On-site Best Water Softener Systems are used by more than 20,000,000 households in the United States. That number is expected to continue growing. Many of our customers have questions regarding the impact of water softener emissions on these systems. We found so much information and opinions on the topic that we felt it was necessary to review some of them and attempt to give an accurate overview of the current understanding.

Water Softening Process and Septic System

Septic system functions are very simple. Your homes plumbing runs to an underground storage tank. The heavier solids in wastewater settle to bottom when it enters the tank. The solids will be broken down into liquid by the bacteria present in the tank. The liquid is then discharged from its primary tank into a second storage tank. The drainage field is composed of perforated underground conduit. Water then returns to the soil.

The chemical cation Exchange is what makes water soften. It replaces calcium or magnesium in the water by an equivalent number of potassium or sodium ions. The resin bed will filter household water through it, and any calcium or magnesium that is present in the water will be removed. The resin bed can only remove hardness if it is of a certain size. When the resin is exhausted, the control valve will wash the resin and draw salt-containing solution out of the brine tank through it. The salt reacts with the resin, and the process of “ion exchange” occurs. The resin bed will be ready to deliver softened water once more has been rinsed.