Can anyone tell me what this is?

[cboyd]

Nothing I have seen before, house built around 1945 in Ottawa. Seems like some sort of relief valve.

[Bob Elliott]

Is there an outlet for discharge?
Also having a hard time seeing the connections so is that copper tube at the bottom feeding it or lead (Assuming it is placed before the meter).?

[Mike Hazelwood]

Looks like a bypass valve for a water softener but is not connected to one.

[Bob Elliott]

Originally Posted by mhazelwood

Looks like a bypass valve for a water softener but is not connected to one.

Good call.
I pretty much hardly see them in the city.
[ATTACH][/ATTACH]

[cboyd]

I think it's too old for a water softener. It is in line with the supply line and yes it's copper Bob, there is a bypass line around it. the bottom of both rubber tubes appear to be a kind of filter or maybe a screen to hold back a blow-off? The agent with 20 years experience in the area never saw one before either. Also no threads inside bottom of tubes and I was a little apprehensive to touch the valve on the end.

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by mhazelwood

Looks like a bypass valve for a water softener but is not connected to one.

Bypass it is.

Probably for a Culligan rental unit.

[cboyd]

Thanks guys, we can go with that (water softener) Here is the dumb question: how long have water softeners been around? This thing looked very old.

[Brian E. Kelly]

We had one in the 60's as a kid. Never really thought about it before, good question.
I do know about Ion Exchange and that most of the Resin is now made overseas.

Try This.......

http://www.culligankennewick.com/about_history.php

[Bob Elliott]

Originally Posted by cboyd

Thanks guys, we can go with that (water softener) Here is the dumb question: how long have water softeners been around? This thing looked very old.

Charles what type water is up there?
They have been around since before I was a kid and go all the way back to when Brian was young.

[cboyd]

Sorry Bob..can't resist....wet for 9 months and frozen for 3 months.

Actually lots of iron in the Ottawa valley, about 7 of ten rural inspections have softeners the other 3 need one.

[Bob Elliott]

Originally Posted by cboyd

Sorry Bob..can't resist....wet for 9 months and frozen for 3 months.

Actually lots of iron in the Ottawa valley, about 7 of ten rural inspections have softeners the other 3 need one.

OK I am pretty sure they used them at that time and with a hard water area they would have been pushed fast.

Chicago is not much different though the last 10 years or so have been unusual with climate change.

[Vern Mitchinson]

It's a bypass. I had over $10,000.00 in water treatment equipment when I lived in a rural area. Sand filter, iron filter and a water softener. Each was connected with a bypass. The iron filter was extremely high maintenance. Had to shut it down every 3-4 months, strip it down and clean it.
I never appreciated water as much as I do since having to deal with water that has high Iron content.

If the Iron is more then 3 PPM an iron filter is recommended before the water softener.