In an effort to maximize the water treatment system and overall home quality for your customer or for yourself, I suggest the following points for you to consider when it comes to the plumbing of the house:
The biggest issue that we see over and over is that the outside hose bibbs are tied into the softened water. Sometimes this might be desirable, but most often it is a detriment to the effectiveness of the water system. Heavy watering for just two hours can exhaust the capacity of an average water softener, thus rendering hard water to the house for the remainder of the day. (In other words: " Mamma ain't gonna be happy.") Water Softeners should be primarily dedicated for inside house water only.
Outside watering with softened water can increase the sodium levels in the soil, which can affect grass, plants and trees over a long period of time. Also there is the added expense of increased salt consumption when watering with softened water. If at all possible, outside hose bibbs for watering should be with un-softened water.
The only scenario where you might want to run the outside hose bibbs with softened water is when iron/manganese is present, which may cause staining to the house and where minimum outside watering is expected. The same holds true for a swimming pool if staining is an issue.
The best scenario with flexibility is to have a few hose bibbs softened and a few un-softened. The softened hose bibbs would be dedicated for the washing of windows or cars, and only limited watering around the house - while un-softened hose bibbs would be solely used for heavy yard watering (like thousands of gallons!)
Another common issue is the drain line for water softeners. If the water softener is to be located in the house or garage, it is best to have two drain lines: one for the pressurized discharge line and another for the safety overflow line.
Sometimes running the drain line into the septic system is the only option, but if the drain line can be run outside (either on the ground or burying it in a lateral drain line), then this is preferred. A single salt keeper overflow drain line run to the outside of the house is the best option, if cost permits. This will ensure proper drainage if the water softener sticks in the fill cycle. Tying into other drain lines and overflow lines is also an option, but if possible, separate drain lines are best (minimizes the chance for Murphy's Law to rear its ugly head).
Lastly, water treatment equipment does need to be serviced on a regular basis - and adequate space and accessibility is required for servicing and the removal of the units (when needed). Sometimes additional equipment is needed later on, as water quality changes from time to time. A little extra room sure won't hurt! Attic temperatures tend to exceed most manufacturer's recommended temperature for water treatment equipment, and thus is not recommended.
When I explain this to my customers who have already built their house and now need water treatment, their response is: "I wished someone would have told me thisbefore we built the house." Well, to sum this all up - I strongly suggest that if water treatment equipment might be or is a consideration, it should be considered during building and not after construction is completed! (as this seems to be the norm).
When building a house, if one was to incorporate these few basic points, the end result will be a much better water system for the homeowner. I guarantee it! It is my hope that the homeowner get the best system possible (hence the reason for this long wordy page).
Because at Priceless WaterCare we really do CARE! (really!) ~ Allan Price Priceless WaterCare
