow drain: Connect a 1/2" I.D. drain line from the brine tank overflow fitting (typically an elbow near the top of the brine tank) to a suitable drain location to prevent flooding of the area around the equipment should the brine tank float valve fail to operate properly.
  
  Never route the drain line more than 3" above the bottom of the overflow elbow or the tank may not drain safely. Observe the same air gap as discussed above for the water softener drain line.
• Watch out: Vacuum warnings: some manufactuers such as Water Right® warn the following:
  
  Do not subject the tank to any vacuum, as this may cause an “implosion” and could result in leaking. If there is a possibility a vacuum could occur, please make provision for a vacuum breaker in the installation.
• Water Softener settings: see the instructions for your water condtioner and also
  
  see WATER SOFTENER ADJUSTMENT & CONTROLS

Reader Question: water won't drain from the brine tank on my water softener

5 October 2015 dan said:

Water not draining from brine tank?

Reply:

Dan:

1. Check first for a pinched, clogged or crimped water softener drain line or crimped or clogged tubing between the softener and the brine tank.
2. Check next for a clogged flow control valve (see the instructions for your specific softener brand and model) -
   
   See DLFC LOCATION
3. Check next for a plugged injector assembly (see the instructions for your specific softener brand and model) -
   
   See EDUCTOR REPAIR
4. And check for a sticking brine relief valve (see the instructions for your specific softener brand and model)
5. If you don't have the manual for your water softener s
   
   ee WATER CONDITIONER / SOFTENER MANUALS
6. See repair details
   
   at BRINE TANK WATER TOO HIGH or
   
   see BRINE TANK WATER TOO LOW

Reader Question: Where should I dispose of water softener drainage?

I am required to put a barrel filled with stone for my softener drain, I will only be 2' from my basement wall (concrete poured wall). Will I have problems with this? What should be a safe distance. The soil is sand. I have absolutely no other place to put it. Thanks for any information. - Joe 11/23/11

Reply:

Joe,

First, a solid barrel filled with stone won't work as a water softener drain destination; once the barrel has filled it'll just overflow.

If you mean that you are trying to construct a drywell or seepage pit to accept water softener drainage, that might make sense. But you need to keep the drywell far enough from the foundation wall so that water from it doesn't leak back into the building, nor into the septic system.

While a concrete foundation wall is somewhat leak resistant, cracks, seams at the footing, and even direct moisture penetration mean that putting a drywell right next to your house is asking for an eventual water entry problem. With sandy soil it's an engraved invitation for water entry. If your foundation is a really tight one the water may not appear immediately, but eventually I expect it'll find its way inside.

I'm sorry but I am doubtful that this will be a usable long term or even intermediate term solution.

You'd be better off finding a more distant location (with sandy soils, 20 feet or more away) even if you have to use a pump to move the wastewater.

Typically the water softener or water treatment drain is taken to a building laundry sink or to a floor drain, keeping the outlet of the drain line 1-2" abover the floor drain to assure an air gap and to prevent back-contamination of the water system.

Question: water pressure now seems worse than before we installed a water softener

We recently installed a water softener in our home. Before we installed it, our water pressure was fine. Now that we have filled it with salt and recharged it, we have very little water pressure. Why is this? If I hit bypass, the water pressure goes back to normal. - Angela 10/16/12

Reply:

Angela

If the water pressure problem has been present since the softener was installed, I suspect an installation error, such as a copper pipe joint partly blocked by solder.

If the problem is not since new but has just occurred, perhaps the bypass valve is not opening fully when in softener mode.

You DID put the salt in the right tank, yes?

Ps in links at page top see our article on the Bypass Valve for repair instructions.

Question: bubbles at toilet when water softener is operating

Commode and kitchen sink gurgles/bubbles and water drains from commode bowl while neutralizer/softener operates.

What is the problem, please? - Linda Kennedy 12/7/12

Reply: building drain waste vent DWV system problems

Linda,

If a kitchen sink drain and toilet are bubbling that suggests that the plumbing vent system that should be serving those appliances is absent, blocked, clogged, missing, or improperly installed;

You may be noticing the noises when the water softener is in backwash/regeneration mode more than at other times because of the added water volume passing down the drain line or because of the point at which water softener drainage is being connected to your plumbing drain system.

...

Continue reading  at WATER SOFTENER ADJUSTMENT & CONTROLS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see WATER SOFTENER PLUMBING FAQs - questions & answers posted originally at this page

Or see these

Water Softener Plumbing Articles

• BYPASS VALVE on WATER SOFTENERS
• CROSS CONNECTIONS, PLUMBING
• DE-WINTERIZE WATER SOFTENER
• DIAGNOSE WATER SOFTENER PROBLEMS
• INSTALLATION of WATER SOFTENERS
• WATER CONDITIONER / SOFTENER MANUALS
• WATER SOFTENER BACKUP, FLOODING, LEAKS
• WATER SOFTENER CLEANING & SANITIZING
• WATER SOFTENERS & CONDITIONERS - home
• WATER SOFTENER ADJUSTMENT & CONTROLS
• WATER SOFTENER PLUMBING PROBLEMS
• WATER SOFTENER RESIN LOSS
• WINTERIZE WATER SOFTENER

Suggested citation for this web page

WATER SOFTENER PLUMBING PROBLEMS at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to WATER TREATMENT SYSTEMS

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Citations & References

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