Water softener sounds like a shotgun

[Jarnipman]

Hi everyone, this is my first post ever here!!! Very cool site!!!

I am new to water softeners...I bought a house with a Hellenbrand storm iron curtain and a pro 6 softener. It works great, but when it back flushes it sounds like a shotgun was fired in the house and it scares the heck out of everyone and wakes up everyone in the house. It is ridiculous and I'm not kidding it is LOUD and it always scares me because it happens when I'm not expecting it. The backflush drain pipe is poly and it drains to my laundry sink. What is making this so loud, is it the poly pop vibrating and making a pop? What can I do to make this thing quiet? If I use copper pipe will that quiet it down? Or is this a Hellenbrand valve issue?

Thanks!

 

[phishfood]

I don't have a good answer.

But I am going to move this thread to the softener sub forum, where hopefully one of our members who know water softeners inside out will be more likely to see it and respond.

 

[speedbump]

I'm not familiar with your brands. But it sounds like a valve is slamming shut which shouldn't be happening. The tubing can't make a sound like that. I have heard Autotrol's making a loud chattering noise when one of it's valves was trying to close and it chattered back and forth while the cam was trying to close it the rest of the way. High pressure caused this problem.

Do you know what pressure your plumbing has?

 

[Jarnipman]

My water pressure is 72 PSI, which is what the well drillers set it at for whatever reason. The noise starts with the valve opening, flow starts and then 1 second later the bang, so I'm thinking it's not the valve because it happens just after the valve opens. What if I put an arrestor inline with the drain, so the water hits the arrestor before turning down a T fitting to the drain line?

 

[speedbump]

72 isn't bad. I don't know how you know when the valve opens. Softener valves open and close very slowly. They don't click on and off like a light switch. Where did your softener come from? Big box store? Softener company? Ebay... etc.
The pressure switch being set at 72 psi is probably the high side. When your unit triggers a backwash, the actual pressure could be anywhere between the on and off pressure switch settings. So it's not always at 72 psi. Most switches have a 20 lb differential.