How to Install a Whole House Water Filter

Whether your water comes from a well or from a municipal water supply, you want it to be clear, you want it to be clean, and you want it to taste good. But that’s not always the case. So what can you do besides stocking up on bottled water or spending a fortune on a state-of-the-art water purification system? You can install a whole-house water filter that will provide clean, clear water for all of your household needs.

Tools

Steps

  1. How to Install Whole House Water Heater - Step 1

    Wrap Teflon tape around the treads of the pipe fitting.

  2. How to Install Whole House Water Heater - Step 2

    Screw the fittings into the head cap and secure tightly with an adjustable wrench.

  3. How to Install Whole House Water Heater - Step 3

    Before installing the filter, turn off the water supply.

  4. How to Install Whole House Water Heater - Step 4

    Turn on a faucet to relieve pressure in the line.

  5. How to Install Whole House Water Heater - Step 5

    Determine the best place to install the filter.

  6. How to Install Whole House Water Heater - Step 6

    If your pipes don’t have slack, slip joint push fittings are needed to ensure the ends of the pipe and water filter make a secure connection.

  7. How to Install Whole House Water Heater - Step 7

    Cut out a section of the pipe using a tube cutter, depending on the type of pipes you have. Place a bucket underneath to catch remaining water.

  8. How to Install Whole House Water Heater - Step 8

    Sand the burrs off the end of the fixed pipe, which is the one we won’t be cutting off.

  9. How to Install Whole House Water Heater - Step 9

    Insert the push fitting on one side of the filter assembly into the pipe as far as it will go, approximately 1”.

  10. How to Install Whole House Water Heater - Step 10

    Cut and sand a 3″-4″ length of pipe. Push it into one of the slip joint fittings.

  11. How to Install Whole House Water Heater - Step 11

    Hold the slip joint up to the pipe to get an approximate measurement of where you need to cut the pipe on the other side of the assembly.

  12. How to Install Whole House Water Heater - Step 12

    Cut the pipe with the tube cutter and then sand the burrs off the end.

  13. How to Install Whole House Water Heater - Step 13

    Push the slip joint onto the pipe as far as you can.

  14. How to Install Whole House Water Heater - Step 14

    While pressing the disconnect clip against the release collar on the slip end of the fitting, slide the fitting onto the other pipe so the short copper tube goes into the assembly push fitting to a depth of 1”.

  15. How to Install Whole House Water Heater - Step 15

    For grounded electrical system, install a copper jumper wire, using clamps to fasten them.

  16. How to Install Whole House Water Heater - Step 16

    Install the filter within the container. This will need to be changed out occasionally.

  17. How to Install Whole House Water Heater - Step 17

    Turn the water supply back on.


Read Video Transcript

Whether your water comes from a well or from a municipal water supply, you want it to be clear, you want it to be clean, and you want it to taste good. But that’s not always the case. So what can you do besides stocking up on bottled water or spending a fortune on a state-of-the-art water purification system? You can install a whole-house water filter that will provide clean, clear water for all of your household needs.

Today we’re going to install this whole house water filter. First, we’ll determine the best place to put it, taking into consideration the configuration of our home’s water supply lines. Then we’ll discuss the different types of filters that can be used with our system and the different degrees of filtration for each. So let’s get started.

First, let’s remove the unit from the packaging to make sure we have all of the parts. This whole-house filter consists of a head cap with a built-in shut-off valve, an O ring, the clear cartridge housing and a cartridge wrench.

Now let’s do a little pre-assembly. First, we’ll wrap Teflon® tape in a clockwise direction around the threads of these two ¾” male threaded push fittings that we picked up at our local independent home improvement retailer. Then we’ll screw the fittings into the head cap and tighten firmly with an adjustable wrench, being careful not to over-tighten. We chose male threaded push fittings for our installation because they are so easy to use and don’t require soldering. We could have also used this ¾” mail threaded copper compression fitting, but we would have had to solder the ends to the existing water lines. If you are unsure, or if you have PEX or CPVC plumbing lines, check with your local independent home improvement retailer for the fittings that best fit your particular application.

Before installing the unit, you need to turn off the water supply and open a faucet to relieve pressure in the line. Then determine the best place to put the filter. This takes a little investigative work on your part, and an understanding of how water flows into the house from the well or municipal supply line outside. We chose this spot because it’s located upstream from the water heater, but downstream of the lines supplying both outdoor spigots. We don’t need filtered water outdoor use. This spot also makes sense because of its proximity over our utility sink, which will come in handy during filter changes. We’re installing our filter on a water line near the ceiling so we’ll have plenty of room to remove the cartridge for filter changes. This filter can be installed on virtually any horizontal water line. Just make sure you leave 1-1/2” clearance below the housing to be able to unscrew it to replace the filters.

