Water Softener Install - Where to drain the water?
 

We want to install a water softener to reduce the effects of hard water in out new home. In the garage there is a panel that has a shut off for the water coming into the house and this would be the best place to install the softener.

For those of you who have a softener in the garage, where do you have the water drain tube go that flushes the system? Through the side of the garage and then where?

Thanks,
Gordy

Ours goes through the garage wall on the (inside) golf cart garage to the small strip of landscaping that is on one side of the walkway up to our small porch and front door (Begonia model). There are some small grasses growing there, and the installer said let him know if the grasses died because of the drain, but there was no problem. Hope that helps.

Same here, through the outside wall, with an elbow facing down into the shrub bed. We use Potassium Chloride instead of Sodium Chloride to protect the plants.

We also have it thru the wall which exits by our walkway but in addition, we have a small rubber hose which extends the flow out towards the front of the garage, around the bend and deposits the water about a foot or so from the front of the garage, right by where you enter our walkway. This is to get the water away from the base of our home. You are free to stop by and take a look, just PM me.

When Sears installed ours, they water-jetted a PVC pipe 10' deep into a narrow strip of soil next to the garage wall. They then bored thru the wall to the softener and ran a flexible discharge hose from the softener, thru the wall and into the top of the PVC pipe. No sign of overflow or damage to shrubs less than a foot away (but we also use potassium chloride).

What others have said works fine.

But just a general note on softeners.

They do not remove sediment or chlorine by themselves.
Additional filtration is needed to do that.

Here's one that can do that in addition to any brand water softener.

Thanks to all of you for your replies....

It sounds like going through the side of the garage and letting the water seep into the ground is the way to go.

Can anyone recommend a good plumber to install a softener?

Thanks,
Gordy

We have a combo filtration/softener that we purchased from a dealer (can't remember their name). They ran the hose through the garage wall into the landscaped area between the garage and the sidewalk. It works out well. They come about once a month...or at least intermittently to check the softener to make sure it's working properly AND to refill it with salt.

Our guy Mr. Water drilled the block and ran a pvc pipe along side the house with weep holes in it to spread the water out.

That makes the most sense !

Our installer ran the drain through the wall like everyone has said. He then dug a trench about 10 feet long and lined it with gravel and then put in a section of 6 or 8 inch drain pipe with the holes all along it. The drain through the wall went into one end which was capped with plastic and the other end was capped also. He then covered the pipe with gravel and then the dirt and then covered it with the sod that had to be removed initially.

Sounds like a good installer... who was he and what system did you buy?

Mike Scott Plumbing.............Nate is The Villages Manager. Nate has been responsive and educational over the years.

Kinetico has their own installer. A very nice black gentleman named Harry, I think.

On our installation, the water jet drilling did not work, hit a thick layer of clay or something, so we had a drain field installed in the garden low enough so that the brine will not kill off the plants. We are using salt.

We got the Sears combo system, softener/filter. So impressed! My skin felt better and softer immediately. No more smell from water. When our kids visited over Christmas they said "mom, how can YOU stand this water?" I told them that I had read the water report from the water dept. and it was really good. At any rate, we are very happy with this system.

BTW: We do not use salt, but use potassium.

Why did your kids ask you that? What did they not like about the softened water?