Where To Discharge Water Softener Backwash

Practices for the discharge of water softener backwash brine to avoid potential problems with onsite wastewater treatment systems owts and impacts to surface water and groundwater quality.

Where to discharge water softener backwash. Use a separate drywell or floor drain to receive water softener backwash. These problems are caused by high levels of chloride and other ions in the backwash brine from water softener regeneration. Connect to municipal water supply if available so that your water will arrive already properly conditioned and therefore not require softening. The treatment system can help with many problems associated with drinking water hardness bacteria odor high levels of iron etc.

During a backwash of a water softener system water runs through a resin tank upward. Make sure the discharge line is properly air gapped to prevent cross contamination. This is a large surge load which can upset the settling process in the tank. The current plan is to present this draft to other stakeholders such as water treatment vendors the ct onsite wastewater recycling.

However if the water treatment system is installed after the septic system is built and the leach field is not designed to accommodate the backwash water then alternate methods of disposal may be used. If local code allows i would recommend diverting the softener backwash water to another location outside of the septic system. Water softener backwash many home owners who use a well to get their water opt to have a water treatment system. A water softener dumps from 50 gallons to 100 gallons of water into the system when it regenerates.

This causes two problems. If a water treatment system is anticipated at the home then the backwash discharge may be incorporated into the design of the septic system. It does this at a fast speed and flushes iron minerals from the resin bed and out to the drain. You can manually set the water softener to perform an extra backwash and fast rinse cycle before the normal regeneration.

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.