# Water Softener Discharge Into Septic System?



## ibeplumber (Sep 20, 2011)

What do you guys think about a softener discharge into a septic tank? I have read online that some studies show its actually good for it or at least doesn't effect it. I rerouted mine into my sump crock when I re piped my house 8 yrs ago. Now I'm worried my 30 year old maple tree that my sump dischages by. 

So would I be better discharging all that sodium into my 35 y.o. septic or onto the ground via sump discharge near my 35 y.o Tree


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## ILPlumber (Jun 17, 2008)

Softner backwash lines get routed around the tank in these parts.


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## xranger3rdbatt (Feb 14, 2012)

ibeplumber said:


> What do you guys think about a softener discharge into a septic tank? I have read online that some studies show its actually good for it or at least doesn't effect it. I rerouted mine into my sump crock when I re piped my house 8 yrs ago. Now I'm worried my 30 year old maple tree that my sump dischages by.
> 
> So would I be better discharging all that sodium into my 35 y.o. septic or onto the ground via sump discharge near my 35 y.o Tree


My 2 cents...
What defines a poison??? Quantity alone!!! That sodium is fine in certain quantities to discharge in the septic... My advice would be to really fine tune that regen on the softener so your not discharging alot to the septic or the maple tree.


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## stillaround (Mar 11, 2009)

The worst it can do to the septic is slow down the chemical process ...but people bleach in the laundry and other things go down the drain...a softner every other day at 2am back washing isnt any worse. So instead of every 8 years pumped make it 7


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## Mississippiplum (Sep 30, 2011)

The amounts of sodium even in the backwash discharge are very little, so I wouldn't even worry about it killing the tree

sent from the jobsite porta-potty


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## bigduke6 (Sep 8, 2011)

My discharge line from the softner goes directly into my sump pit. The discharge from the softner is not good for the septic system!!!


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## ibeplumber (Sep 20, 2011)

Mississippiplum said:


> The amounts of sodium even in the backwash discharge are very little, so I wouldn't even worry about it killing the tree
> 
> sent from the jobsite porta-potty


Only 14 lbs of salt  but its only every 10 to 14 days.


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## ibeplumber (Sep 20, 2011)

stillaround said:


> The worst it can do to the septic is slow down the chemical process ...but people bleach in the laundry and other things go down the drain...a softner every other day at 2am back washing isnt any worse. So instead of every 8 years pumped make it 7


I only regen every 10 to 14 days. And I pump my tank every 2 to 3 yrs.


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## bigduke6 (Sep 8, 2011)

My softner regens every 800 gals. With a family of 4 it regens roughly every 7 days. Also i have energy effc. Fixtures ( w.m. W.C lav etc. ) using cleaning agents for septic systems. Trying to make the system last a little longer.


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## Mississippiplum (Sep 30, 2011)

ibeplumber said:


> Only 14 lbs of salt  but its only every 10 to 14 days.


But those sodium ions charge the resin- and when the unit backwashes the only thing coming out the backwash drain is the concentrated minerals and an extremely low amount of sodium about the same amount that is in the water after it has been conditioned.

sent from the jobsite porta-potty


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## RealCraftsMan (Dec 27, 2011)

Mississippiplum said:


> But those sodium ions charge the resin- and when the unit backwashes the only thing coming out the backwash drain is the concentrated minerals and an extremely low amount of sodium about the same amount that is in the water after it has been conditioned.
> 
> sent from the jobsite porta-potty


 
Feels like your trying to tell a home owner...they never listin. 

"No Mrs Jones it does not put salt in your drinking water" 
"No Mrs Jones it's not dumping large amounts of salt down in your yard."


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## Mississippiplum (Sep 30, 2011)

RealCraftsMan said:


> Feels like your trying to tell a home owner...they never listin.
> 
> "No Mrs Jones it does not put salt in your drinking water"
> "No Mrs Jones it's not dumping large amounts of salt down in your yard."


Lmao, I have this rehersed cause a lot of HO's are worried there grass will die, etc. But it won't, cause the sodium ions are removed from the brine solution as soon as they contact the resin and that causes the hardness causing minerals to free themselves and be backwashed out, leaving behind charged resin beads.

sent from the jobsite porta-potty


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## rjbphd (Feb 5, 2010)

Softener discharge into sump pit, mixed with surface water and then pumped out in yard.. all grass and surrounding area are dead from the mixed discharge.


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## bigduke6 (Sep 8, 2011)

The sump water is pumped into a ( natural running ditch) that was made by the previos owner. High water table in the area where we are living. This all drains into the cities storm system. We have an acre of land and it backs onto 20 acres of escarpment. Getting off topic a bit!!!


