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Tool Talk Discussion Forum

Alternatives to Salt...Water Softener

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Glenn FitzGeral

04-30-2006 12:52:44




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I have an average sized water softener in our house. Currently it recycles in the sump pit which in turn is pumped on the back lawn. Is there an alternative to salt which I can use in my system allowing me to run it through my septic system? I've considered designing a little septic system just for the softener and then go ahead and run salt, but I'm sure not looking for another project. Previous owners simply ran it in the sump pit w/o a sump pump, but that didn't seem like a very good arrangement. We're built on sand and don't need a sump pump. Any easy answers? Thanks, Glenn F.

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TimS

05-01-2006 08:16:54




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 Re: Alternatives to Salt...Water Softener in reply to Glenn FitzGerald, 04-30-2006 12:52:44  
I second the recomendation for a demand softener. I picked up the mid-sized Whirlpool one at Lowes after our ancient sears one finally died ( or at least I got sick of spending hours trying to fix it over and over ). The new one is great, always have soft water, much lower recycling, much, much lower salt usage ( I filled it up several months ago, maybe 80 pounds worth, I think it is has used maybe 10 pounds since then ).

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MarkB_MI

04-30-2006 19:29:00




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 Re: Alternatives to Salt...Water Softener in reply to Glenn FitzGerald, 04-30-2006 12:52:44  
A couple of ideas:

1. Get a demand softener. When it's properly adjusted, it will use up almost all the salt for each regeneration cycle, leaving very little to go into the septic tank.

2. Dig a dry well for the softener. It only has to handle 40 gallons at a shot. I run my softener into a dry well and it works well.



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Richard H.

05-01-2006 04:35:13




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 Re: Alternatives to Salt...Water Softener in reply to MarkB_MI, 04-30-2006 19:29:00  
Mark, I got a new demand softener 5 years ago when I re-plumbed my house and YEE-HAA that puppy is nice! Not to mention nice on the ole wallet, salt consumption is way down. Richard



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buickanddeere

04-30-2006 18:15:17




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 potassium chloride Re: Alternatives to Salt...Wate in reply to Glenn FitzGerald, 04-30-2006 12:52:44  
Potassium Chloride as previously stated. It isn't as detrimental to plumbing or concrete. Better for your health too as we already get too much sodium in our diets. I ran our newly installed water softener and the laundry to a branch of the house perimeter drain some distance away from the house. Between re-routing the laundry. And running a new yard drain along the edge of the weeping bed to catch surface water before it ran over and swamped the bed. We have had none of the septic problems the previous owners were plagued with. In hind sight I would have connected the dishwasher and the upstairs sink/bathtub to the grey water drain too.All this anti-bacterial soap, chlorine etc wrecks havic with the sepic critters.

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CNKS

04-30-2006 13:17:55




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 Re: Alternatives to Salt...Water Softener in reply to Glenn FitzGerald, 04-30-2006 12:52:44  
It won't hurt your septic tank, if that's what you mean. Most rural people who have one don't do anything different -- Everyone in town sends it into the sewage system. NaCl will hurt your lawn more than your septic tank.



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Glenn F.

04-30-2006 14:58:37




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 Re: Alternatives to Salt...Water Softener in reply to CNKS, 04-30-2006 13:17:55  
Thanks for the response. It is a negative regarding the natural bacteria action of a septic system though, isn't it? Glenn



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rgvtx

04-30-2006 17:45:25




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 Re: Alternatives to Salt...Water Softener in reply to Glenn F., 04-30-2006 14:58:37  
Mine too runs out onto the yard. Been doing it for 6 months or more and that is one of the greenest areas in the lawn. The last time I had my tank pumped, I asked about putting it into the septic system. He said most do, but he didn"t recommend it so I asked why expecting him to say it kills the bacteria. Nope, instead he said the salt in the water kills concrete and since my tank is concrete he said adding more salt was a very bad idea. So, it keeps the grass green instead.

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Glenn F.

04-30-2006 18:33:27




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 Re: Alternatives to Salt...Water Softener in reply to rgvtx, 04-30-2006 17:45:25  
You aren't running salt in your softener...? If so, the discharge area on your lawn won't be green. There won't be anything growing there! Glenn



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CNKS

04-30-2006 17:54:04




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 Re: Alternatives to Salt...Water Softener in reply to rgvtx, 04-30-2006 17:45:25  
Sodium chloride does not make grass green. Your grass is greener because of the extra water, which overides the detrimental effect of the NaCl, which in your case is obviously not high enough to hurt anything, yet. If you happen to be using KCl (potassium chloride) you may be getting a benefit from the K, if your soil K level is low. An excess of sodium will eventually cause problems, so keep an eye on it.

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CNKS

04-30-2006 16:40:23




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 Re: Alternatives to Salt...Water Softener in reply to Glenn F., 04-30-2006 14:58:37  
Perhaps it can kill some bacteria, but I have never seen any data on that. You can add some of the "bacteria" the plumbing companies sell, if you wish. The best way to prevent problems with your septic system is simply to have it pumped every 1-3 years, depending on how much waste you are putting into it. I have a softener and don't use it, because the previous owner had it plumbed so that a faucet on the outside of the house was plumbed to the household water supply, instead of routed directly from my well. I don't want sodium chloride on my grass, or flowers etc. The other post about the KCl being less toxic is correct.

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Dusty

04-30-2006 15:20:30




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 Re: Alternatives to Salt...Water Softener in reply to Glenn F., 04-30-2006 14:58:37  
Try potassium chloride. Costs a little more and takes a little more of it, but will not hurt lawn and is better for you.

Dusty



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