# Water softener hooked up backwards



## luigi15

Anyone know what happens when you hook water sfotener up backwards?
One of my apprentices did this and I'm wondering if resin would end up in the waterlines because of this..


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## TX MECH PLUMBER

Did he pipe the inlet to the out let and vise versa??? Heck I'd think you'd get hard water!!! As long as the drain is piped to the drain you should be fine!!!


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## revenge

I saw one piped back wards and the resign destroyed all the faucet carts and the fill valves


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## TX MECH PLUMBER

revenge said:


> I saw one piped back wards and the resign destroyed all the faucet carts and the fill valves


O chit!!!! Why did you do that revenge?? Lol


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## revenge

It was origanly a call, on low water pressure. After i pulled out a few aerotors i started getting pitchers full of sand. So i called my boss and he told me to ask about water softner. They had hired a local water treatment co. to install a few months back. So i checked and it was installed backwards. The carts on the shower delta had to replace all delta faucets in house needed new carts the filter on fridge and or had to replace. And all of the fill valves huge ass ticket


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## rocksteady

Yes, a water softener piped backwards will blow resin throughout the house. The head is desigend as either an up-flow or down-flow so feeding it backwards is BAD. Get back over there and but the unit on bypass. If the water pressure isn't too high, you might be o.k. but you need to correct it asap.






Paul


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## Epox

It can take alot of flushing to get the resin flushed out of the piping too. Sometimes the softener piping at the wall is plumbed backwards and this causes alot of wrong connections. Not unusual for me to find this even with a valve on it. Best to verify which is the supply.


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## rocksteady

mpsllc said:


> It can take alot of flushing to get the resin flushed out of the piping too. Sometimes the softener piping at the wall is plumbed backwards and this causes alot of wrong connections. Not unusual for me to find this even with a valve on it. Best to verify which is the supply.


That is the first thing I do when installing a softener, even if there's one already there. I'll cut the loop (or remove the old w/s) and then crack the service with a bucket under each pipe. After I see which one the water is coming out of, I solder on a ball valve. Then I turn the water on again to double check. 

I once was installing a w/s and followed my normal routine. After I had the ball valve on I turned the water on and found water flowing out of the other line. So I soldered on a second valve and turned the water on again. Pressure at both valves!  Somebody had plumbed the loop wrong; no 90's in the attic but rather tees. The house was fairly new so I left the h.o. to deal with the builder on that but I told them I couldn't install their w/s. 






Paul


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## Mississippiplum

Well you will have to repack the softener and. Plumbing a softener backwards forces resin beads out of the mineral tank and into the water supply. You might even have to clean resin beads from the head and fill/suction assem for the brine tank.


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## pigskin plumber

Don't water softeners have an inlet and outlet labelled?


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## gitnerdun

pigskin plumber said:


> Don't water softeners have an inlet and outlet labelled?


:whistling2:


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## luigi15

Seems like a simple hook up. Anyone who can read should be able to do it but it's hard to find good help I guess. Some people just don't care about their job.


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## user2090

It could and would mostly likely blow resin into the house. I heard a story about someone doing that, they spent all day cleaning and flushing lines. 

Sounds like the softener manufacturers should put arrows to show water flow. :whistling2:


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## RealLivePlumber

pigskin plumber said:


> Don't water softeners have an inlet and outlet labelled?


And hot is always on the left:whistling2:


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## Mississippiplum

Every softener I ever saw had the inlet and outlet CLEARLY marked :laughing:


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## Epox

Yeah most I've seen have arrows. I've never seen the ****** though:bangin:


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## billdo

Gotta revive this old thread. I thought I had a bad water softener. Wasn't taking much salt and the tap water seemed hard. I have been in the house 18 months and assumed the WS was original and thus 10 year old, so just get a new one.

While putting the new one in I first noticed that the ball valve was installed on the water out, into the household system line. I thought that was odd, why not put in on the main line in. Then when I put the new WS in I realized I had to cross the lines to properly install it. Then I realized my old softened had been installed backwards.

I had not seen any resin coming out, for all know there was none left and the previous home owner had dealt with it. I did have to replace one Delta shower cart, and also had to due the valve because the cart was basically welded into the valve with hard water buildup.

Now I am terrified that the whole house has hard water buildup. I suppose I can expect to fix more showers/faucet carts. Is there anything I can do to flush the system?

Just noticed I am in Roswell, NM too, same as the above poster. Small world, hard water.


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## rwh

billdo said:


> Gotta revive this old thread. I thought I had a bad water softener. Wasn't taking much salt and the tap water seemed hard. I have been in the house 18 months and assumed the WS was original and thus 10 year old, so just get a new one.
> 
> While putting the new one in I first noticed that the ball valve was installed on the water out, into the household system line. I thought that was odd, why not put in on the main line in. Then when I put the new WS in I realized I had to cross the lines to properly install it. Then I realized my old softened had been installed backwards.
> 
> I had not seen any resin coming out, for all know there was none left and the previous home owner had dealt with it. I did have to replace one Delta shower cart, and also had to due the valve because the cart was basically welded into the valve with hard water buildup.
> 
> Now I am terrified that the whole house has hard water buildup. I suppose I can expect to fix more showers/faucet carts. Is there anything I can do to flush the system?
> 
> Just noticed I am in Roswell, NM too, same as the above poster. Small world, hard water.



Probably same guy piped them in. You should hang on for the ride Harry D. Homeowner!


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## Debo22

billdo said:


> Gotta revive this old thread. I thought I had a bad water softener. Wasn't taking much salt and the tap water seemed hard. I have been in the house 18 months and assumed the WS was original and thus 10 year old, so just get a new one.
> 
> While putting the new one in I first noticed that the ball valve was installed on the water out, into the household system line. I thought that was odd, why not put in on the main line in. Then when I put the new WS in I realized I had to cross the lines to properly install it. Then I realized my old softened had been installed backwards.
> 
> I had not seen any resin coming out, for all know there was none left and the previous home owner had dealt with it. I did have to replace one Delta shower cart, and also had to due the valve because the cart was basically welded into the valve with hard water buildup.
> 
> Now I am terrified that the whole house has hard water buildup. I suppose I can expect to fix more showers/faucet carts. Is there anything I can do to flush the system?
> 
> Just noticed I am in Roswell, NM too, same as the above poster. Small world, hard water.


Hi licensed plumber, how did you end up solving it?


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## ShtRnsdownhill

billdo said:


> Gotta revive this old thread. I thought I had a bad water softener. Wasn't taking much salt and the tap water seemed hard. I have been in the house 18 months and assumed the WS was original and thus 10 year old, so just get a new one.
> 
> While putting the new one in I first noticed that the ball valve was installed on the water out, into the household system line. I thought that was odd, why not put in on the main line in. Then when I put the new WS in I realized I had to cross the lines to properly install it. Then I realized my old softened had been installed backwards.
> 
> I had not seen any resin coming out, for all know there was none left and the previous home owner had dealt with it. I did have to replace one Delta shower cart, and also had to due the valve because the cart was basically welded into the valve with hard water buildup.
> 
> Now I am terrified that the whole house has hard water buildup. I suppose I can expect to fix more showers/faucet carts. Is there anything I can do to flush the system?
> 
> Just noticed I am in Roswell, NM too, same as the above poster. Small world, hard water.


your profile name is fitting for you...you just made a typo, the B should be a D...:yes:


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## billdo

Well Obama told me if I identified as a plumber I could use the plumbers room.


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## ShtRnsdownhill

billdo said:


> Well Obama told me if I identified as a plumber I could use the plumbers room.


well you are both wrong, and both of you have no business being in the place you are....:laughing:


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