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## ZL700 (Dec 8, 2009)

Mississippiplum said:


> But those sodium ions charge the resin- and when the unit backwashes the only thing coming out the backwash drain is the concentrated minerals and an extremely low amount of sodium about the same amount that is in the water after it has been conditioned.
> 
> sent from the jobsite porta-potty


Not really

Besides salt and sodium are 2 different compounds

It's the chloride part of the sodium chloride that is used to regenerate the resin bed. Or if you use potassium chloride once again it's the chlorides that exchange with calcium and Magnesium of the resin bed to soften the water.

When using sodium chloride to regenerate the resin, the sodium is a byproduct that is washed to drain. It takes 6lbs of sodium chloride to regenerate a high capacity resin to exchange 18,000 grains of hardness.

All the salt is disposed of or it should with a properly operating system during the rinse cycle to drain. Contrary to beliefs only traces of sodium, not salt is added to water via a properly functioning softener.


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## SewerRat (Feb 26, 2011)

stillaround said:


> The worst it can do to the septic is slow down the chemical process ...but people bleach in the laundry and other things go down the drain...a softner every other day at 2am back washing isnt any worse. So instead of every 8 years pumped make it 7


I would like to politely disagree. 

There have been many studies done on this topic. Currently to my knowledge there is not conclusive evidence that water softener backwash has a negative effect on the biological processes within a septic tank. Some studies show the backwash to be a detriment, others claim that the backwash actually improves the performance of the tank.

There are, however, two ways in which the softener _could _potentially harm the system that have nothing at all to do with bacterial action.(notice I said could, not will) First, it will add hydraulic load. In other words, although it is usually minimal, the backwash amounts to wastewater flow that must be absorbed by the drainfield. This might push borderline failed systems over the edge but the biggest danger is that the bypass valve may start to leak and could inject up to several hundred gallons per day into the system. This is true with any leaking plumbing fixture, but unlike a faucet or toilet an internal leak in a water softener can go undetected for a long, long time. 

The second, and more complex, way that the softener could harm the system has to do with soil structure. There is evidence that the sodium ions and/or minerals present in softener backwash can bind themselves to the soils and create an actual molecular change in soil structure which then inhibits the soil's ability to aborb water at the same rate as when the system was originally installed. This can result in a situation known by us septic professionals as "hydraulic overload", or simply that the soil is unable to absorb the wastewater at the rate it is produced. When systems fail in this way, as I understand it two conditions will nearly always be present: The softener will be using an unusually high amount of salt, and the system will be installed in heavy soils with a very fine soil structure. (silt, silt loam, silt clay, or clay) Softener backwash seems to have much less effect on coarser soils.


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## Richard Hilliard (Apr 10, 2010)

Contrary to popular belief the sodium ions will kill plants it may not be enough to kill a tree however the constant feeding of sodium may over time affect the tree. Sort of like alcohol some people can drink a ton of alcohol and not become an alcoholic however the chances are increased when it is decided to drink every night. Some areas have it against the law and some municipality’s water treatment facilities do not allow softeners.

Most people do not service the units properly so they do not work properly.


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## Mississippiplum (Sep 30, 2011)

Richard Hilliard said:


> Most people do not service the units properly so they do not work properly.


Exactly- in a properly working softener there should only be very small trace amounts of sodium in the conditioned water and the backwash discharge. But as we all know, a head with bad valves/piston and brine injector can easily cause high levels of sodium to get in to the conditioned water.

sent from the jobsite porta-potty


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## RealCraftsMan (Dec 27, 2011)

Just like every thing in plumbing everyone has a different opinion.


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## ZL700 (Dec 8, 2009)

Mississippiplum said:


> Exactly- in a properly working softener there should only be very small trace amounts of sodium in the conditioned water and the backwash discharge. But as we all know, a head with bad valves/piston and brine injector can easily cause high levels of sodium to get in to the conditioned water.
> 
> sent from the jobsite porta-potty


Again, it's the sodium part of sodium chloride that is rejected in the regeneration process, it's not used or absorbed by the resin, it goes to drains during rinse cycle. 

Simple water conditioning basics and knowledge.


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## Richard Hilliard (Apr 10, 2010)

Mississippiplum said:


> But those sodium ions charge the resin- and when the unit backwashes the only thing coming out the backwash drain is the concentrated minerals and an extremely low amount of sodium about the same amount that is in the water after it has been conditioned.
> 
> sent from the jobsite porta-potty


 
However there is enough in soft water that people with high blood pressure, heart problems or mental instability should not drink it and are told my doctors not to drink it. This is a question the doctor will ask any patient that has any 1 of the issues or a combination of these things.


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