How to dismantle water conditioner

I inherited a water conditioner when I bought this house. It is installed outside and I would like to remove it. I have no idea where to start - seems connected very securely to the ground and I don't see anything obvious to unscrew. Do I need to dig out underneath it?

 

typ the units are just free standing with various plumbing and elec connections, have thoes been removed and you are just trying to remove the brine tank and softener itself?

 

From what I can tell the unit is no longer plumbed into the water system.
The item on top of the tank, known as the valve can be unscrewed from the media tank. Brass body can be sold for scrap , some of the other items might be sold on E of bay ... bypass, meter... and the salt tank might be sold as well... say pick up only.
or the whole thing sold as is and pick up only starting at say about 75.00...

 

I am not worried about getting rid of or selling the parts at this point; just getting it detached. I know the plumbing is still connected because until I moved the bypass handle i was getting grey water inside. I have not disconnected any plumbing - only disconnected the power adapter from the outdoor electric socket. Hurricane took off some covers.
The unit sits next to the outside wall of the garage - inside the garage there are no holes with pipes going out - which is why I am wondering if the plumbing is underneath and I need to dig it out.
There is a white plastic thing in the bottom of the container that held the salt. Maybe that somehow comes out and that is where whatever is that is holding it to the ground so strongly?

 

Thank you for the information, Akpsdvan. I am usually not good at selling but do hate things going to the landfill, so if I manage to get it freed up it is useful to know someone may want it.

 

picture of white plastic at bottom of brine tank (thanks - didn't know what to call it before).

 

from the pictures I see no plumbing or discharge line, seems like a simple removal, any chance you can provide a close up or the valves at the top of the tank so we can see what is there?

 

I hope it turns out to be simple. Right now it doesn't feel simple. I can't budge it. The pipes have to be somewhere and will need disconnecting. I can't see anywhere for them to be except under the ground.

Yes - I can take more pictures tomorrow when it is light again.

Thanks for the help.

 

I looked at the photo again, and on the bypass, the brass thing with ONE white pvc pipe... it is on the out and there is nothing on the inlet side of the b bypass.
That is a metal tank and with media and water yes it is going to F heavy...
Again I am going to say that it is NOT hooked up, not with I am seeing in the photo and the bypass..

 

Looking at it, I know what you are saying. There is that one black hose that comes up from the ground and goes into the tall tank. If this is inlet where is the outlet, or vice versa. Historically, though, I don't know how it got disconnected. Home inspector was below average but I think he would have pointed out that it was disconnected. And then there is the fact that I was getting grey water - talked to the company that installed it - moved the bypass and the grey water stopped. Moved it back, more grey water. Move it again, grey water stopped. Someone could have snuck onto the property and disconnected - possible, not sure how probable. But, once I got the grey water stopped I never did anything more with the unit other than unplug it.

Also in my mind is that the unit sits close to an underground box with the cutoff for the sprinkler system and also close to the shutoff for the main water system to the house. I wonder if they didn't do something out of the ordinary because of the advantage of this proximity.

To state the obvious, I need to avoid a plumbing situation where water to the house has to be shut off until something gets fixed, so I don't want to go cutting any hoses or exerting undo force on anything until I have pretty good certainty.

Occurs to me, perhaps it is best to start with the brine tank. Get that disconnected. That will give easier access to the black hose that disappears into the ground. Maybe more information will come to light for tackling the tall tank. The brine container has nothing in it to be heavy, yet I can't budge it. Where should I start with it?

I took more pictures and will upload when I get them transferred.

 

This is the top. The black hose in the middle is the one that goes into the ground behind the brine tank.


This shows the back of the top - this hose goes from here to the brine tank.


This shows that hose entering the brine tank.

 

It definitely looks like it's disconnected. The white PVC pipe is connected to the bypass valve so nothing is going in/out of the house.

Elec is clearly unplugged.

The black pipe going from water softener to brine tank was used to feed the brine solution during regeneration.

