Water softeners remove heavy minerals from your water, making it better for you and your pipes.
There are two steps you should take before installing a water softener. Be sure to place the system in a dry area that does not see much fluctuation in temperature. This generally means you will need to select an indoor location like a dry area of a basement or a closet. Having the water softener near the existing water line helps, too. If you install your water softener outside keep it out of the direct sun and close to the house. Also, make sure that it has protection from rain and snow. The other thing to do is to unpack the unit and make sure it has all of the pieces that were supposed to come with it. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Shut off the water in your house and drain the lines. Find where the water lines come into your house and turn the valves until they no longer move. The master valve to this line is usually near the street where your water line comes off the water main. Look for a small cover. If you don't find the valve there, then look for a valve near where the water line enters the house. Then turn on faucets at both a high point and low point in the house and let the water drain from the lines.
2. Turn off the water and power to the water heater. Turn off the water valves above the water heater. Then turn off the power to the water heater if it's electric. If it's a gas water heater, you'll need to turn the control knob to the pilot position.
3. Connect the water softener to your water line. Use pipe wrenches to open the incoming water line and connect it to the inlet side of your remote bypass. This is a short connection between the new water line and existing water line. It is a valve that allows the water to flow into the water softening unit or to bypass it. You will be able to see which end of the valve is the inlet side by an arrow on the valve.
4. Connect the other end of the bypass valve to the main water line. You will probably want to secure these connections by soldering them so that there won't be any leaks.
5. Turn the water and water heater power back on. The water softener is connected to the main water line now which will send water into the water heater or through the cold water line. Open the water heater shut off valve. Watch for leaks where you opened the water line and soldered new lines. If you see a leak, repeat steps 1 and 2 and resolder the leaking joint.
6. Remove the drain line fitting from the water softener. Attach the drain tube to the fitting and connect it to the overflow valve on the side of the brine tank. Make sure the tube is long enough to reach the drain. Finally, use plastic ties to hold the drain line to the water pipe.
7. Remove the lid from the brine tank. Push a tube to be used as the brine line through the hole on the side of the brine tank. Attach a compression fitting to end of the tube that is inside the tank and connect it to the safety valve.
8. Run the brine line to the resin tank. Attach a compression fitting to the end of the tube in the tank and connect it to the intake at the side of the control valve.
9. Open the bypass so that water flows into the water softener. Check for any leaks at the connections.
Tags: water line, water heater, water softener, your water, brine tank
