Untreated well water is never safe to drink, cook or even bathe with. If you use a well water supply, treating your water is the only way to improve its quality. One way to treat well water is by installing a well water filter. Well water filters are not a single and perfect solution to water problems, but they’re a great place to start.
Not sure how to install your well water filter? We’re here to help. In this guide, you will learn how to install your well water filter, even with no plumbing experience.
6 steps to installing a well water filter
Armed with the right tools and guidelines, installing your well water filter can be a walk in the park. Here are six simple steps to install your well water filter.
- Get your tools and supplies ready!
Before installing a well water filter, ensure that you have everything you’d need right next to you. It saves you time and protects you from future setbacks while installing. The tools you’ll be needing are:
- Water filter kit
- Fittings
- Tubing
- Shut off valves
- Mounting brackets
- Bypass valves
- Teflon tape
- Adjustable wrench
- Hacksaw
- Bucket
- Old towels or rag
And that’s all!
- Decide on the best location for the well water filter.
You’ll need to decide where you’d like your well water filter installed. A major determining factor here is the type of filter you’re installing. If you’re installing a point of use well water filter, you’ll want to install it at the kitchen faucet.
However, if you’re installing a whole house well water filter, it’s best to install it at the pipelines after the pressure tank or pump. You can find this line easily in the garage, basement, laundry room, or well house.
- Drain the pipes.
After making out the installation location, the next thing to do is completely drain the house pipes to relieve the plumbing systems from water pressure that may cause leakages.
Turn off the power supply to the well pump first, then close the valve that controls water entering the house. Finally, open all the faucets and fixtures in your home to drain all pipes.
- Cut the pipes.
Before you start to cut the main water line, make sure a bucket is close by to drain any remaining water and also have a rag at the ready to wipe off the water that trickles on the floor.
Mark the section you wish to cut, and then use a hacksaw. After cutting the pipes, remove any rough edges at both ends with sandpaper to prevent cutting accidents.
- Fit the filter system.
For a well water filtering system, fitting is in two parts: the prefilter and the actual filter.
A prefilter lays the groundwork for the actual filter to work. It has a woven sponge sieve that traps dirt, dust, and many large particles coming directly from the well water.
To fit the prefilter, screw its mounting bracket into the wall, and mount the prefilter using screws and nuts.
The actual filter contains filter media which could either be activated carbon for carbon filters or iron for iron filters. To fit the main filter, position the compression nut on the end of one side of the cut pipes. Next, do the same for the opposite side. Then, add the Teflon tape to the ends of the pipe to seal it and prevent any leakages from the fitting. Finally, attach the fitting for both the inlet and the outlet to the filter heads on the filter housing.
- Let the water flow.
After installing the filter, you can now let the water flow. Turn the well water pump back on, and open the shut-off valve. Don’t forget to turn off all house faucets before turning on the well water pump.
More importantly, check for leaks as water flows, and if you find any, seal them by tightening all the nuts and fittings properly.
Adding a UV water purifier to the filter setup
UV water purifiers are different from ordinary water filters. A UV water purifier disinfects water by killing bacteria in water with ultraviolet radiation. However, UV purifiers will not remove chemicals or sediments.
Before adding a UV water purifier to your filter setup, here are a few points to keep in mind:
- Get the best UV water purifiers that agree with your whole water filter type.
- Install the UV water purifier after installing the water filter; Place the UV water purifier after the filter so that the UV water purifier is closer to the point of use of water than the filter. It helps to reduce any chances of further contamination of purified water by bacteria in other devices.
- When installing the UV water purifier, always use a mounting bracket; it adds a neat and professional look to the setup.
- Install shut-off valves to both the inlet and outlet side of the UV water purifier.
If you follow our guidelines closely, you’ll have your well water filter and your UV purifier set up and running before you know it.