How To Replace A Whole House Water Filter | Do it the Right Way

A whole house water filtration system takes care of cleaning your drinking, cooking, and bathing water. When it is time to replace your filter, you’ll know it instantly so that no contaminated water runs through your faucets again. 

Reasons To Replace Your Whole House Filter

Replacing your filter time to time is essential to improve the water quality. All the dirt, filth, and other contaminants get absorbed on the surface of the filters. This is why; you need to change them when their limit is reached.

Usually, a standard-sized filter can go without any replacement for three months. If you are witnessing visible scale buildup, dirt, or strange taste and odor in your water, it is time to change the filet.

If you are not sure about when to change it, check the instruction manual of your filter and check the recommended filter replacement time. If you continue using a filter that has gone bad, the water won’t get filtered with the same quality.

Tools Required For The Replacement

Below mentioned are all the tools required to replace a whole house water filter:

Step By Step Guide To Replace A Whole House Water Filter

Deciding to do this job is the only difficult thing because once you have made your decision; it will take merely 10 minutes to get the job done even without the help of a professional.

Let’s have a look at the step by step instructions to replace a whole house water filter. 

1. Turn Off The Water Supply

The first thing to do is to turn off the water supply. You can do it at the valve-in-head or main water feed to the filter. You have to locate the valve first, however, if you have a bypass switch installed for the filter, that will do the work.

Turning off the water will make things easier with no water flowing anywhere while you are up for the replacement.

2. Remove Cartridge From Housing

Use a wrench and unscrew the cartridge from its housing. Take out the o-rings from the housing and clean it well with a cloth.

After that, discard the cartridge. 

3. Wash The Housing

It is important to clean and wash the housing for the better performance of the filter. When the cartridge is removed from the housing, clean it thoroughly.

Use warm soapy water with ½ cap of bleach. Mix it well and scrub it a little to remove all the dirt and sediments around the walls of the housing.

4. Lubricate The O-Ring

If the o-ring is not lubricated properly, there are chances that it will catch rust. It can give you a hard time unscrewing it if proper care has not been taken.

It is recommended that you try to use silicone-based grease. After that, fix it in the indentation for the housing for a perfect seal.

5. Replace Cartridge And Screw Housing

Now is the time to replace the filter. There is a standpoint positioned in the below center of the housing. It has a short plastic pipe where the filter is to be placed.

Make sure that the filter sits over this molded area perfectly because it is the main water access port. Fix it correctly. Now, hand-screw the housing to the cap.

The filter must be centered on the standpipe even when you are screwing it. Do not tighten the screw too much because it can break easily due to pressure.

6. Turn On The Water

Turn on the water supply but do it slowly because sudden water pressure can destroy the unit.

Turn on the inlet valve slowly and you will feel the pressure increasing gradually. Turn on the faucets linked with the filter and let the water run for some time. Recheck the filter for any leakage.