Water Softener Discharge

[not-a-plumber]

I recently purchased a home built in 1986.

The water softener is located in the crawlspace and discharges to a sanitary drain line that goes into the septic system.

I've attached a picture of the drain assembly.

Is this drain safe and legal?

Can a water softener legally discharge into a septic system?

The house is located in Raleigh, NC

Thanks for your help.

 

[phishfood]

Nothing about that piping arrangement is correct. I can't tell for certain, but it looks as though the discharge hose is dropped into the drain pipe, which is not good. There is no vent on the trap, which can cause sewer gas to be released under the house. The fittings used to attach to the main sewer line are incorrect.

Code varies by region, and local areas can even adopt revisions to the model code that they are using, so I can't even begin to comment on whether or not draining a softener into the sanitary drainage is allowed where you are. If it were relatively easy, you would probably be ahead routing the softener drain to the outside into a french drain, and capping this drain.

 

[journeyman]

salt water into a septic tank will kill the bacteria that eats the sludge in the septic tank. i would run drain somewhere else and add bacteria to the septic

 

[IFIXH20]

That's a highly debated subject (Water softeners with septic system). Some say a little salt can be beneficial to a septic system and household cleaners are much worst than a softener. So many different studies. We have lots of softeners & septic system setup here in Northeast Florida. It's best to check with local officials in your area.