Water Softener Service – Is Your Drain Line the Problem?
Do you need water softener service, but are unsure what’s wrong?
You adjusted your softener settings, you made sure you have salt, but you still have problems like hard water, low pressure, or discolored water.
The source of your frustration may not actually be a wrong setting, or broken part.
Your softener might be a little “backed up”, and it could be a real problem. Here’s why:
Why Your Water Softener Needs a Drain
Water softeners remove hard water minerals, and to some degree, they also remove small amounts of dirt and debris from your water.
The hard minerals stick to little plastic resin beads, and the dirt settles and collects at the bottom of the tank.
After so many gallons have been treated, the softener needs to clean itself out, aka regenerate.
The softener uses salt to remove the hard mineral deposits built up inside the system.
But what about all that crud in the bottom of the tank?
This is where the softener drain line comes into play – You need a POWERFUL flush to get it out!
What Happens if the Softener Drain Line is Blocked?
If you were watering a plant, and someone steps on the hose you are using, what would happen?
The plant wouldn’t get much water.
Now think about your water softener. You need to flush out all the crud you’ve collected in the tank, but the drain line has collapsed. What was once a ½” line, is now ⅛”.
Over time, dirt and excess hardness and iron will begin to plug up your water softener resin. Once damaged, resin is very expensive to replace, and you end up with a huge water softener repair bill.
If a drain line becomes severely restricted, it can actually blow off the softener during regeneration and cause a massive flood!
Drain Line Best Practices
On water softener service calls in Minnesota, we find a wide variety of drain line material being used.
Many of the Home Improvement Stores sell “Big Box Water Softeners” and “Installation Kits” to get them connected. The drain lines included in these kits are often made of a soft, squishy material that is similar to what you will find on a furnace condensate drain line.
This soft plastic material is usually clear or dark green in color, and you can easily pinch the line together with your fingers.
A better approach, is to use PVC or CPVC and hard-plumb the drain line. We often install softeners with hard-plumbed drain lines, and we ALWAYS use them on Iron Filters.
These drain lines don’t collapse on themselves, and they’re harder to knock off of the drain. They are a much better long term solution as they can easily last 25 years.
Do You Need Water Softener Service Because of a Bad Drain Line?
If you think you might have a bad drain line, or that it could have damaged your system, we offer a FREE SERVICE INSPECTION to help you determine if your system needs a repair. We can also be reached at (952) 479-4553 for more information.
About Premier Water
Premier Water is a local, family-owned water treatment company based in Chanhassen, MN. Since 1978, Premier Water has provided Award Winning Service for Residential and Commercial Water Softeners, Iron Filters, and Reverse Osmosis systems.
These blogs have a lot of useful information. Thanks
Is there a code of some kind that requires the line to be somewhat elevated over the drain? In other words, is it o.k. if the drain line is flush on the floor leading to the drain?
Thanks,
Rex
In Minnesota, the drain line is supposed to be “air-gapped” as you described, not stuffed down into the drain.
Thanks for posting!
what would cause a lot of salt crystallization on the floor around the drain of a water softener?”
Thanks
Sounds like brine is being flushed out, but the rinse cycle is not long enough (or at least its not completely rinsing out the brine).
Also could be a backed up floor drain.
Thanks for posting!
My drain clogs every time my softener regenerates, leaving a flood in my basement.
Any ideas on the cause?
You should call a drain cleaning service. Could be tree roots, children toy, iron, dirt…. the list goes on. Good luck getting everything back on track.
Thanks for posting!
The previous homeowners were asked to fix the water softener because of unsafe arsenic levels. An arsenic tank was added but the drain line is a common garden hose? Is that acceptable? Would any reputable business accept this as the drainage line?
A garden hose could collapse more easily than the materials we use. It sounds like a DIY project where the correct materials weren’t available to the installer/plumber/homeowner.
The clear flex drain hose from the softer to the drain is turning black – very quickly. Is this a problem? I called the sales person and he said this is not a big deal, however the black is growing. What do you recommend please?
Sounds like Manganese. Is this a well? Discoloration shouldn’t be a problem, just as long as the drain line doesn’t become plugged up/restricted. Thanks for posting!
It looks as though the water is backing up into the utility sink during regeneration. Do you think that might be a main drain issue?
Yes, sounds like the drain should be snaked out.
Thanks for posting!
WHAT IF U DRAIN KEEPS RUNNING
You probably have a damaged valve that can not shut off properly. I would put it in bypass to avoid wasting water (and a HUGE water bill). Depending on the age and type of system, you may want to replace it. Thanks for posting!
Cab a drain line be run uphill for about six feet before gravity takes over ?
Possibly – depends on your feed pressure and density of media in your softener/filter. You need to make sure you get enough “lift” during backwash. Thanks for posting!
Replaced my drain line now system is stuck and water is constantly running out of new drain line could bad resin be the problem?
If water is running at the drain, it sounds like the inside of your water softener valve is damaged.
Thanks for posting!
Our water is restricted into the house from our water softener. What could be the problem?
That sounds like a fouled resin bed. Do you have city or well water? How old is the system? Thanks for posting!
Is it possible for a drain line to kick back and jump out of the floor drain, and how much water could be flushed out.
Yes it is possible depending on water pressure. The amount of water could range from 20 gallons to 150+ gallons on an old machine. Thanks for posting!
Is Type L 1/2 inch copper pipe suitable for a brine drain? The original installer, 30 years ago, used the predecessor to PEX (which I replaced with PVC) that used Type M copper where exposed. The copper eventually leaked. I replaced the Type M copper with Type L, but don’t want to do this all over again!
Type L is thicker, but eventually the highly concentrated brine will probably corrode this as well. I would stick with all PVC or a PEX type product. Thanks for posting!
can a water softener drain line go uphill and around a sharp corner with 14 feet of length?
That would depend on the water pressure, diameter of drain line, and different internal design factors in the softener. Most likely it will be ok, but always best to keep drains as short as possible.
Thanks!