Water Softener Drain Line Height

The drain hose that comes from the water softener needs to terminate in a manner that won t create a potential cross connection between the potable water and anything else.

Water softener drain line height.

According to most plumbing codes a water softener drain line must not be connected directly to the household waste system. If it s any help the brine tank can be located up to 20 feet away from the softener. A softener drain line must not be connected directly to the waste system but must be emptied into a laundry tray floor drain or properly trapped special outlet preserving an air gap of at least two times the diameter of the drain line but in no case less than 1 1 2 above the top of the receptacle used. Drain fitting drain water comes out under line pressure so it can be run vertically to connect to an overhead drain pipe.

By code water softeners must be emptied into a laundry sink floor drain sump hole or properly trapped special outlet preserving an air gap of at. The industry standard is a polypropylene drain line that is rigid yet flexible. There are no solids in the drain water of softeners or backwashed or regenerated filters and if there were the drain line flow is sufficient to flush them out. Many of the home improvement stores sell big box water softeners and installation kits to get them connected.

Jan 9 2013 gary slusser jan 9 2013. Where to place the water softener so you do not exceed 20 feet for the drain line. Above the floor on which the softener base resides or too distant more than 20 ft or if the drain line diameter is too small model dependent might be 3 4 diameter then back pressure in the water softener drain piping can cause back pressure on. Now comes the tricky bit.

On water softener service calls in minnesota we find a wide variety of drain line material being used. This is to prevent non potable water from flowing backwards possibly mixing and contaminating potable drinking water.