Whole House Filter install

[TrevorS]

I want to install 2 whole house filters, one for sediment and the other will be a carbon filter.

They will be outside, before the water softener.

Home Depot has a DuPont model for $45 with built in valve for easy filter change. Its 13.75 inches tall so takes 10 inch filters.

Are these suitable for outside use or should I go for the more expensive 20 inch Housings. I can't figure out if the 20 inch models such as Pentek have built in shut offs.

 

[Rand]

outside use? will they freeze?

 

[JHZR2]

I dont see why you would need to do sediment AND chemical removal. Many of the carbon block filters will remove sediment on the exterior and then do the chemical removal via a packed bed on the inside.

I have one of these:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-1-in-High-Flow-Clear-WH-System-GXWH40L/100669051

It uses this filter:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-Household-...#specifications

Though a plain sediment only filter is also available.

I soldered a copper threaded fitting on the outlet but used brass on the inlet for ease of install. Works great, catches a ton of sediment (our municipal water comes from an aquifer), and I can tell that chlorine is cut because when the bed reaches breakthrough, you can notice the odor again.

Works quite well. We also have a smaller carbon block filter inside of our refrigerator, so the drinking water gets double filtered (not really benefiting anything, because the adsorption isotherms indicate that it is much harder to adsorb trace quantities).

I wouldnt want plastic stuff outside because of the UV reaction effects on plastic. What is the typical worst winter temperature?

Only use NSF certified filters!

 

[TrevorS]

I had found a very high efficiency filter with high flow but it is relatively expensive so a sediment filter before it (just a few dollars) helps it last longer.

I do agree about NSF but the micron rating of those GE filters is very low for the price.

 

[JHZR2]

Do you really have that much sediment? I've seen a decent cake build up on ours without any noticeable pressure drop changes.. I also can note the breakthrough of chlorine, still before any other flow issues.

And until the cake is formed on the filter surface, the higher flow sediment filter may still pass a lot of the fines anyway.

I just see it as an extra added pressure drop for marginal benefit, but your water may have a lot more in it than ours does, which is already pretty darn clean from the source. I'm as much concerned with bits in the water from old cast iron infrastructure as anything else. Metals and organics are already super low by the yearly test for us. Chlorine is another interest of mine...

 

[supton]

How is it valved? I have a ball filter before mine, but none after; and when I put it to bypass it seems to keep the filter pressurized. If I were to install one I'd think about a ball valve after it, with a spigot, for the same purpose of depressurizing the filter.

What is nice on mine is that there is an unfiltered run to a spigot next to my basement walk out door. That way I can rinse the housing off.

Question: if you have to depressurize the house to install this, is there any shutoff valves you might want to install at this time? Any new spigots?

 

[JHZR2]

+1. And if sediment is that bad, you'll have a lot in the pipes, so dropping pressure will draw it into the Walter,,so expect dirty water when you turn back on. Check the strainers!