Several studies have been made to determine the exact nature of water
softener recharge waste effluents and their effects on private sewage disposal
systems. These studies evaluated three major areas">
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Culligan Water
Softeners & septic tanks
Several studies have been made to determine the exact nature of water
softener recharge waste effluents and their effects on private sewage disposal
systems. These studies evaluated three major areas">
|
|
|
|
|
|
Culligan Water
Softeners & septic tanks
Several studies have been made to determine the exact nature of water
softener recharge waste effluents and their effects on private sewage disposal
systems. These studies evaluated three major areas">
|
|
|
|
|
|
Culligan Water
Softeners & septic tanks
Several studies have been made to determine the exact nature of water
softener recharge waste effluents and their effects on private sewage disposal
systems. These studies evaluated three major areas, all dealing with the effect
of effluents developed during the regeneration of household water softeners.
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First, it was important to study the
effect of dissolved salts in softener regeneration effluents on biological
action in septic tank systems. These studies demonstrated that regeneration
effluent from water softeners had no deleterious effect on the biological
action in a septic tank and that the regeneration waste effluents may
actually stimulate biological action.
Second, it was felt important to assess
the hydraulic effect of the volume of water softener wastewater. These studies
demonstrated that the volume of recharge effluent from a water softener is
less than that of present day automatic clothes washers. The amount of waste
effluent developed by a typical household water softener during regeneration
is about 50 gallons. This effluent contains calcium, magnesium, and sodium
chlorides. The frequency of regeneration is dependent on water hardness, water
usage, and regeneration salt dosage.
Third, the last area of study concerned
the effect of softener effluents on soil percolation in septic system drain
fields. This portion of the study is important since much of the literature on
irrigation contains references to the adverse effects of high sodium water on
soil structure and permeability, particularly in clay-type soils. The study
concluded that there was an important difference between water softener
effluents and sodium effluents, which has an important bearing on soil
percolation and permeability.
The important difference is that water softener
effluents contain significant amounts of calcium and magnesium and therefore
are not really sodium effluents alone. Calcium and magnesium counteract the
effect of sodium and help maintain and sustain soil permeability, even in
susceptible clay-type soils. Thus, it appears that water softener recharge
effluent brine will not affect biological digestion, hydraulic load, or leach
field permeability in a septic tank system. However, if the leach field is
composed of swelling clays, permeability will be reduced regardless of the
presence of water softener effluent. Moreover, calcium and magnesium contained
in regeneration effluents actually increased soil permeability.
Salts in the waste effluent from recharge of
water softeners created no hydraulic conductivity or percolation problems in a
properly designed septic tank seepage field. In fact, it was found that soil
percolation was increased by water softener regeneration effluents, as
compared to soil receiving household sewage effluents without the addition of
effluents from the regeneration of water softeners. In other words, lower
hydraulic conductivity (HC) might result if regeneration or recharge wastes
from water softeners were not allowed to enter the septic tank seepage field.
In this case, the beneficial effects of calcium and magnesium would be lost.
This would occur if the regeneration wastes were not discharged to the septic
system, but to a dry well, roadside ditch, or other point.
One study was conducted by soil scientists at
the University of Wisconsin and dealt solely with anaerobic septic tank
systems. The other study, conducted by the National Sanitation Foundation,
dealt solely with aerobic septic tank systems.
Conclusions reached in this study were as
follows:
Water softener regeneration wastes demonstrated
no adverse effects on home aerobic wastewater treatment plant performance,
even when stressed by loading at a use rate simulating ten persons (twice the
average use rate). There was no difference in performance between days in
which the plant received regeneration wastes and days in which it did not.
 
Contact your
Culligan Man
to battle your hard water problems!
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