Can brine from a water softener be put into a cesspit or septic tank?
Yes, you can use a water softener with a septic tank, cesspit or package sewage treatment plant.
A cesspit is just a storage tank that stores the sewage for a period of time and is emptied periodically by the municipality (typically every month). A cesspit does not discharge to the ground.
A septic tank is a holding tank that is intended to allow some “anaerobic” digestion of the sewage to start before overflowing to a drainage field.
There is a third type of “on site” domestic waste treatment and this is usually referred to as “Package Treatment Plant”. These are more sophisticated in that they aerate the sewage. We have had some suppliers of this type of equipment void their warranty if softened water is discharged - but this is for a variety of “alleged” reasons - not just salt. The issue is bigger in the US and the American Water Quality Association has carried out a research project proving that softened water does not compromise the efficiency or operation of sewage systems. Visit http://wqa.org/sitelogic.cfm?ID=363
Increased sodium in the softened water can actually be helpful to the bacterial organisms in the septic tank.
So fit our water softener and enjoy the benefits and don’t worry about your sewage system. If you ever get an issue with your sewage provider ask them to contact us or our trade association.
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