Water Softener Outdoors / Drain

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old_college_try

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Looking to put in a water softener outdoor here in Florida. Very common for placement outdoors here. Some plumbers drain into soil, but soils here drain poorly. My neighbor's plumber plumbed his drain directly through a nearby clean out cap which I promptly made him remove. This got me thinking that I might be able to drain mine at my nearby clean out. Would it be acceptable to dig around the sanitary clean out, cut and install a tee, run a 3 foot length of PVC w/p-trap with a riser above grade, and dump into the riser with an air gap? I suppose I could place an AAV after the trap if necessary. Any thoughts? Bad idea?
 

zer0

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Yeah you definitely dont want to drain to soil....its salting the earth, literally.

What you describe shouldnt be a problem, just how many feet of rise & how many feet of horizontal piping are we talking?

In general, 3 feet rise is no isse and around 30-50ft horizontal is OK. Anything more may cause issues, but it depends on a bunch of factors.

Other than that, you just need to ensure drain line is open to atmosphere at all times, or you run the risk of filling the brine tank during regen.
 
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old_college_try

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What you describe shouldnt be a problem, just how many feet of rise & how many feet of horizontal piping are we talking?

The cleanout riser I want to cut into is less than 5 feet from where the softener will sit with little grade change, so sounds like it should work. Will plan to cut into the clean out riser maybe 1-2 feet below grade. Is there a specific type of AAV I should look for that is rated for outdoor use?

Also, would the riser that I'm discharging into at the softener need to rise very far above grade? I suppose I really don't have flooding issues to be concerned with other than a backup spewing out at this location?
 
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Bannerman

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As a water softener processes potable water, the drain connection should not be made directly to the sewer system but is to be discharged through an air gap. An air gap is intended to prevent contamination of the potable supply from the sewer system.

Below is a link to one style of manufactured air gap device that is available.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Keeney-...tic-Water-Softener-Air-Gap-PP855-69/204374532

With any type of plumbing, local codes are to be always observed.
 

old_college_try

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As a water softener processes potable water, the drain connection should not be made directly to the sewer system but is to be discharged through an air gap. An air gap is intended to prevent contamination of the potable supply from the sewer system.

I appreciate the advice. I used that exact air gap in my basement in Michigan for my softener. Although things will be generally out of direct sunlight, considering how much sun we get in Florida I really need to make sure that everything I use has good UV resistance.
 
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