You mention another black pipe going into ground, that is probably the drain line that would take the water away during backwash.

Your good to remove!

However, you stated.

WHich has me a bit confused based on no pipes connected to the bypass valve.

Here is my system, you can see the plumbing to the bypass valve.

 

Where is the incoming water coming from? The bypass has an adapter and elbow and a stub of pipe and that is it.... and then there is the out. There is no adapter of any kind on the out.
The large black is drain and that goes down and most likely under the tank right now.
Large tank 10x54 only has one hole, and that is at the top with the brass valve in or on top of the tank.
You are over thinking the deal here..

 

ok, thanks, but starting with the brine tank, HOW do I remove it? I cannot see what is holding it in place.

 

As mentioned these are usually just a free standing tank and WS, they do not have any type of mounting built into them. THere has to be some type of external brackets/mounting that these things are sitting in.

 

You have a photo of the brine line, one end is brass nut and the other end is plastic. Undoing either end to part the two... will leave you with a salt tank and a 3/8 line and then a softener valve on a 10x54 tank.

If the salt that was used was the pellet type then there is a possibility that there is a sludge under the salt table at the bottom.

Then there is get out the box cutter and cut the 3/8 just out side the salt tank and about 1" from the brass nut and call it good.
Also you could take the same box cutter and cut the 5/8 or 1/2 black line that goes down to the ground and call it good.

Why are we spending this much time on some thing that a hand truck to the street would deal with?

 

I cannot fit a hand truck under the brine tank at present. As I said, it won't budge. As to why so much time, I obviously haven't relayed information in a way that others have understood the problem. People are spending some of that time giving me information I didn't ask for (how to sell it) and information I don't need to solve the major problem. I do appreciate them taking the time, but if we are short on time it would be better to get the main problem solved first and then throw in the extras.

From my initial post "connected very securely to the ground" is the key. You said the taller tank would be heavy - i accepted that and moved on to the brine tank, which I said has nothing visible that could possibly make it heavy. There are no brackets connected to it - i can run a thin stick 360 degrees around it without contacting anything. It sounds like I am back to the solution I mentioned in my first post, which is dig it out. I won't be able to get to that for a bit, but once I do curiosity will be satisfied.

Oh - those tubes are not causing any impediment to getting the brine tank free.

 

what is the distance from the ground to the top of the main tank? the one with the valve?
and the distance from the ground to the top of the salt tank?
It could be that they are down into the ground a few inches and that can make things a bit harder, then the other tank, might be 10x54 but only 47 above the ground so that would mean that there is about 7 or so inches below ground level and that it will have to be pulled up and out or dug out.

 

That is my plan - to dig them out.
The taller tank is 46 1/2 inches from ground to the upper valve apparatus.
The shorter salt tank is 31 inches from ground to top.

 

You certainly have me stumped, never have I seen a WS or brine tank mounted to the ground.

I even googled mounting clamps/systems, nothing.

By any chance have you called a local water company to inquire?

This has to be something unique to Florida!

 

Maybe just the length of time it's been out there and it's settled in? On a couple occasions when 2 different people who are stronger than I am were over I had them look at it. They pushed on it and it didn't budge for them either. I have hired someone with muscles that is supposed to come over in the next week or two to dig it out.

I talked to the company that installed it years ago when it was putting out the grey water, but at that time wasn't looking to disconnect it. They weren't happy with me not paying them to come out and service it and I have forgotten their name so I didn't pursue asking them about this. I scoured the internet for installation pictures/instructions but couldn't find anything detailed enough and that matched what mine looks like.

I am still mystified though not totally surprised at how the water supply got disconnected. A number of strange things have happened at this house. When the insurance adjuster arrived to look at my roof there were no missing shingles. She thought I was crazy (or trying to cheat, maybe), but neighbor had seen it and taken pictures so I knew I wasn't crazy (yet). Best explanation there was some repair person got address wrong and fixed the wrong roof.

