You know that you need to get a water softener because you have hard water and want to protect your home from the damaging effects of hard water. But you also have a septic system and have heard that having a water softener can harm a septic system, but does a having a water softener really cause harm to a septic system?
A water softener discharges sodium ions as well as hard minerals during its regeneration process but the wastewater from a water softener that is working properly has been diluted to the point where it will have no significant negative effect on a properly functioning septic system.
Having a water softener to provide better water for you and your family is a great idea, but if you have a septic system, you may be concerned about what negative effects a water softener might have on your septic system.
Is the sodium discharged from my water softener enough to affect my septic system?
This is a question that will be answered differently depending on who you ask.
If you ask a water softener salesperson this question, they will tell you that a water softener will not harm the performance of your septic system at all. They might also tell you that their water system is the best one in the whole world and that soft water will fix all of your problems and even make your hair grow back.
If you ask this question to someone that fixes septic system problems, they might tell you that a water softener will not hurt your septic system if you have them do an expensive septic system upgrade to make your septic system better.
And if you ask a scientist this same question, they might say that the sodium percentage in the water discharge of an average water softener will not have a significant degenerative effect on the active bacterias fragmentation of organic solids in your septic system.
Fortunately, all of these answers are right!
Since you add big bags of salt into your water softener brine tank, you would naturally think that there must be a high level of sodium in the water that is discharged from your water softener and it must be doing harm to your septic system, but that is not the case.
Because a water softener uses regular water to draw the brine (saltwater) from your water softeners brine tank, the water going out of your water softener is actually a mix of mostly regular water with just some of the salt water from the brine tank.
When a water softener draws the brine from your brine tank, it is running regular water that pulls the bine solution along with it.
It is just like when you use some liquid grass fertilizer that you hook up to your garden hose. As the water from your garden hose travels through the container, it picks up some of the grass fertilizer on the way and then sprays out the mixture onto your grass.
As per the Water Quality Research Foundation which is an independent research foundation for the Water Quality Association, the water discharged by a properly functioning standard water softener will not negatively affect the performance of a properly functioning septic system.
What a septic system does with your wastewater.
A septic system is simply a system to disperse organic waste in water in a structured way so that it has the ability to decompose naturally by being broken down by bacteria.
First, the wastewater enters a large tank called a septic tank. In this tank, heavier waste products settle to the bottom of the tank and the lighter waste goes out of the tank above the heavier waste.
Bacteria in the septic tank break down the solid waste into smaller waste that can then be re-introduced into the earth.
Next, the lighter wastewater goes through a distribution box where it spreads out down several pipes to evenly distribute the wastewater over a large area commonly called a leach field where the water is absorbed back into the earth.
This wastewater contains any waste that is used in the home that is directed down a water drain, often including the wastewater that comes out of your water softener.
Is my septic system large enough to handle a water softener?
Unless the size of your home has increased since it has been built or if it is a very old home that may have an out of date sized septic system, you should have a septic system that will handle the discharge of a water softener without any problems.
Long before a home is actually built, the septic system is thought out to make sure that it will be able to handle the potential water and waste that will be produced by the home.
In many cases, a septic system is designed to handle far more water waste than the home will ever produce so that there will be no problems with the system for many years.
What are the overall effects of a water softener on a septic system?
Studies done by the Water Quality Research Foundation have found that not only does the discharged wastewater from a water softener not cause any significant negative effects to the septic system of a home, but the softened water created by a water softener that is used in the home is actually beneficial to the bacteria in a septic system that breaks down the waste from the home.
Do I need a high-efficiency water softener if I have a septic system?
Having a high-efficiency water softener is a great idea if you have a low yielding well or if your water softener will have to regenerate very often but a high-efficiency water softener is not normally more beneficial than a standard water softener for a properly working septic system.
It is true that a high-efficiency water softener will use less water and less salt than a standard water softener so if your septic system is undersized for your wastewater needs, a high-efficiency water softener might be a good idea.
But if you already have a standard water softener, don’t run out and spend thousands of dollars on a high-efficiency water softener until you make sure that your current water softener is working correctly.
How can I make sure my water softener is not regenerating too much?
Make sure to test your water to determine the correct hardness of your water and if you have any iron in your water. Then make sure that your water softener is set correctly for your hardness and iron.
Many water softeners have a preset hardness setting of about 20. If you have a power outage, your water softener may have reset the hardness to 20 when you may actually only need it to be at 10.
If your water softener has a separate salt setting that is not automatically set by setting the hardness on your water softener, make sure that it is set to the correct salt dosage or you could be using too much salt during every regeneration.
A properly working standard water softener that is set correctly will not have any significant negative effect on a properly working septic system in most situations.
If you have excessive hardness or iron in your water that requires your water softener to operate very often, a high-efficiency water softener could be a wise choice, but I have rarely found that a standard water softener that is working correctly will cause any problems with a properly working septic system.
Does an expensive water softener have less effect on my septic system?
The price of a water softener certainly does not have a direct bearing on its efficiency, reliability, or its effect on your septic system.
Most high-priced water softeners operate very much the same as an inexpensive water softener.
Check out my article: Why Are Some Water Softeners So Expensive? Are They Better?
Yes, some expensive water softeners may use slightly less salt than an inexpensive water softener but the additional cost of the system usually far exceeds the amount that you will save on salt.
In many cases when you spend a lot of money on an expensive water softener, you are paying for the name and some un-necessary bells and whistles that will make very little difference in the systems’ effect on your septic system.
How often can a water softener regenerate without harming my septic system?
Most water softeners will not regenerate more than once a day. If your water softener is regenerating every day and you don’t think that it should be, test your water for hardness and iron, then check your owner’s manual to ensure that it is set correctly.
A properly sized septic system is designed to handle more wastewater than you will likely use including a water softener. So if your water is very hard or your water usage is very high where your water softener needs to regenerate every day, it should still not cause any harm to your septic system.
Will servicing my water softener regularly make it safer for my septic system?
Yes! A water softener is just a mechanical device that has moving parts and a way to determine how often it needs to regenerate. A computer can lose its programming during a power outage, a valve can stop closing correctly and an opening can get clogged.
During an average service, a technician should be testing your untreated water to determine your water characteristics and setting your water softener accordingly.
If your water softener is set incorrectly, it will not know that it is regenerating too often or using more salt than it needs to. When this happens you can be using more water and salt than you should be, which means more water and salt in your septic system. But this should still not cause any harm to your septic system.
There are some internal parts that can get clogged which may result in your water softener not using enough salt which could mean that you may need to use more detergent when washing clothes or other household cleanings, and this extra detergent will end up in your septic system.
If your water softener is functioning at its best, it will be contributing less wastewater to your septic system. Although the wastewater from your water softener should not hurt your septic system, servicing your water softener occasionally is a good idea to minimize salt usage and prolong the life of the unit.
What is the best water softener to use with a septic system?
Any standard water softener will work fine with a properly working septic system. Choosing a water softener for your home will depend on how much hardness that you have in your water and if your water contains any iron in it which can be removed by using a water softener.
The size or capacity of a water softener has little to do with its effect on a septic system, choose a water softener that fits your needs and it should not hurt your septic system at all.
