Burying new water softener in crawl space

[mmcdonough]

Hello all, I've been scouring the internet looking for advice on this subject and haven't had much luck. I came across this forum and I'm hoping to get some help.

So we have a one story home with an insulated crawl space. Clearance in the crawl space is about 48 inches. We are on a well system and the tank and water heater are already down there. The water heater was dug into a small hole so that it would fit. The water softener is currently on it's last leg and is installed in our master bathroom. Our water is awful, our well tank, heater and softener are all 25 plus years or older plus our iron is at 3.0 PPM. We are replacing and upgrading everything. The previous owner put the softener in a fake cabinet to disguise it but it takes up a ton of room in our small master bath. Not to mention there's mold growth from all the bathroom condensation.

We have purchased a new water softener/filter unit and I want to move it down into the crawl space to open up some space. I don't mind having to go down to fill it with salt every so often. It's pretty easy to get down there. It's a two tank system with a resin brine tank. The tanks are about 62" when fully installed. I just want to know if it's a good idea to dig a trench and bury them? There is a drain about 20-25 feet away for the furnace and ac condensation. My thought was that I could run the drain line for the softener to this. My only worry would be about condensation from the unit affecting the crawl space.

It would be a pain in the but to dig the trench but in my mind it would be well worth it. Any information or feedback would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Reach4]

I just want to know if it's a good idea to dig a trench and bury them? There is a drain about 20-25 feet away for the furnace and ac condensation. My thought was that I could run the drain line for the softener to this. My only worry would be about condensation from the unit affecting the crawl space.

Gas or electric?

 

[Sponsor]

 

[mmcdonough]

Gas or electric?

Furnace is gas, everything else is electric though.

 

[Reach4]

I meant electric water heater, which is proposed to go into the pit.

Some water in the softener pit will not really hurt, as long as the water is below the overflow level of the brine tank and the softener controller. Water in the water heater pit would soak the insulation and mess up any electrical stuff that it climbed to. Consider whether you can get water there.

Maybe a sump pump and water alarm would be a good idea in the low part of the pit.

 

[mmcdonough]

I meant electric water heater, which is proposed to go into the pit.

Some water in the softener pit will not really hurt, as long as the water is below the overflow level of the brine tank and the softener controller. Water in the water heater pit would soak the insulation and mess up any electrical stuff that it climbed to. Consider whether you can get water there.

Maybe a sump pump and water alarm would be a good idea in the low part of the pit.

That would definitely be something to consider. I just don't want to add on to the cost too much with everything we've already bought. I was surprised there wasn't a sump pump down there already. They seem to be pretty common in our area. The house does have a treated wood foundation though so maybe that has something to do with it? It's got nothing but sand under and around it and it's up on bit of a hill so drainage wouldn't be a problem.

The weird part is the old water heater doesn't have a drain hooked up anywhere in the pit that it's currently in. Surprised that it's lasted as long as it has. Maybe I could just lay down a pex drain line for both the new water heater and softener and just run it on the ground to the drain mentioned by the furnace? Eliminating any potential moisture issues is my biggest priority.