Cheapest way to lower manganese

[Bannerman]

Also my brine tank was never connected with a overflow drain so it would just pour out on the floor is there was a problem. I think it has to have its own drain separate from the softener drain?

Most brine tanks are now equipped with a safety float and valve, to stop water during a malfunction or power outage during Brine Fill, from continuing to overfill the brine tank once the liquid level has risen to a specific height within the tank. Due to this, many softener brine tank's now supplied, no longer include an overflow drain, but some suppliers continue to include one since an overflow drain had been a standard inclusion previously.

If you are nervous, there is no harm if you wish to include a drain tube from the brine tank fitting to a floor drain or similar separate lower gravity drain not directly connected to the softener's drain line. You are correct that connecting the brine tank overflow fitting directly to the pressurized drain line from the softener, may cause the brine tank to incorrectly fill with water that is intended to flow to drain during regeneration.

 

[Taylorjm]

Most brine tanks are now equipped with a safety float and valve, to stop water during a malfunction or power outage during Brine Fill, from continuing to overfill the brine tank once the liquid level has risen to a specific height within the tank. Due to this, many softener brine tank's now supplied, no longer include an overflow drain, but some suppliers continue to include one since an overflow drain had been a standard inclusion previously.

If you are nervous, there is no harm if you wish to include a drain tube from the brine tank fitting to a floor drain or similar separate lower gravity drain not directly connected to the softener's drain line. You are correct that connecting the brine tank overflow fitting directly to the pressurized drain line from the softener, may cause the brine tank to incorrectly fill with water that is intended to flow to drain during regeneration.

I'm glad my tank has an overflow connected. When the salt level gets low, there's quite a bit of water sitting in the brine tank and when I start to fill it with salt, the excess water goes out the overflow.

 

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[Bannerman]

When the salt level gets low, there's quite a bit of water sitting in the brine tank and when I start to fill it with salt, the excess water goes out the overflow.

On most softeners, that would indicate a problem.

On Fleck and Clack based softeners, Brine Fill is timed and the water fill GPM rate is governed by a flow restrictor so the same volume of water will enter the brine tank each cycle regardless of the salt level.

If there is any salt remaining in your brine tank when the 'excess' liquid is flowing to drain out through the overflow port, that will represent some amount of salt that is being discharged to drain. Better to keep the already prepared brine within the brine tank so it can be utilized during the following regeneration cycle instead of being fully wasted.

The usual recommendation is to refill the brine tank with additional salt once the top of the salt begins to become submerged below the liquid. This then will ensure there will always be sufficient salt remaining for each regeneration while at the same time, acting as an indicator to verify salt is actually being consumed.

 

[Charrie]

Thanks guys.
Yes I defiantly want to install a overflow line on the brine tank.
My tank has somewhat of a cheap plastic float valve and is of poor design if you ask me. The tube (forgot the name of it, brine well?) that houses the float valve is held in place with a plastic rivet that goes through the tube and the brine tank. The problem is that the rivet is below the level of the hole to connect the drain line. So the water level would be over the rivet before it rose to the level of the drain fitting. I will need to cut a new hole to connect a drain line.

We ran a 2" pvc line under the house and over to the woods for the brine hose from the softener to drain into but i never connected it because I started using the brine to kill weeds and grass on my gravel driveway along with some poison ivy that grows in the woods. I have been using a 275 gallon tote but that gets tiresome sometimes and I need to connect the line to the drain and have a tee so I can fill the tote when I want to. I think it is about 5 regeneration almost fills the tote.

Anyway if you had a 2" pipe with a stub up near the softener, how would you connect the softener line and brine tank overflow tube? Add a trap with a stand pipe like a washing machine? I also planned to drain the AC condensate line into this pipe.

ALSO
The PVC unions I used installing the filters, was I supposed to apply some silicone lubricant to the O-rings? I just thought about that after I turned the water on. They do not twist and are simply a press fit seal. I want to add another cut off valve and could apply silicone to the union O-rings then.

Thanks
Charrie

 

[Taylorjm]

On most softeners, that would indicate a problem.

On Fleck and Clack based softeners, Brine Fill is timed and the water fill GPM rate is governed by a flow restrictor so the same volume of water will enter the brine tank each cycle regardless of the salt level.

If there is any salt remaining in your brine tank when the 'excess' liquid is flowing to drain out through the overflow port, that will represent some amount of salt that is being discharged to drain. Better to keep the already prepared brine within the brine tank so it can be utilized during the following regeneration cycle instead of being fully wasted.

The usual recommendation is to refill the brine tank with additional salt once the top of the salt begins to become submerged below the liquid. This then will ensure there will always be sufficient salt remaining for each regeneration while at the same time, acting as an indicator to verify salt is actually being consumed.

The same amount of water does enter the brine tank each time. It's almost to the upper float level. So if the brine tank isn't almost full of salt all the time, there is water above the salt level. The brine tank holds probably 220lbs of salt. If it gets down to 175lbs of salt, there is water over the salt. So when you refill it with salt, the excess water goes out the overflow.