Unfortunately, the tap water in some areas leaves a lot to be desired. It may have an overabundance of minerals or chlorine, or it might smell like sulfur. Fortunately, there's an easy way to resolve this problem: install a water filter.
Water filters are available in a variety of sizes and applications. You can treat all the water in your home with a whole-house filter or simply treat the drinkable water going to your sink and refrigerator. In most cases, the installation is simple.
Materials:
Two adjustable wrenches
Pipe cutter
Phillips- and flat-head screwdrivers
TeflonB. tape
Under-sink water filter kit
Whole-house water filter kit
Safety glasses
Install an under-sink filter
- Identify the cold-water line under the sink. If you aren't sure which line supplies the cold water, try turning on the hot water. Allow the water to heat up, and then feel the pipes under the sink. The pipe that isn't hot is your cold-water supply. Turn off the water after you identify the cold-water supply.
- Position the bracket for the under-sink water filter, and mark the holes for the mounting screws (figure A). The bottom of the filter should be at least 3" from the bottom of the sink cabinet, and the bracket should be screwed into a wall stud if possible. If no wall stud is available, use hollow-wall anchor bolts or toggle bolts to secure the bracket to the wall.
- Mount the filter onto the bracket (figure B).
- Identify the locations on the filter where the water flows in and out.
- Turn off the cold-water valve under the sink, and cut a 3" section from the cold-water line using a small pipe cutter (figure C).
- Slide a compression nut and ferrule (provided with the filter kit) onto both ends of the water line. Connect the plastic hoses for the filter to the compression fittings (figure D).
- Connect the hose from the valve to the inlet on the filter, and connect the hose from the faucet to the filter outlet (figure E).
Install a whole-house filter
- Turn off the water at the main valve, and drain the system by opening the highest and lowest fixtures in the house.
- Use a pipe cutter to remove a 6" section from the main water line (figure F). Be sure to remove the pipe from a location that is downstream from the main valve. There will probably be some water remaining in the system, so be sure to have a bucket and some rags handy to clean up any spills.
- Prepare the filter by wrapping Teflon tape around the brass fittings and then threading them into the openings on the sides of the filter (figure G).
- Slide compression fittings (supplied with the filter) onto both ends of pipe.
- Position the filter so that the inlet and outlet are in the correct locations (figure H).
- Tighten the nuts hand-tight. Then hold the base of the compression fitting steady with one adjustable wrench while you finish tightening the fitting with another wrench. (figure I).
- Turn on the water, and check for leaks. Then turn on the filter.
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