If you have a water softener at your home or are considering installing a water softener, you may be concerned about the impact the water softener has on your septic system. Two or three times a week, a water softener goes through a “regeneration cycle” during which it discharges 50 to 70 gallons of water with a high level of saline. This raises concerns about the effect of the saline on the beneficial bacteria in the septic system and about overloading the septic system with too much water.
A septic tank is designed to hold water for about 48 hours to allow solid material to sink to bottom of the tank and for grease and oil to accumulate at the top of the tank. The effluent then flows to the leach field where it percolates into the soil. Placing an additional water load on the septic tank can cause the effluent to move out into the drain field before the solid material and oily or greasy material has fully separated. When this happens, solid material or greasy material gets into the drain field and can clog it.
A lot of waste water entering the tank can also stir up the water in the tank and cause the same problem. However, the effect of a water softener is about the same as washing one or two loads of laundry three times a week so it should not be a concern unless the septic system is undersized or otherwise subject to other heavy water loads.
The bacteria in the septic tank and drain field are important for they system to operate properly. When solvents, chemicals, and other such materials kill off too many of these bacteria, the system can have problems. Research to dated has shown that the additional saline from a water softener does not harm significant numbers of beneficial bacteria.
If you have any concerns about whether your septic system can handle the additional load imposed by a water softener, schedule a septic tank inspection by a good local sewer septic professional.
