How to Drain a Water Softener

When do you need to drain a water softener?

Drain a softener only when it will freeze, move, or be opened for cleaning or a re-bed; in normal use it sits full of water for years. The Pentair 5600SXT manual explains why cold is the big one: freezing temperatures freeze the water in the valve and physically damage its internal parts and the plumbing.

Short absences rarely need draining; the vacation guide explains when bypass alone is enough. For the brine tank alone, see how to clean a brine tank, and for a new resin bed, how to replace water softener resin.

What should you do before draining?

Take the softener out of service so the house keeps water and nothing in the valve is under pressure or power. Fleck's manual requires depressurizing the softener before you loosen a single fitting.

1. Close the supply valve that feeds the softener.
2. Put it in bypass. The bypass valve guide shows which way each handle type turns.
3. Relieve the pressure. The Fleck and Pentair manuals bleed it off by stepping the control briefly to the Backwash position and back to In Service.
4. Unplug the valve. Never open a softener that still has power.

How do you drain the brine tank?

Disconnect the brine line, then siphon or bail out the brine and scoop out the salt. These steps follow Quality Water Treatment's brine tank cleaning method (Quality Water Treatment, our store).

1. Disconnect the lines. Remove the brine line between the brine tank and the valve, and the overflow line if there is one.
2. Remove the brine. Siphon or bail it into a household drain, away from plants and lawn.
3. Take out the old salt and any sludge at the bottom.

EPA WaterSense suggests letting the salt level run down before you empty the tank, which leaves less to scoop. If the tank is staying in a vacation home, SoftPro leaves a small amount of salt in it, so a complete emptying is not always needed.

How do you drain the resin tank?

Drain the resin tank the way your owner's manual describes, since methods differ by valve and tank. The resin tank is the tall tank with the control valve on top; it holds the beads and stays full of water even when the brine tank is empty. The general approach:

1. Keep the softener bypassed, depressurized and unplugged.
2. Disconnect the inlet, outlet and drain line from the valve, following your manual.
3. Let the water out by the route your manual allows; SoftPro's resin guide drains through a drain feature or by siphoning.
4. Keep the tank level and upright. SoftPro notes that slight inclines leave pockets of water behind, and Pentair warns that a media tank turned upside down or laid back quickly can push resin into the valve.

Each regeneration already sends a lot of water to drain: EPA WaterSense puts a typical cycle at 20 to 70 gallons, and Penn State Extension at about 50. Your drain point has to cope with that flow in any case.

Winterizing a water softener in an unheated space

Winterize when the softener's location consistently drops below 32°F, and do it before a hard freeze. The Fleck manual says the unit cannot be subjected to freezing conditions. SoftPro's winterizing guide (SoftPro, our store) gives these steps:

1. Close the shut-off valve to the softener.
2. Engage the bypass.
3. Drain the resin and brine tanks as the owner's manual directs.
4. Disconnect, drain and store the hoses somewhere they cannot freeze and crack.
5. Bring the softener indoors if possible, or put a weatherproof cover over it.

For a vacation home, SoftPro also drains the low points, leaves a little salt in the brine tank, and suggests shutting off and draining the whole house. In a heated garage or basement, it insulates the tanks and pipes instead. If you think the unit froze, SoftPro says not to turn it on: look for cracks, bulges and leaks, and call a plumber or softener technician. In cold weather, the Fleck manual also warms the valve to room temperature before operating it.

How do you restart a softener after draining?

Restart it like a new installation: water in the brine tank, a slow fill of the resin tank, then your system's start-up routine.

1. Reconnect everything with the bypass still in bypass.
2. Add water to the brine tank as your guide states: Quality Water Treatment's guide calls for 2 gallons and SoftPro's for 3, with salt after the water.
3. Fill the resin tank slowly. SoftPro's Elite guide opens the bypass inlet only about a quarter turn until the tank fills, then fully; Pentair warns that opening the water valve fully can push media out of the tank.
4. Run a cold soft-water tap until it runs clear.
5. Plug in and set the clock, then run your start-up routine. Fleck and Pentair step the valve through a regeneration by hand; SoftPro and Quality Water Treatment say their pre-charged systems need no first regeneration. After a winter shutdown, SoftPro's spring checklist adds sanitizing and a manual regeneration.
6. Check for leaks at the valve, bypass and drain connection.

Then confirm the hardness and time in the settings guide, and go back to your normal softener maintenance.

Where should the drained water go?

Send brine to a floor drain, laundry tub or other household drain, never onto lawns or gardens. SoftPro's Elite guide lists accepted drain points as an existing softener drain, a floor drain, a laundry tub, a washing-machine drain, or a sanitary sewer line with a P-trap and an air gap.

On a septic system, views differ. University of Maryland Extension advises against connecting softener discharge to the septic tank, while the Water Quality Association says efficiently run softeners do not harm septic tank performance. Check local rules, and see our septic guide.

Common questions

Before and after draining

• MaintainScrubbing out a brine tank
• MaintainLeaving home for a while
• FixLeaks after reconnecting
• InstallPutting a softener back in, from the start