When you deciding where to discharge the backwash from your water softener, where should you discharge it to? In general, you need to make sure it goes outside of your house, but should you find a suitable location in a dry well, and a French drain, or even in a septic drain field tied to your local sewage system?
Take a closer look at some of the options available, and do not hesitate to reach out to one of our experts if you would like to figure out where you should discharge your water softener backwash.
Know the Local Regulations About Discharging Your Brine Tank
Before you start discharging the backwash from your water softener, you need to make sure that you are aware of all rules and regulations in the local area. While they are relatively similar from place to place, you still need to make sure that you read them because you do not want to open yourself up to potential problems and sanctions.
Remember that the overwhelming majority of water softeners are salt based and they use an ion-exchange system. The resulting backwash comprised of salt and minerals can potentially have a negative impact if you discharge it in the wrong place. You should always take a look at the regulations for your state’s water supply, and do not hesitate to reach out to someone in a position of authority if you have any questions or concerns.
Where To Discharge Your Water Softener System Backwash
If you are wondering where to discharge your water softener backwash, some of the top options include:
1. Discharge It Directly Into a Drain Pipe Near the Floor
Do you have a floor drain that you can access easily? If so, you may want to use it to empty your water softener. If the water pressure in your water softener is high, then you may be able to use a floor drain to discharge the backwash from your water softener.
If you feel like your water softener does not have enough pressure to get the job done, then you might want to use an ejector pump to help you. This could be a great way for you to eject your wastewater into a floor drain.
2. Dump It Outside
One of the easiest solutions is to simply discharge your water softener outside somewhere. All you need to do is dump it on the bare ground. If city water is the most common water source in your area, this is probably a suitable option.
On the other hand, if the water source is just beneath the surface of the ground, this is not the best option. You do not want the backwash from your water softener to seep into the ground and contaminate the water source for your town, so think carefully about the environmental concerns before you simply dump out the water from your water softener.
If you use a well, make sure the backwash is away from your well. You do not want the backwash water to get in your well water.
3. Use a French Drain
If you have a French drain on your property, you may want to use it to discharge your water softener. There are a lot of people who have a French drain on their property because it helps them deal with rain water and prevent flooding. Therefore, you should know that the rain water is traveling to a safe location.
This means that it could be a great place for you to discharge your water softener as well. You need to have a long pipe and a ditch if you want to discharge your water softener into your French drain, and you need to make sure that the French drain pipe has plenty of holes in it. If the ditch is not wide enough, your water softener could end up overflowing the ditch, and it will cause your backwash to seep into the ground around it.
4. Dump It Into a Dry Well
If you want to make sure that the water from your water softener is not going to mix with the ground water, you may want to find a dry well into which you can discharge your water softener.
Now, there might not be a dry well in the nearby area, but if you know that there is one available, you may want to dump the water into that location. If the dry well is on someone else’s property, you must make sure that you get permission before you start dumping things on their property. You do not want to get into trouble or antagonize anyone.
5. Use a Septic Field
If you have a septic drain field, you may want to use it to discharge your water softener. If you see a drain field or a soil absorption field that is attached to a septic tank, you know you have a septic drain field available.
You need to make sure you have permission to use the septic field before you use it to discharge your water softener but if you have one close to your house, this could be the best option.
6. Consider Using Subsurface Discharge If You Are Permitted
If you really feel like you do not have any other options available, then you should consider using subsurface discharge. This should be the last option on your list because there are a lot of rules and regulations you need to follow, and it can be difficult to complete properly.
Typically, you will be allowed to discharge your water softener as long as you are using a well that is at least 100 ft away from your home. If you feel like you will have to do this continuously, you may want to use a subsurface system.
Can You Use Your Water Softener Discharge for Something Else?
Even though you may want to get rid of your water softener discharge completely, there are some ways you can use your water softener discharge productively. It might take a bit of extra work, but some of the top applications you may want to consider include:
Weed Killing and Removal
Obviously, you need to discharge the wastewater from your water softener because it can be harmful. Of course, it also means that it can be toxic to weeds. Before you get down on your hands and knees and start pulling weeds out of the ground, consider using the backwash from your water softener to get rid of them if you want your yard to look its best.
Of course, you do not want to kill the vegetation you love, so you should only use your water softener backwash to kill weeds that are growing on your patio or driveway. Make sure you don’t dump the backwash on your lawn, or you could end up with some dead spots down the road.
Get Rid of Slugs
If you are having a problem with slugs, you may want to use the discharge from your water softener to help you get rid of them. The discharge coming from your water softener will have a tremendous amount of salt, which can dry out the slugs and kill them. If you are having a difficult time getting rid of slugs, you may want to use the discharge from your water softener to help you. That way, you don’t have to worry about the slugs killing your plants.
Remove Ice
Have you ever noticed that the local government will put down rock salt if there is an ice storm coming? That is because salt can help you get rid of snow and ice. You may be able to use the discharge from your water softener to get rid of the ice that you have on your sidewalk or driveway.
You need to be very careful not to use this method too often, as the salt from your water softener could actually damage asphalt and concrete. If you find yourself in a pinch, you may be able to use the discharge from your water softener to thaw the ice.
How Often Should You Discharge Your Water Softener?
So, there are plenty of locations where you may be able to discharge your water softener, but how often should you complete this task? The answer is that it depends on your water softener and how often you use it. In general, your water softener is going to regenerate every one to two weeks, but you may need to discharge your water softener more often than that.
As a rule of thumb, if you notice your water softener is regenerating, it means that it will also need to discharge. Therefore, your water softener will also need to discharge every one to two weeks.
Take a Look at the Top Water Softeners From DROP
If you want to reduce your water hardness level, a water softener is the best way to do so. At DROP, we are proud of the smart water softeners and water filters that we have available, and we can help you take care of the quality of your water supply.
If you are looking for the best water softener for your home, take a look at our selection today. Then, do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have questions about which water softener is right for your needs.