Best theory I can come up with for this is that someone disconnected it thinking they were going to make off with it and then ran into the same problem I ran into. I'll likely never know.

 

Why not use a wet dry shop vac on both tanks after the valve has been removed from the silver tank?
If the tank is down about 7" with the water and resin and gravel removed one can then just lift it out?

Wrong address? just ask some one who has had the cops break down the door on a raid only to find out that they had the wrong address.... even the cops ...up.

 

I used the shopvac on the brine tank a month ago. (But I made the <stupid> mistake of emptying it on the grass.) That's a good idea for the other as well. Have to cut off piece of pipe before I'll be able to unscrew valve and see what's what in there. Right now too close to wall to turn.

The cops busting in wrong address is valid worry these days. When they do it they are yelling and screaming and all full of themselves so it is hard to get the message to them that they are in the wrong house. Plus they wouldn't believe you anyway.

 

Remove the brass bypass and meter assembly and it should turn 360 with no problem, might be a challenge to get it started. One item that I find very useful is what is called Big Ass Channel locks.. no kidding .
That table at the bottom of the salt tank can be removed and then what ever is there vac out.

 

Thanks - I found a picture of the BiigAzz pliers online. I have a pair that looks like that made by Channel Lock - didn't know that's what they were called. Clever name. Yes - very useful. Other ones that are helpful are those ones you can position to right width and then lock in place. They help when you don't have a lot of strength.

 

Have you removed the bypass and meter assembly? once those two items are off the valve it should be able to spin off the tank.

If the channel locks are not to be had a large screw driver or hammer handle that can fit into the out of the valve body and a rubber mallet to tap the screw driver of hammer handle.

 

No - I cut off that end fitting of pvc and that allowed it to turn. That turned out to be easier/faster than dealing with the rusted stuff. Left that tank for later as it is tall and heavy.

Right now working on the brine tank. It is dislodged, hooray. It was not easy - a combination of being buried down and packed into the ground, and what is under that white tray -water + salt and you mentioned gravel is in there, though I can't see that yet - being very heavy. The shop vac made very slow progress and it is heavy just to even tip over to drain the water. With the help of Archimedes, however, that part was accomplished.

The next step is getting that tray out of the bottom if possible. Even though it is the shorter tank it is still relatively tall and hard to get leverage down there. It appears to somehow be connected to the bottom of the tank underneath the middle of the tray. I used a screwdriver to press the tabs around the outside of the tray but that doesn't free it. It doesn't yield to pulling up on it. It doesn't yield to an axe. (Hope you can picture what I'm describing.) I don't care about saving the tray, but could re-purpose the tank if I can get the tray and salt, etc. out. Any ideas on how to remove the tray? thanks.

 

Getting the salt table out is easier if the 4" tube on the side out of the tank, that is called the brine well. There is an over flow elbow that is holding the tube on the larger black tank.
Once that tube is out of the way the table can be simply pulled up by hooking on to it and pulling up.

 

There are no tubes attached. All there is is the black 'tank' with a white tray inside the tank some inches above the bottom of the tank. The tray has a circular hole in it. If i put my hand in this hole and try and pull up on the tray, it does not move. It feels like it is catching in the center but I cannot see what is under the white tray that might be holding it and preventing it from releasing.
.

 

Lay the tank on its side and then take a garden hose and spray it out.

 

How is water going to force out a plastic lid that is secured somehow and that can't be moved with more force than the water will have? Are you telling me there is nothing underneath the plastic lid that is attaching it to the black tank?

 

On the residential units like yours most likely there is nothing holding it down but the build up of extra salt and dirt and what ever else has fallen in over the years.
So blasting out the bottom of the tank with water will make life better.

 

cclanton.

I suspect that you will find that the brine tank was anchored to keep it there during the hurricanes you mentioned. That isn't normal practice but you said you get them, it is outside and if something ever caused it to have no water in it they are just a big sail like a empty trash bin.