How to Install Water Conditioners
Installing a water conditioner in your plumbing system will soften the hard water that causes detergents and soaps to lose some of their effectiveness. When the water in your system is hard, soap combines with minerals in the water, leaving deposits that can accumulate in your pipes and reduce the flow of water in your plumbing system. You can find a water conditioner in your hardware or building supply store that comes with most of the attachments you’ll need. You will need to install the water conditioner near the main water line to your home, and in a location where there is a floor drain and a GFCI electric outlet. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Safety goggles
- Water conditioner and parts
- Adjustable pliers
- Utility knife
- Phillips screwdriver
- Copper wire
- Copper clamps
- Copper stubs
- Wood screws
- Soldering iron
- Heat shield
- ¾-inch copper risers
- Pipe cutter
- ½-inch flexible plastic tubing
- ¾-inch sweat couplings
- Lead-free solder
- Plastic clips
- Rubber O-ring
- Hose clamps
- Plastic bypass valve
Instructions
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1
Solder the two copper studs that came with your water conditioner to the ¾-in. risers using the soldering iron and lead-free solder.
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2
Attach the 1/2-inch plastic tubing to the fittings for the valve drain and overflow that are on the tank for the water conditioner. Connect the overflow pipe to the drain in the floor with the plastic clips.
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3
Attach the water conditioner to the bypass valve by attaching the O-ring stubs to the inlet and outlet pipes, and securing them with the plastic clips. Use the adjustable pliers to attach the stubs and tighten the nuts so the attachment is solid.
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4
Connect a 12-inch copper wire above the bypass valve to the copper piping for using the pliers, and secure it with the hose clamps; this will act as a ground for the water conditioner.
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5
Position the water conditioner against the wall, leaving 3 feet in front of it for access. Shut the water off at the main valve to your house and open all the faucets to drain the pipes of water.
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6
Use the pipe cutter to slice through the cold-water pipe for your house. Solder a ¾-inch tee pipe in the pipe that you will run to the conditioner. Solder a ¾-inch riser at the tee that will supply water to pipes that don’t need conditioning. Solder the pipe to the water conditioner’s outlet riser with fittings that came with the conditioner.
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7
Connect and solder the overhead pipes. Affix copper clad clamps and screws every 4 feet to the wall to secure the pipes to the wall using a screwdriver and appropriate screws, depending on whether you have drywall or masonry.
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8
Connect the remaining piping overhead with the adjustable pliers and solder all connections with the soldering iron and lead-free solder. Attach the pipes to the wall every 4 feet using copper clamps and screws. Use the screwdriver to tighten the screws.
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9
Turn the water back on to the house and program the water conditioner according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
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Tips & Warnings
Hold a heat resistant pad behind pipes that you solder.
Always refer to the manufacturer’s instructions for your particular brand of water conditioner for a diagram of the system, and for instructions on proper operation and care.
Wear safety goggles when soldering or cutting pipes.
References
- Photo Credit faucet image by Laura Dynan from Fotolia.com
