Outdoors Water Softener Installation

Quite a few calls come in concerning the installation of a water softener outdoors. In many southern U.S. states, the outdoor temperature rarely gets below freezing, so it is common for people to have a well water pump house outside, or at least their main water pipe running into the home above ground as opposed to the 4-foot depth of main water line entering the basement of houses up here in the great white north. Many homes in the southern states do not have basements which makes the placement of a water softener or point-of-entry (POE) water treatment system of careful consideration.

The various water softener owner's manuals will state that the system cannot be installed outdoors. Let's face it; nearly all of the new control valves out now have a computer chip in them that is more sensitive to heat, cold and moisture than any 120 volt motor. And there are those motors too that should not get wet or even damp. There is a very real danger of electrocution under these circumstances. The water and moisture that flow through your control valve are kept positively away from any electronic control systems, the design engineers see to that. So if you call here and ask if you can install your water treatment system outdoors, we'll tell you "the manufacturer recommends against it".

But the fact is, the majority of our customers in these southern states hook up their water softeners either in a well house or under a car port outdoors. If you have a garage and it never gets below freezing temperatures in there, installation should not be a problem. Actually, a water softener or manganese/greensand iron filter both of which require the periodic addition of either salt, potassium chloride or potassium permanganate would make a garage installation desirable. Installation in a garage would eliminate the need to carry salt bags or pot-perm buckets down the basement stairs or through the house to a utility room. But the main consideration is that the electronic control valve be protected from the elements.

Using common sense, you can determine a safe and convenient location for your water treatment equipment installation. And if all else fails, it would be a really good idea to check your local ordinances to ensure that your installation is up to code.