New water softener install

[Wally107]

Hey guys! Confirmed noob here, but ******** DIYer with a couple of questions.

Just received my new Fleck 7000SXT 64K softener, and would like to attempt the install myself. My main water line is completely out in the open along an interior basement wall, and there's a 3" PVC DWV stack that comes down from a 2nd floor bathroom almost directly overhead of where the softener will sit - so I'm thinking this should be a snap (famous last words )

The 7000 with the bypass attached makes the resin tank (12X52) sit a little farther out from the wall than I would like. The simple solution is to rotate it 90 deg, so it will sit a little closer. However, my connections will now be parallel to the wall, and therefore perpendicular to my new lines coming out from the wall (make sense?) My plan is to run hard copper lines off the service line - along the wall - and terminate with male fittings (will be approx 10" from the bypass). Although the resin tank is fairly stable, if someone bumps in to it, it may move just a bit, so I'd like to use stainless steel braided lines with female swivels on each end to make the final run to the bypass.

1. Any problem screwing a stainless steel female fitting on to a copper male fitting (with teflon tape)...i.e. dissimilar metal issue?

Drain: I saw somewhere a "water softener drain kit" that included a 3" PVC saddle and a P-trap - but I can't remember if it included some sort of air gap. A plumber friend told me he usually uses a backflow preventer...I should have asked him elaborate, but the subject changed and...oh well.

2. What's the best way to tie in the drain to a 3" stack (stack is located approx 3' above, and 2' to the side of the 7000 - comes thru the floor and 90's to horizontal between the joists. I believe I can hit both the vertical and horizontal leg).

I know I could have my plumber buddy come over and plumb this in for me in about 30 mins...but gosh darn it, the hunter-gatherer in me wants to at least think about doing it myself. Again, it's all out in the open with no obstructions anywhere nearby.

Thanx for a great forum...and thanx in advance for you thoughts on this.

Wally

[Wally107]

Just a quick update. Just took a stroll through my local big box store, and found some stainless steel braided flex lines for water heaters - with copper female swivel ends (or are they brass) - anyway, they have a rubber washer just inside the hex fitting - I presume to prevent dissimilar metal issues.

The ones I looked at were only labeled "water heater", but there was another box next to it (slightly different size) labeled "water heater/softener". Will the ones I first looked at work?