Pipe layout for water softener install


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Old 09-15-16, 02:46 PM
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Pipe layout for water softener install

Hope you guys can see the pipes in the image attached. I am trying to put in a water softener. However i want to get a second opinion to see if I've got the run/flows correct. I believe the shutoff valve is on the right. The water heater line is connected to the shutoff valve in the drywall and is directly up. The lines coming from the wall are Hot from the water heater. The 2 remaining valves are going to the outside faucets. I think the line on the far left is straight to kitchen sink or icemaker. The line to the left of the shutoff is cold throughout the house.
 
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Old 09-15-16, 05:12 PM
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It sounds reasonable, but easy enough to check. Shut off the valve you think is the main. You should now have no cold or hot water pressure anywhere in the house. Turn main back on.

Then shut off the two green valves one at a time and verify the outside faucets lose pressure one at a time.

If you want to soften all the water except that going to outside faucets (that's what is usually done), you have some reconfiguration to do. It looks like you will have to move the supply to the water heater since there is no room to insert the softener after the main and before the supply to the heater....
 
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Old 09-16-16, 06:04 AM
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Thanks for the response. I've been researching diagrams, and it just seems like this system was created backwards. My initial plan was to soften all the water even the outdoor faucets. That led me to the next research of what soft water does to plants/vegetables. Seems to be a mixed reviews on what soft water does to the outdoors.
 
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Old 09-16-16, 06:38 AM
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I think most folks don't like to use soft water on plants because of the slightly increased sodium in the water. Probably isn't a big issue for outdoor plantings, but it can build up in potted plants when used over time. Also, if you use a lot of water through the outside faucets it can increase your frequency of regeneration and increase salt use and expense. This also means you may need a bigger unit to handle the flow requirements and keep regeneration interval reasonable.

OTOH, soft water is nice for washing windows and the cars. But you can always install a hot water faucet outdoors for such use; it's nice to have anyway.

I doubt the plumber was thinking about ease of hooking up a softener when he/she installed the plumbing, so it was laid out for installation ease at the time.
 
 

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