If your water smells or tastes strange, consider installing a whole-house water-filter system. Be sure to read the directions provided with your filter. Installation procedures differ from brand to brand. Note: If your water pipes are used to ground your electrical system, turn off your electricity at the main shutoff before beginning this project. Materials:
Two adjustable wrenches
Pipe cutter
- Turn the water off at the main valve. Then open the lowest water faucet in the house to help drain the system.
- Many filters provide a template to indicate where you should cut your water line (figure A). Use the template to mark your pipe, and cut it using a pipe cutter (figure B). Tighten the knob of the cutter gradually, and rotate the cutter around the pipe to score it. Keep tightening and rotating until the pipe has been cut. You'll want to have a bucket underneath to catch water that hasn't drained out.
- Slide compression fittings (provided with the filter) onto each end of the cut pipe (figure C). The compression fittings consist of open-face nuts and ferrules that compress to make a tight seal.
- Attach the filter to the water line by tightening the compression nuts onto the inlet and outlet. Make sure you're installing the filter in the right direction. The inlet and outlet are clearly marked (figure D). Tighten the nuts hand-tight, then give them another quarter turn with a wrench.
- Turn on the water at the main valve while the switch on the filter is turned to the off position. Check the filter for leaks, then turn the switch to the filter position (figure E) and check the outlet for leaks.
If your electrical system is grounded to your water pipes, you'll need to reattach the ground wire. If you haven't already turned off the electricity, do so now. - Install a grounding clamp (figure F) on the pipes on both sides of the filter. Attach a #4 wire around the filter from one clamp to the other (figure G). The wire should have enough slack to bend around the filter easily.
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