If we had slack in our copper water line, for example as we would have had if we would have positioned our filter near this braided hose, we could cut out a section of copper pipe the length of the assembly then move the enough to push the pipe ends into the push fittings. But we don’t have any slack in the lines, so we have to use a slip joint push fitting, such as these, which we used in earlier projects for the same reason. A slip joint push fitting allows the pipe to be moved just enough to push the ends into the assembly.

We’ll begin by making our first cut in the existing water line using this copper tube cutter. You may want to have a bucket and some towels handy. It might take several minutes to drain the line. Next, sand the burrs off the end of the fixed pipe, which is the one we won’t be cutting off. See how the pipe is shiny at the end? That’s what we want. Insert the push fitting on one side of the filter assembly into the pipe as far as it will go, approximately 1”. After cutting a 3” or 4” length of copper pipe and sanding the burrs off both ends, we’ll push one end into the non-slip side of our sip joint push fitting. Hold the slip joint up to the pipe to get an approximate measurement of where you need to cut the pipe on the other side of the assembly. At about the center point of the slip joint, mark the pipe. Cut the pipe with the copper tube cutter and then sand the burrs off the end. Push the slip joint onto the pipe as far as you can. Then, while pressing the disconnect clip against the release collar on the slip end of the fitting, slide the fitting onto the other pipe so the short copper tube goes into the assembly push fitting, again to a depth of 1”. For more information on push fittings, see our video “Working with Plastic Pipe and Push Fittings.”

Since our electrical system is grounded to the water line, which is common in many homes, we need to install this copper jumper wire, which acts as a bridge over the plastic water filter. Without it, our system wouldn’t be properly grounded. These two clamps fasten on both sides of the filter directly onto the copper pipe. This jumper wire fits into these clamps. Simply tighten with a screwdriver.

Now, let’s install our water filter into the cartridge. We selected this filter cartridge because it not only removes sediment, but also improves the taste of water and removes odors. It also reduces other harmful impurities such as mercury and lead. Be sure to compare the different filter options available so you can choose the one that’s right for you.

Following the manufacturer’s instructions, we unscrew the housing from the head cap and place our new filter into the cartridge. Then screw it back on, making sure the O ring is seated level in the groove and that the new cartridge slips over the standpipe in the bottom of the cartridge housing. We’ll hand tighten the cartridge, slowing turning it counter clockwise. Finally, we’ll turn the water supply back on slowly and allow the cartridge to fill, checking for any leaks. That’s perfect.

So there you have it. Now you can get a refreshing glass of filtered water from any tap in the house. Not to mention how it improves the quality of the water used for other household needs. And all it took was some DIY advice from our local independent home improvement retailer.

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98 responses to “How to Install a Whole House Water Filter”

  1. toddsul says:

    Great video. Very practical, and well explained. Thank you.

  2. Adelinah says:

    I want to know if you do training for people who want to do the installation system.

  3. James Hein says:

    In a 2 filter system is the charcoal filter first or second in the water flow direction

  4. Abbas says:

    did it affect (reduce) the pressure compared to without the filter?

    • Jerry w McNabb says:

      When the filter has clogged up with sediment the water flow will slow as well as the pressure will be reduced. But that is a good thing… You will know… NOW is the time to change the filter element. If you are an average home stay ahead of the game and change elements every 3 months. Hope this helps.

  5. Good morning I have a question – I installed a water purification system and sweating the copper pipes went without any problems. Now here’s my problem: the faucets we’re all opened to drain water from the system prior to the install, after the system was installed I opened the valve to allow water into the system but had no water coming out of any of the faucets throughout the house. Keeping in mind all the faucets throughout the house or open still no water

  6. I think so! You can install a whole-house water filter that will provide clean.

  7. Betty says:

    I have seen people skip that really important step and they end up having to do a lot of coats just to get it to look nice and even. Doing things right the first time ensures a lot of saved time and heartache.

  8. JC says:

    Explained very well!

  9. Tom says:

    Looking to install a sediment filter for my well. Do I install it in the line before or after the pressure tank?

    • Elvingaard Berg says:

      After the tank. If you install before the tank and the filter gets clogged, the pressure switch will not engage and the pump will stay on until it blows. Install after the tank because any sediment entering the tank will generally flow out of the tank into your filter.

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  11. Well done… Everyone’s plumbing is different and the clamps are an especially good explanation of how to install when you just can’t mount it to a wall. Thanks for sharing, we’ll definitely reference this video when we have customers with this situation.

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