Water softener drain question

[highoctane]

Hello everyone! I came into the forum to seek for some help and information if possible. Sorry for the first long post.

We just brought a small spec home and adding a hookup (ball valves) with drain for a water softener was not a package that we can have add onto. So now, I am trying to find the best possible way to add the system into the home but the drainage it the difficult part of the equation.

History: This is what I built with my wife help while we were living at an apartment and is still currently using now. Kinda of a self contain unit that we have to regenerate 1-2 times a week depend on usage for our family of 3.


Current: With the new home, water inlet came through a wall on the garage and run up into the attic by PEX. Therefore, I would like to put the softener up in the attic above the garage. Reasoning is to keep it out of the way since I have a lot of tools and tool boxes that I would like to line the wall up with. Also inlet access to the PEX is easier.

Now come the questions:

1. There is a vent stack for the washer next to the garage, it is 2" from the floor and run up ~2.5' to a clean out before reducing to 1.5" running up to the ceiling and roof. But I believe it is bad to t into this even if I set up a proper p-trap. Also, there is the possibly of pulling the water out of the p-trap of the washer when regeneration occurred? So a no-no correct?
2. How about running a pvc down through the ceiling and drain into the clean out? Easy to accomplish and I can cover the pvc up with some cabinetry. Will the drain from the softener cause enough suction to pull water out of the p-trap for the washer?
3. Drill a hole through the double plate 2x4 and run a pvc inside the wall, cut a section out of the sheet rock and t it into he washer drain. But I don't like this idea if I can help it because of the sheet rock repair and its textured finished surfaces.
4. Run a long pvc across to the other side of the house, down the soffit and tap into the main drain clean out. I wish the main drain clean out is on the same side of house as the water inlet is.

Please share your thought and suggestions.

 

[ditttohead]

Dont put the softener in the attic. It is a plumbing device with multiple connection points and it will eventually leak. It also requires some intermittent maintenance and inspection. Even an adequatley sized unit will have a small footprint of only 10-12 inches for the main tank and the brine tank can be remote located as it is connected by a small 3/8" tube that can be run as far away as 30 feet without any problem. Longer distances may require some tweaking.
Connecting it to the drain of the washer is fine. Be sure to use an airgap.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Mialynette2003]

I agree, don't put it in the attic. It can be a nightmare when (not if) it leaks. Having to put salt in it also will be trouble IMO.