I've done some Google searching, checked the archives of this group for relavent recent discussion, and have thus far come up with nothing useful.
We have a water softener and dehumidifier that drain in to the sump pump. The sump pump output pipe froze, causing the discharge from the softener regeneration to back up into the basement. I'm looking for a high water alarm that can cut the power to these devices in case something happens again.
Does anyone know of such a thing?
Puckdropper
You have no sewer drain in the basement? Where does laundry water go?
On Feb 2, 6:03=EF=BF=BDam, Puckdropper wrote= :
h, as some
your better off with a back up sump pump assuming your sump is also a underground drain.
you might stop the softener just to get flooded anyway...........
it would be easy to fabricate a sump pump switch that would detect high water and turn off the softener... if you cant buy one
Roll your own with this:
Be careful you don't remove power from the softener when it is dumping water out the drain. Depending on the design, it might just continue filling the basement with water because there is no power to close the valve.
I've been fighting this problem with the waterfilter/softener recycle discharge hose for a good while.
get the outlet hose (in places it can freeze) to slop downward so it doesn't sit with water in it to freeze. In other places use a water pipe heating cable wrap (sold at the box stores) - In cold places in my basement I also have a cheap themostat and two 100 watt light bulbs to keep that area above 32 degrees
paul
Since it has plenty of pressure behind it, why not plumb the softener directly out with its own downsloaping drain? Make sure that any pipe exposed to freezing temps is as short as possible and flows only downward to the outlet, and is well insulated.
Since it has plenty of pressure behind it, why not plumb the softener directly out with its own downsloaping drain? Make sure that any pipe exposed to freezing temps is as short as possible and flows only downward to the outlet, and is well insulated.
Here's what you need.
Peter H
Here's what you need.
Peter H
I used to have the same set up with my softener and what I did was to pipe it up into the sewer line with a washer type of set up....
snipped-for-privacy@neo.rr.com wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
Thanks for the information! That little bit might have prevented another flood after much work. :-)
Puckdropper
"Bob F" wrote in news:gm7822$4mn$ snipped-for-privacy@news.motzarella.org:
The output froze up outside, where a length of PVC takes the water out away from the house, and for whatever reason a lengthy flexible hose extends the output well in to the yard. The flexible hose froze up and the ice dammed the PVC pipe.
The idea about plumbing the softener directly out is a good one, but in the case the same thing would have happened.
Puckdropper
You really need a continuously downslopeing drain, so that all the water drains out after the flow, before the pipe has a chance to freeze up. As long as there is very little ice in the pipe, the next water flow should quickly melt it and the pipe should not plug up. Non-metal pipe should help (low thermal mass), insulation should help (more time to drain before it freezes). Avoid corrugated pipe that will hold water, and any up slope along the way.
had this problem from a sump in garage near garage door. sump collects driveway water
Solved permantely years ago, at least 10:)
Removed check valve from pump, ran sump exit line 2 inch to 4 inch 3 feet deep underground line.
Water goes up and falls a foot into the underground line sloping to street.
At NO POINT can any water lay where it ever freezes.
The key is oversized lines
" snipped-for-privacy@aol.com" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@j35g2000yqh.googlegroups.com:
I'm not sure an underground line would be feasable at this point, but transitioning to a 4" pipe immediately after the 2" pipe exits the house would be. The natural heat of the house would keep the pipe from freezing at that point, and the larger pipe wouldn't fill with water after one or two pumpings.
Thanks for the suggestion.
Puckdropper
snipped-for-privacy@j35g2000yqh.googlegroups.com:
e quoted text -
This or similar may be a good and easy solution. It's a device that provides an alternate emergency path for the water near where it exits the house in the event that the regular line becomes blocked.
Also, if I had a sump that was also the discharge for the water softener, or a sump that is essential to keeping the basement dry, I'd have a backup sump.] pump set at a sligthly higher level. Possibly battery backup deoending on situation. I think all these are better than a system to shut down the water softener, as it gives you coverage for groundwater too.
de quoted text -
Probably the same place 99% of everyones gray water goes. Into the sewer or septic tank. Yes, it is best not to do that but "best" and "what gets done" are rarely the same thing.
Is it dark where your head is?
Harry K
You may already have everything you need if your basement is GFCI protected. The only issue is to place a sensor at ground level to detect flooding.
Jimmie
Probably the same place 99% of everyones gray water goes. Into the sewer or septic tank. Yes, it is best not to do that but "best" and "what gets done" are rarely the same thing.
Is it dark where your head is?
Harry K
Here in Maine it is code to have ALL gray water go into the septic so perhaps it's dark where your head is????
You should be able to set up the exterior plumbing on the sump discharge so that it does not ice up causing a blockage. As others have pointed out, using an oversize pipe, making sure it's sloped down all the way, etc. should help. You might also want to have a fail- safe feature so that water can still escape outside even if there is a blockage further down. For example, the pipe coming out from the house points down and ends above the open end of the drain pipe, creating an air gap (like a spigot poised above a drain). If the drain pipe is clogged the water can still exit the sump discharge pipe
- it might be coming out right next to the house but that is still better than inside the house. That does make it more noisy though.
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