Softener discharge & unconditioned hose bib Question

[Jsmallberries]

I have a sink in the garage where I can run the line to but it's on the opposite corner from the softener.

1) Is there a distance limit I can run the discharge line?

2) Would it help to have a larger diameter line if over a certain distance?

3) If I didn't have the laundry tub/sink in the garage, and no floor drain, what other options are there?

4) Is watering plants from softened water a bad idea?

5) I can add a pipe before the softener if needed and drill a hole through the concrete block and add one on the exterior wall, but only if it's essential. Does anyone recommend doing that?

 

[Reach4]

1) Is there a distance limit I can run the discharge line?

2) Would it help to have a larger diameter line if over a certain distance?

1. No fixed limit. Low water pressure could make it more critical.
2. Yes, to a point. It would be unusual to need more than 3/4.

3) If I didn't have the laundry tub/sink in the garage, and no floor drain, what other options are there?

4) Is watering plants from softened water a bad idea?

3. Digging a "dry well" is one thing people do sometimes. This might be good for a detached garage, or where there would be difficulty running piping to your laundry or another drain in the house.
4. Yes.

5) I can add a pipe before the softener if needed and drill a hole through the concrete block and add one on the exterior wall, but only if it's essential. Does anyone recommend doing that?

If "one" is a sillcock for watering plants, yes, do that if your existing sillcocks would be putting out soft water after your plumbing.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Jsmallberries]

Thanks R4, need to water plants inside and out. Not an easy task to isolate with slab on grade, underground piping and block walls. Would prefer the exterior hose bibs and kitchen are not softened. If I did run a line of un-softened water through the attic, what is the best piping to use? Florida attic space

 

[Reach4]

I would opt for PEX.

 

[Jsmallberries]

Incoming pressure 75 psi, the laundry sink for drain water is opposite side of garage , app 6' up, rt angle, 18'across, rt angle another 18' the back wall, rt angle 3', rt angle and down to the sink, 5'

So a 50 foot run, What type of pipe and size is best?

Would I need a different adapter coming off the tank?

 

[Reach4]

Incoming pressure 75 psi, the laundry sink for drain water is opposite side of garage , app 6' up, rt angle, 18'across, rt angle another 18' the back wall, rt angle 3', rt angle and down to the sink, 5'

So a 50 foot run, What type of pipe and size is best?

Would I need a different adapter coming off the tank?

That should work with 3/4 PEX. A 100 ft roll should do it and have a lot left over. You should support PEX every 32 inches or less horizontally. I liked the screw-type "Talons" but if you are good with a hammer, the ones with nails are cheaper. Bend supports are better than elbows, but elbows work fine too. PEX is not as flexible as you may think before you have used it.

PVC and CPVC would also be suitable if you would prefer working with those. They should be supported, but they can go longer without supports. https://www.charlottepipe.com/Documents/PL_Tech_Man/Horizontal_and_Vertical_Support.pdf PVC would be my second choice. All of these are perfectly good.

So how do you connect the softener to the pipe? I think the softener has a 1/2 inch FIP thread, and an adapter is usually threaded into that. You could run a flex line from the softener to the pipe you will use for the distance. You could use few feet of 1/2 inch before expanding to the 3/4. That connection to the 5600sxt can vary per your preferences. You could also use a 1/2 NPT to 3/4 pex barb adapter a the softener, and run all 3/4 pex.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Apollo-3-4-in-Brass-PEX-Barb-x-1-2-in-Male-Pipe-Thread-Reducing-Adapter-APXMA1234/301541035

Here is a SharkBite U138LF that would connect the valve to 3/4 inch pex or CPVC:

 

[Jsmallberries]

So what type of metal to use to connect t the stainless steel by-pass?
considering this "Connecting stainless steel plumbing pipes to brass fittings and pipes is risky. Unless you know the specific types of stainless steel and brass, it should be avoided"

 

[ditttohead]

Typically not really a concern in most applications. If they bypass is a Fleck original Stainless, then it is 316. If it is a cheap knock off, it is likely labeled as 316 but in reality it can be as bad as 301.

 

[Jsmallberries]

Since I'm using 3/4 PVC for the drain, I can use this 1/2" male to 3/4" PVC adapter instead of the 1/2" barbed connector they provided. see photo

No problem with installing a PVC disconnect union for servicing?

 

[Reach4]

Since I'm using 3/4 PVC for the drain, I can use this 1/2" male to 3/4" PVC adapter instead of the 1/2" barbed connector they provided. see photo

Yes. Use PTFE tape and/or pipe dope made for plastic, and don't overtighten. The tape or dope may not be needed, but they make a leak less likely.

No problem with installing a PVC disconnect union for servicing?

No problem.

 

[Jsmallberries]

Thanks,
Best way to attach to laundry sink? also, would adding a 3/4 to 1 inch adapter at the end above the sink help with reducing pressure??

 

[Reach4]

Best way to attach to laundry sink? also, would adding a 3/4 to 1 inch adapter at the end above the sink help with reducing pressure??

The right way is to put into the sink 1 inch above the level where the sink would overflow. If you angle toward a side or back, you will minimize splashing. There are air gap devices you could use, but no advantage to that IMO into a tub.

There are air gap devices that are useful in combining softener flow into a laundry standpipe, sharing with the washing machine.

Expanding to 1 inch would reduce velocity, but your flows will be so low that velocity will be low anyway. A softener with a 10 inch tank typically only sends 2.4 gpm down its drain. Even with a big 14 inch diameter tank, that is still only 5 gpm that is used.

A backwashing filter uses more gpm for backwash. Your 3/4 PVC pipe could support a backwashing filter too.

 

[Jsmallberries]

Works great, less filling...

 

[Jsmallberries]

I think I might have done a manual regen while the bypass was in bypass mode, not service. All seemed to work though, discharge, brie draw and bring fill?

should I do another manual regen again, do I need to wait a certain time period for salt to dissolve?

 

[Reach4]

I think I might have done a manual regen while the bypass was in bypass mode, not service. All seemed to work though, discharge, brie draw and bring fill?

If you were in bypass, water would not have been pouring out of the drain, and the brine would not have been drawn. If you just started the regen in bypass, and walked away, when you came back, the brine tank would still be at its normal level because it never left.

 

[Bannerman]

While an electrically powered control valve may have progressed through each regeneration setting, while in bypass mode, there will have been no water flow through the resin tank so regeneration will not have actually ocurred.