Adding Water Softner/Filter questions

I want to add a water softener to my home. Problem is that my basement is partially finished causing some issues with the Softener placement.

Anyways the first picture (Water01) shows how my current system is hooked up and where I want to place the softener

My Plan based on (Water02) pic is to run (2) 3/4" PEX tubing runs from the closet where the water heater and softener is located to the water main access.
I would cut the 3/4" copper pipe after the water meter. I would use the RED Pex line to run from the main water over to the closet and go into a filter then into Water Softener. Out of the softener would be the blue line and would feed back to the water meter area and it would tap back into the 3/4" pipe feeding the rest of the house.

The PEX runs would be 40ft per run adding roughly 80ft more of water travel to the system.

does anyone see any issues with this setup? Thoughts on water pressure?

Thanks!

Any time you add pipe, you add friction loss. How much depends on flow and pipe size/length.

What has me puzzled is using red pipe to or from a softener. I'm not a plumber, but isn't red pex for hot water?

Bow94z said:

I want to add a water softener to my home. Problem is that my basement is partially finished causing some issues with the Softener placement.

Anyways the first picture (Water01) shows how my current system is hooked up and where I want to place the softener

My Plan based on (Water02) pic is to run (2) 3/4" PEX tubing runs from the closet where the water heater and softener is located to the water main access.

I would cut the 3/4" copper pipe after the water meter. I would use the RED Pex line to run from the main water over to the closet and go into a filter then into Water Softener. Out of the softener would be the blue line and would feed back to the water meter area and it would tap back into the 3/4" pipe feeding the rest of the house.

The PEX runs would be 40ft per run adding roughly 80ft more of water travel to the system.

does anyone see any issues with this setup? Thoughts on water pressure?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Correct me if I am wrong.

Why not run the existing distribution pipe as is but plumb into softener first (using a sediment filter?). The WS output is then tied into the house supply and WH. Is there a proper drain at the closet to catch the WS back flush?

I don't know how to draw/post a diagram but why run all of that line?

You also need to measure incoming water pressure.

I only used red on the drawing. I would prob use blue PEX throughout.

The entire 15x15 room is completely dry walled. No drop ceiling but I can run flex pipe above the ceiling.

So if you look at my first drawing with no colors, the water main T's off twice to feed the kitchen and the upstairs before it hits the hot water heater. So if I stole the feed into the water heater and moved it to the softner, I would then take the out on the water softner into the IN on the water heater. This would mean that only the hot water would be softened

So if I went with my PEX idea, I would only cut the water main after the meter and utilize one 3/4" 40ft pex tube to take my main water over to the filter/softner. Then would use the 2nd 3/4" 40ft pex tube to take water softner OUT back over to the meter area to reconnect the rest of the house again.

Worse case. I can attach my 3/4 pipe by the meter again, and put the system back the way I had it originally

Hope that explains it better

can you get to your hose bib piping. ?

or your ice maker piping

if you can get to any water piping in your house.

bypass the hose bibs, ice maker, toilets

you dont need to soften the outdoor water nor do you want salty ice


only place you need it is the clothes washer, sinks, tubs

frodo said:

bypass the hose bibs, ice maker, toilets

you dont need to soften the outdoor water nor do you want salty ice


only place you need it is the clothes washer, sinks, tubs

Click to expand...

Depending on water hardness (and if possibly using the softener as a filter), the ice maker may become inoperative due to hardness. Toilets will stain if high iron/manganese content.

The water has to be analyzed before deciding on filter/softener install. If increased salt is a concern, all drinking water usage should be run through reverse osmosis.