All Reject into HP rinse?

[Waxman]

My water softener has a long flush cycle and I'm thinking of re-routing the hose into my R.O. reject tank.

Do you think using it in the HP rinse cycle will adversely affect wash quality?

 

[I.B. Washincars]

Isn't that water going to be full of salt?

 

[robtl]

My water softener has a long flush cycle and I'm thinking of re-routing the hose into my R.O. reject tank.

Do you think using it in the HP rinse cycle will adversely affect wash quality?

we had a softener go haywire one time and sent the reject water to the automatics and the cars came out white with salt, you have never seen a car in the winter with as much salt on them as the cars that were rinsed with the brine water that the softener put on them. DON'T !!!
But the good thing was it was easy to rewash.

 

[soapy]

It would also have the minerals that were removed from all the water it processed in addition to the salt. You can always shorten the cycle time on the softner if you think it is running to long.

 

[Dan kamsickas]

It would also have the minerals that were removed from all the water it processed in addition to the salt. You can always shorten the cycle time on the softner if you think it is running to long.

I would recommend you check with the manufacturer of your softner before doing this. The length of the different cycles of regeneration are usually preset at the factory to insure that a proper regeneration of the softner is accomplished.

I frequently get people calling who are complaining that their softners are not working. Frequently, it turns out that they thought a paticular cycle was too long and decided to adjust the length of the cycle.

 

[Dean Taylor]

If you can hook up a timer and valve so the regen process dumps the brine to drain for the first 1/3 of the regen cycle, the amount of salt brine in the second 2/3 of the regen process is very minimal, if any. This is something I have done in the past with good success.

 

[Jeff_L]

I would be afraid of the salt and other junk in the softner going into my HP rinse. I capture the reject from my RO system, since it has been softened, de-chlorinated, and is cleaner than the tap water.

 

[pitzerwm]

Some communities won't let you dump the regen into the sewer. You have to "dry it out" first. This is because the large amount of salt screws up the system. Of course, it could be BS too.

 

[MEP001]

I had suggested this before, but a method to capture some of the water would be to make a tall cup out of PVC pipe with a drain hole at the bottom just large enough for the brine cycle water to run to the drain. There would be a larger opening above that for the backwash and settle rinse to overflow into your holding tank. Those two cycles use much more water and should have little or no salt in it. You'll likely get sediment and resin from time to time, but a fine mesh filter would catch that.

 

[Waxman]

I was wondering about installing a filter before the regen water enters the ro reject tank.

Would that work?

The idea of a timer and valve to flush the first 1/3 of the cycle down the drain also sounds good.

 

[ted mcmeekin]

At our wash, we collect all ro reject, rain gutter water, and weep when running. We have 50 micron 1 inch filter on exit of repressure pump. Has worked fine for 7 years. We have to repressure because our tank is buried.

Ted

 

[I.B. Washincars]

I was wondering about installing a filter before the regen water enters the ro reject tank.

Would that work?

The idea of a timer and valve to flush the first 1/3 of the cycle down the drain also sounds good.

Good lord, how much time and money do you intend to spend to catch a nickel's worth of water a day

 

[Waxman]

all water savings adds up. re-routing a hise and adding a filter is pretty inexpensive.

water/sewer rates keep rising; why waste water if it's okay to re-use?

 

[I.B. Washincars]

I read, filter, timer, and valve. I'm assuming you mean a solenoid valve, so I see a hundred bucks or so being spent. I can't imagine ever saving that much just by catching a portion of your softener regen water. JMO, but whatever kocks your pistol.

 

[Waxman]

Good input; that's why I bounce these ideas around here before cocking my, um, pistol.

 

[robtl]

Good input; that's why I bounce these ideas around here before cocking my, um, pistol.

I have been thinking (OH NO) that the fleck softener controller the wheels activate a small motor to go from brine rinse to brine fill to final rinse, if you could tap into the wiring which activates the final rinse motor then you could open a valve to swing the reject rinse to a storage tank?
Maybe someone with more knowledge of the workings could guide you thru this.

 

[MEP001]

My "overflow" method would catch most of the usable water and for maybe $10 in parts.