How To Plumb A Water Softener

Another option is to opt for a salt free water softening system see salt free water softeners.

How to plumb a water softener - 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. Plumbing a water softener. As with any plumbing job your biggest costs in installing a new water softening system are going to come from the water softener itself reverse osmosis systems are the most costly which is why many people opt for the smallest versions possible and install them only at the faucet. From the initial research to purchasing your softener to the actual installation you do it all.

Don t place the softener after downstream from the water heater temperatures above 110 degrees f 43 degrees c may damage the softener and void the warranty. If you re installing a whole home system you re going to want to place the softener as close to the entry point for water in your home. Installing a water softener will reduce the amount of. For softening a home s entire water supply install the softener before the water heater this helps reduce sediment buildup in the water heater too.

You don t have to be a plumber to connect a water softener. A water softener can be installed in a day. The ideal spot will be a dry level location with at least 10 feet of piping between the water softener and your water heater near an electrical outlet and close to the water s main line and a drain. On the other hand if you have a general understanding of how to plumb a water softener you can quickly identify the most effective location.

The plumbing hookups on a water softener can be confusing but we ll show you how the connections should be made. According to most plumbing codes a water softener drain line must not be connected directly to the household waste system. We make it easy to understand even for a beginning diyer. Plan to install the water softener where water enters the house usually in a basement.

This is to prevent non potable water from flowing backwards possibly mixing and contaminating potable drinking water. In reality the installation is fairly straightforward provided you have the plumbing skills required to make the various water supply connections. Plumb the water softener in the vast majority of water softeners will come with a bypass valve that you must attach to the unit. Ground water that has excessive minerals in it is called hard water.

And you don t need any special skills just the ability to cut and join copper or steel pipe.