T or no T for water supply to water heater

13 years ago

Installing a water softener. House is on well water with a pressure tank. Electric water heater. House has never had a softener. House is 6 years old.

Do I need a T fitting for the water softener on the cold supply line to the water heater? I am thinking no.

The photos below show the lines currently. The main 1" supply is on the bottom left behind water heater. There is a T fitting there that runs the input line to the water filter.

The water filter has a shutoff valve on the top of the unit. When that is turned off, all cold water to house stops.

One person said to remove the filter so the water softener has enough flow when it backwashes.

In any case, the line into the water softener will either be direct from that T fitting on the supply or coming in from the out of the water filter.

The output line currently on the water filter runs into the wall. I am assuming there is already a T fitting behind the wall that I cannot see.

So my initial thought is to just put the output from the water softener to the current out line attached to the water filter.

So if the filter stays, cold water through the filter and to the softener and then back out to the line that runs into the wall behind water heater. And that should soften the water to both the water heater and cold water supply?

Am I on the right track here?

{{!gwi}}

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

ohmmm_gw
Original Author
13 years ago
My guess was wrong. The water softener is installed. The cold side tests soft. The hot side is still hard.

So I put a T in the line out from the softener, and ran it to a T just in front of the water shutoff on the water heater cold side.

Still no joy. So I pondered, and then the light bulb went on.

I need to just plug the line coming from the wall, because that is tapping off hard water only. And it is not accessible. So I will get rid of the T in front of the water shutoff. Replace it with an 90 elbow. Plug the line coming out from the wall. Then the only water that can go into the water heater is the output from the softener.

That should do the trick. Soft water on the hot and cold.

Don't ask me how they ran the outside hose bib connections. No clue. I am assuming they did it correctly when they built the house, so soft water won't be coming out of those, but who knows. It all depends on where they tapped in from.
ohmmm_gw
Original Author
13 years ago
I answered that question too. The water softener came with a handy little test kit for softness. Basically an empty vial and a small bottle of soap or something that shows sudz easily when shaken in softened water.

I tested the outside hose bib water. It's soft. So apparently, when they plumbed the house when it was built, they figure nobody would want to add a water softener in a known hard water area.

So, if we use the outside hoses, we have to remember to use the bypass on the softener so we get hard water outside. Not a big deal. Better than ripping out drywall and concrete trying to figure out what the original plumber did.

We are using potassium pellets and not sodium, so at least the plants won't get killed by residual soft water in the lines.
Related Discussions
water supply & electric for Miele 220v w1918/t1515
Q
Comments (1)
You should be able to find and download a user manual for the units. If not, contact Miele and they will help. I have Askos not Mieles but thought the setup was the same. Washer plugs into dryer, dryer plugs into wall. You should already have a 220 hookup for a dryer. Mine fill with cold only. There is only a cold line run to the machine and no option to run a hot water line to it. I'm not sure what has your plumber confused.
...See More
When does a water heater not require a T&P valve
Q
Comments (10)
zl700 has the answer, but now let me explain a bit futher. Code mandates that when a T&P valve is installed we must attach a FULL BORE gravity flow drain line to the output of the T&P valve. All horizontal portions of that drain line must be pitched at a minimum of 1/4" per foot downward towards the discharge end of the pipe and the pipe MUST BE terminated outside the structure or into an approved indirect waste receptor. At a minimum, if the water heater is installed in an unfinished basment or utility vault that has a floor drain, the line from the T&P may go straight down and discharge at a point not more than 18" above the floor. The water may then run across the floor to a floor drain or sump pit. It may also be run to a utility sink, floor drain or sump pit providing the discharge end of the line remains a minimum of 2" above the flood level rim of the receptor. HOWEVER: in some instances such as in homes served by a septic tank or where the municipal sewer lines are shallow the house main drain enters the structure at an elevation which is too high to achieve a gravity floor floor drain or even a utility sink and some of those structures do not have a sump pit. In a situation where you cannot achieve a gravity flow to an approved waste receptor such as described above, the T&P valve is removed and replaced with a WATTS 210 gas valve. The gas supply line for the water heater is then connected to the input side of the Watts 210 gas valve and a line is connected from the output side of the gas valve to the water heater burner contol. If the temp or pressure in the water heater were to then exceed the mandated limits the Watts 210 valve will shut off the gas supply to the burner. When the Watts 210 valve is installed on the water heater you must then go to a convenient point above grade and install a "pressure relief valve" and terminate that through the wall to the exterior or into an approved waste receptor.
...See More
can't drain the hot water heater
Q
Comments (6)
power wash it. follow the same steps you did above, but after you put the hose in teh tub go back and turn off the faucet and turn on the supply to the water heater. this will force water to go thru the heater and out the hose. once water starts flowing freely, you can drain it the other way if desired. also, make sure you turn off the power/gas to teh heater. an electric element will burn out almost instantly if it activates with no water in the tank. i am not sure if it would harm a gas WH, but better safe than sorry.
...See More
Can't find replacement water heater drain valve washer.
Q
Comments (5)
Unscrew the valve that is in your water heater. You will find that in most instances it is a standard 3/4 boiler cock. Some water heaters have a thicher insulation blanket and they use a 3/4" boiler cock that has an extended thread section. In either case you can find a replacement valve at almost any hardware or home supply store. (look in the plumbing section where all the valves are, not in the water heater section) Back in the mid 80's somebody came up with the idea that their was a waste of energy from heat radiating off a brass valve so most of the water heater companies started using plastic valves. From experience I can assure you, the plastic valves are junk. Once they have been opened it is highly unlikely that they will seal again. Personally, whenever I install a water heater I simply take the plastic valve off and install a brass valve. The only word of caution is, when you install the new valve, be sure to put thread dope on the threads before you screw the valve in. If your valve just has a slow leak and you don't want to go to the bother of changing it, you can get a cap with hose thread and screw that on the end of your existing valve to close it off.
...See More
User
13 years ago
There's no reason not to use softened water at the hose bibs unless you are using a lot. You might find you use less water outside than you think. You car will love being washed with soft water.

We're at 30 gpg and two people. We use a bag of KCl a month. No heavy outside watering but we do water plants outside and they like KCl softened water.

T or no T for water supply to water heater

Comments (3)

ohmmm_gw
Original Author

ohmmm_gw
Original Author

Related Discussions

User

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

T or no T for water supply to water heater

Comments (3)

ohmmm_gwOriginal Author

ohmmm_gwOriginal Author

Related Discussions

User

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

ohmmm_gw
Original Author

ohmmm_gw
Original Author