Do you not wish you and your family can enjoy great-tasting, safe, and clean water even though your water comes from the well? There is no need for wishful thinking if you know how to install a whole-house water filter on a well. Filtering your well water can make dinners more pleasant and drinking more enjoyable.
Do not worry if you are clueless as to where to start. I will show you how you can install a filter that will deliver fresh, clean, and safe water from your well throughout your home.
Table of Contents
Things You Need
Before I show you how you can install a whole-house water filter on your well, let us discuss the things you need to prepare.
Whole-house Water Filter
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Sanitation Foundation describe a whole-house water filter as a water treatment solution located at the point-of-entry of a main water supply line before the water enters the house.
You have plenty of options for a whole-house water filter. Some systems only have a sediment filter, removing large particles. Unfortunately, these filters do not remove finer substances, odors, VOCs, and tastes.
A two-stage whole-house water filter often comes with sediment and activated carbon filters. This system is perfect if you want to remove heavy metals and organic compounds from your well water. It also removes unwanted tastes and odors, making drinking and cooking more enjoyable for you.
Some whole-house filters feature a reverse osmosis system, often mated to a sediment-activated carbon block filter combo. Their filter pore size is very small, around 0.0001 microns. This filter pore size makes RO systems ideal for lowering total dissolved solids in your well water. They are pricey, though.
Other systems may offer ultrafiltration and nano-filtration technologies. These filters have filter pore sizes of up to 0.01 and 0.001, respectively.
Installation Kit
Regardless of which whole-house water filter you choose, it would be best to pick a product that comes as a complete kit. It should include all the fittings and hardware you need for installation, including mounting brackets, push fittings, shut-off valves, and tubing.
Some products can come with bypass valves that allow you to use the water from your well while servicing your whole-house water filter. You might also get pressure gauges with your installation kit.
Plumbing Tools
The whole-house water filter kit only comes with the materials needed to connect and install the unit to your water line. It does not contain the tools necessary for cutting the pipe and securing the valves. That is why you will also need several plumbing tools, including the following:
- Adjustable wrenches
- Hacksaw or pipe cutter for cutting a water pipe section
- Pipe threader for creating grooves on cut pipes
- Drill and bits for securing a mounting base plate
- Screwdriver for securing the whole-house water filter onto its mounting plate
Other Materials
You will also need to prepare other materials, including a bucket for catching excess water that may drip from the cut pipe. You do not want to flood the area where you are working.
A Teflon tape is also necessary to create a perfect seal on the pipe threads. Not using Teflon can increase the risk of leaks, especially if you fail to tighten the fittings correctly.
Sandpaper can also come in handy for smoothing the cut pipe’s ends.
Plus, a pencil for marking the pipes can be useful.
You may also want to check the hardware that came with the water filter kit. Some manufacturers may provide you with fittings of a different size from what you have. As such, you may have to purchase additional fittings, such as adapters, to complete the installation.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Are you ready to install your whole-house water filter on a well? I prepared nine easy steps for you to follow.
- Determine where to install the whole-house water filter.
The whole point about installing a whole-house water filter is to remove water contaminants before the water gets out from the faucet anywhere in your house. Ideally, you will want to install this anywhere along your main water line before it branches into the different distribution lines.
While it is tempting to install the water filter outside your house, I suggest installing it in your garage or somewhere safe from the elements. Many whole-house water filters do not have exceptional waterproofing and UV protection.
Pro Tip: Install it before your water heater, if you have one.
- Turn off your main water supply line.
The water line coming from your well has a shut-off valve. Try locating this valve to turn off the supply line. You can follow the water pipe running from the well to your house.
Turning off your main water supply line will make it easier for you to cut the pipe and install the whole-house water filter. Plus, you will have less mess to worry about later on.
- Drain the water from the distribution lines.
Open all the faucets and water fixtures in your house to drain the remaining water. Doing so also releases pressure, allowing you to work on your project safely.
Pro Tip: Open the faucet at the lowest part of your house. Gravity will push all the remaining water and clear the water lines for you.
- Assemble the whole-house water filter.
Some homeowners neglect this step in installing a whole-house water filter. However, I find it more practical to assemble the filter before cutting the pipe.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how to assemble the water filter. You should see an inlet port on one side and an outlet port on the other side. Connect the different fittings into their respective ports. If the water filter has a pressure gauge and a bypass valve, you may want to connect these, too.
Knowing the water filter’s precise length guides you in cutting a pipe section.
- Cut a pipe section.
Use your assembled whole-house water heater as a guide for making marks on the water pipe. Use a pencil to mark the pipe where the water filter fittings end. Ensure that the line is visible, serving as a guide for the pipe cutter’s cutting disc.
Get your pipe cutter and position the blade over the mark. Tighten the pipe cutter using its twist handle at the bottom. Rotate the pipe cutter around the water pipe, while continuously twisting the handle.
If you are not sure how to use a pipe cutter, I found a video from Sam for you.
- Prepare the cut pipes.
Use sandpaper to smoothen the pipe’s cut ends. Do not forget to remove any debris that may enter the pipe.
Depending on your pipe, you may want to create grooves or threads to secure the water heater’s fittings. Use a portable pipe threader for this step. If you are not sure how to use the gadget, MY DIY has a fascinating video for you.
- Attach the pipe fittings.
Place the pipe fittings on the cut pipe. If you did not create grooves on the pipe, use a compression nut instead before sliding the ferrule. Do the same step on the other cut pipe.
Apply Teflon tape on the pipe fittings’ threads to help form a tight seal and prevent leaks.
- Install the whole-house water filter.
It may be necessary to create a mounting plate to secure the filter before installation. Drill holes through a solid vertical structure and secure a base plate with screws. You can position the whole-house filter on the structure to determine where you should drill the holes.
Secure the whole-house water filter on its mounting plate before connecting the pipes to the filter unit. Ensure you connect the incoming water pipe to the filter’s inlet port. Installing it backward will not produce the water filtration effects you need.
Tighten all nuts to avoid leaks.
- Turn on your main water line.
You are now ready to check whether your water filter installation is spot-on or not. Close all water faucets and fixtures in your house before turning the water filter’s inlet valve off.
Slowly turn the valve of your main water supply line to the ON position. Check your whole-house water filter connections for leaks.
Turn the water filter’s inlet valve into the FILTER position, watching for leaks at the different fittings. If your water filter comes with a transparent canister, you should be able to see it filling with water.
Here we recommend referring to an iron filter and sediment filter for well water. I believe that the reviews we give will help you choose the right water filter for your well water
Conclusion
Was this tutorial helpful to you? If it was, I am sure your friends and acquaintances would also love to learn how to install a whole-house water filter on a well. You can share this article with them and drop me your thoughts in the comments, too.
Installing a whole-house water filter can make your well water safer and cleaner to drink, cook with, and use for many purposes. The nine steps I shared with you can make that happen.
My work as a freelance copywriter allows me to work with Stephen later join Usawaterquality as a content producer. Our team works together to produce high-quality contents that cater to the needs of large companies and households.