A neighbor said he is going to install a water softener. He has a septic tank, which he said is a metal (steel) tank. I told him the salt from that softener is going to destroy that metal tank in a very short time. He said the installer from the softener company told him it will not damage his septic or any plumbing. I cant disagree more.
Salt eats up steel and other metals real quickly. We see it every winter from road salt. All that company is interested in, is making a sale.
Next door neighbor had a water softener and had to put in a drain field for it as county septic rules do not allow it to go into the septic. Did not discover until he put the house up for sale and buyers inspection discovered it.
Glad I did not install one. My plumber had tested our well water and recommended a water softener but this chemist looked at the analysis and one or two ppm Ca above a certain level did not impress me to do it.
Steel septic tank ... ? what possible advantage ? I see only disadvantages - can anyone enlighten me ? My water softener flushes into my septic tank, along with the furnace condensate and everything else from all the kitchen & bathroom & laundry drains - no issues. John T.
No, that company speaks the truth because water softeners DO NOT add salt to the water.
CaCO3 + NaCl = CaCl+ NaCO3
Which does not mean the tank won't rust, just that there will be no salt abetting the rusting.
Possible your neighbor is not so worried because they are considering using only Potasium Chloride instead of Sodium Chloride, and therefore not as corrosive??
I would still rather send to a drywell than risk any more loading on my septic system.
First of all, we weren't talking about recharge water, that's not going into the septic system/
Secondly. you'd lose , no tqble salt in the discharge water either, not if the softener's job of ion exchange has been efficient.
It isn't. You need to read up on "ion exchange". Maybe "ion" too.
Maybe YOU weren't but it's assumed in the OP's post. Just where do you think the recharge water that is discharged is going to go? Into the city sewer rather than his septic tank? Think about it.
Perhaps YOU should read this and numerous other items available. "A rose by any other name. . ."
And that link, BTW, is courtesy of a water softening company.
Well, my recharge water gets dumped onto a amall area on the ground. Same with my neighbors. No reason I now of that it couldn't be directed inro city sewer lines though, certainly no beed to dump it into a septic system
Aame suggestion for you. Here a couple of quotes from it that say what I have been saying. BTW, your nym us very appropriate :)
" But softening of water via cation exchange does not make water more corrosive. In fact, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the American Water Works Association have both recently corrected their brochures about the misconception that ion exchange softening has an effect on the corrosivity of water.
The simple replacement of hard water calcium and magnesium with soft water sodium or potassium has no detrimental effect on water contacting materials. In fact, the nonscaling characteristic of soft water is a benefit to such pumping and plumbing appurtenances. Ion exchange water softening neither causes nor controls corrosion.
It is true that living plants take up and utilize potassium, whereas plants cannot use sodium. However, there is far more potassium in softener KCl brines than plants or grasses can normally use. Potassium that is not taken up by plants is held in the soil by clay and organic matter. Excessive build up of either potassium or sodium in the root zone of plants can inhibit plant growth."
Someone keeps referring to the softened water rather than the re-charge brine .. ... that person is unquestionably confused .. and it isn't Unquestionably Confused ! :-) John T.
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