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Yeah, it's illegal to dump it into the septic tank, period. It sounds like it's a concern about contamination coming back into the house. The installer told me they have preventative measures in place for that, BUT, I wouldn't have gone ahead with this solution, no matter what workarounds they...

An update: The guys who installed the system came out and extended the wait time between the backwash and rinse from 5 minutes to one hour. This helps a bit, and once (out of three times) it didn't overflow at all, but it's not perfect. Since I'm still entertaining the idea that their may be a...

Not yet...I'd probably mess it up! :) The installer is coming next week to check the system, whether the flow is set properly, etc. I can also have him check the trap. I'm also waiting for my contractor to get back to me about the possibility of checking the rest of the line/septic for blockages.

Here's a photo. I apologize in advance if it's a bit big. The backwash line is the transparent tube entering the top of the pipe. It's overflowing out of the hole right underneath it. As you can see it goes down, does an elbow loop, then heads left into the main drainage system, which continues...

A small update, although not that much to add. The system ran tonight and still overflowed. My estimation is about 3-5 gallons spilled. For the heck of it, a few minutes after the system stopped regenerating, I flushed toilets and ran water, and saw and heard no problems whatsoever. Since it...

Thanks all for the comments to you both. Gary, the way you describe the backwashes fits what I am seeing perfectly. I have the time of day set properly, and yes, the few times I've caught the softener regenerating, it's probably starting at 2 am. Mikey: the house was built in 1987, so I assume...

Both of the systems are mechanical. No lcds or computers. The softener kickoff happens so infrequently (I bet once a month, and it happens based on how much water has been used), that I don't think it's the issue, since I've already had flooding twice this week. Plus, the softener does its...

Just measured and did the diameter math: my softener (the smaller tank) is 10x48 and the neutralizer is 12x52. Sadly, they never left me with details as to how the system was set up. All of what I've said comes from observation and what I remember they told me. The neutralizer does its thing...

According to the sales quote I was given, what I have is a EWS20FAN (2 cubic foot) Acid Neutralizer and EWS30KM (30K grain) Metered Softener. The Neutralizer has the Fleck 2510 controller and the Softener has a Fleck 5600 controller. Does this help you determine how big the tanks are? When we...

Maybe I left out something in my explanation, because I'm not quite sure I understand why you think, if it's a freezing problem, it would be inside rather than outside. I can see exactly where the backwash line ties into the main drainage line in our basement, and it's a straight shot right out...

Who would be a good person to inspect that line? Plumber or septic tank professional? I personally don't have the expertise (but will surely have learned something by the time this is over).

Interesting. I'm just afraid if I flush the toilet while the backwash is spilling out, the flooding will get ridiculously worse while the toilet is flushing. Our septic tank definitely heats up. The snow will slowly melt where the tank is located. I think it can't hurt to call the septic tank...

I haven't attempted that. The installers told me not to run any water during the cycle. What are you thinking might happen? -HM

Thanks so much for the reply. I almost never catch the softener when it's going through its cycle. I believe the installer told me it happens after a certain amount of water is used, rather than every x days. I was also told that particular cycle pushes much less water. It seems to occur over a...

I had a neutralizer and softening system professionally installed in my basement a year ago to counter the effects of my acidic well water. The system drains into my main drainage pipes, which go out to my septic tank. Things appeared fine until about a month ago, when I noticed that during...