Changing a Whole House Water System Filter 

Mike, great video, thank you so much. The one thing you might want to encourage people to do is apply some silicone grease to the o-ring before sealing it all back up.

@@DavePlisky Yeah, that's a good tip, thanks for the comment!

@@Mikeattempts How often do you have to change the filter?

@@ab_ab_c The package recommends replacing the filter every 3 months, but it all depends on your water usage and how much sediment is in your well. If you have a large family that uses a lot of water, you might need to change it more often. Personally, I change mine every 6 months.

Thanks for the comment, I appreciate it!

Hahaha, yeah, you'd think tapping around the edge wouldn't do anything but it makes all the difference. :) Thanks for the comment, I appreciate it!

Glad to hear it, thanks for watching! :)

Thanks for the comment, I really enjoy hearing my videos are helping people! :)

I'm glad the video was helpful, thanks for the comment! :)

Yep, I'm sure you're right about the sediment. My original O-ring lasted about 11 years before it started requiring a few attempts to get it to seal after each new filter. It was like it swelled ever so slightly over time. Luckily, I had purchased 2 replacement O-rings a couple years before needing to use one.

I'm glad the video was helpful, thanks for watching!

That's great, I'm glad the video was helpful! :)

I'm glad the video was helpful, thanks for the comment! :)

I appreciate the kind words and the sub! I'm happy to hear the video was helpful, thanks for the comment! :)

I'm glad the video was helpful, thanks for the comment! :)

Thanks, I'm glad it was helpful! :)

Hahaha, that's great, thanks for watching! :)

Hahaha, your water pressure will probably increase once you get that old filter replaced. :) Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment, I'm happy to hear that the video was helpful!

I'm glad it helped, thanks for the comment! :)

I'm glad it was helpful, thanks for the comment! :)

I'm glad the video was helpful, thanks for watching!

That's great, I love seeing comments like this! :)

I was a little confused about the O ring but I think I figured it out. Yay!

@@CurlyQxyz If it's not leaking then you definitely figured it out. :)

Thank you so much!! You saved me $$$$$

That's great, it's always nice to save some dough, thanks for the comment!

I appreciate the positive feedback, thanks for the comment! :)

Thanks for the comment, I'm glad it was helpful!

Thanks for watching!

Doh! That sucks, I'm sorry to hear it. The silver lining is that you'll know for next time. :)

@@Mikeattempts lol yes I will ,took him all of 15 minutes.I should give up being a RN,Plumbers make a serious great living.Have a great day

@@Link1603 It's much easier to find people who can fix things than to find people who can fix people. So, keep up the good work. :)

Glad to hear it, thanks for the comment!

Thanks for watching and leaving a comment! :)

No problem, I'm glad it was helpful. :)

I'm glad the video was helpful, thanks for watching!

Hahaha, yeah, at first it seems like a pointless step but it makes a huge difference! Thanks for the comment. :)

Thank you for watching! :)

Happy to hear it, thanks for the comment! :)

Thanks for the comment, I appreciate it!

Ah, thanks for the tip! Other viewers will benefit from knowing their filter housing might have a button on top.

Thank you for watching!

Thank you for watching! :)

I'm happy to hear the video was helpful, thanks for the comment! :)

Thanks for watching!

Thank you for watching!

I'm no pro but I think when it's a two-filter setup, the first filter is usually something like a 30-micron sediment filter, to catch the big stuff, while the second is something like a 5-micron to further remove contaminants. It will probably help with the iron, but you'd need a water softener or reverse osmosis system to get rid of it. Again, I'm not a pro so I could be wrong.

Thanks for watching! :)

Thank you for watching! :)

I change mine every 6 months, but the package recommends replacing the filter every 3 months. It all depends on your water usage and how much sediment is in your well.

I change mine every six months but it depends on your water usage and how much sediment is in your well.

Dang, that's a shame. It sounds like you gave it a good try, but those things can be stubborn.

You don't have to use any cleaner, if you don't want to. However, I would use a mild disinfectant to be sure you don't accidentally introduce any germs to your water system. For me, tap water with a few drops of bleach mixed in is perfect for this situation. No matter what you use, be sure to rinse the cleaner out really well.

@@Mikeattempts Thanks!!!

I'm no pro but you can install a carbon (black) filter instead of a sediment filter which might help with that smell, but I can't say for sure.

If it's set up like mine is then yes, you would shut off the water for the whole house at the valve just after your pressure tank. Just to be sure, you could easily test this now by turning off that valve and then trying to run water from a faucet in the house. That way, you'll know for sure what to do in an emergency.

I think the wrench is a standard size based on the filter size. If you measure the diameter of the filter housing, you should be able to pick up a universal wrench at your local Lowes or Home Depot. Thanks for watching!

I don't think so, that's what the filter is for, but I'm not a pro. I did "flush" it a little at 2:00, to clean out the inside of the filter housing. Besides there being a little air in the lines afterwards, I've never had any problems.

@@Mikeattempts Thank you. Although my whole house filter is a GE, they basically look the same so I don't believe I would need to flush the lines after the filter but before installing.

You could but I've never had to do that. Water isn't compressible so, once you turn off the main water supply, you're cutting off the water pressure. When I break loose the filter housing, it's not like water comes spraying out or anything.

I'm no pro but I'd be happy to give my opinion. It all depends on your water, if there's no sediment in your current filter then it would probably be fine not to use it. We have really clean water but our filter still catches fine sediment. You can see it in the video, it's like a really fine dark gray sand. If we didn't have the filter, that sediment would end up in our drinking water, spraying out of our shower heads and faucets, in our dishwasher, in our water heater, and in our ice cubes (unless your fridge has its own filter, ours doesn't). I don't think it would cause any harm to the people living in your house but it could cause your shower heads and faucet aerators to clog up over time, which would require disassembly and cleaning. It could also build up in the bottom of your water heater and lead to a tank failure sooner than normal. The filters are cheap and I only replace ours every six months so, in my opinion, it's worth it.

I don't currently have a link because there are different standard wrench sizes based on the filter size. If you measure the diameter of the filter housing, you should be able to pick up a universal wrench at your local Lowes or Home Depot.

Mine is a Purwater FHT-34V and the o-ring is part number ORG006, here's a 3 pack: amzn.to/3vurjoZ or a 6 pack: amzn.to/3iL2nGZ . Thanks for watching!

@@Mikeattempts Thanks very much for the quick reply, it is appreciated.

Turn the top of the filter housing from "Off" back to "Filter".

Yeah, there are many that are the same size but provide different levels of filtration. The filter I installed only removes the sediment. Thanks for watching!

Yep, turning off the water should be all you need to do when changing a water filter like this.

@@Mikeattempts Got it done!! Thanks a lot

@@mrkurleygunna Awesome, I'm glad the video was helpful!

This website has a pretty big list of water filter wrenches: www.purewaterproducts.com/parts/wrenches

@@Mikeattempts- Yeah I checked that website and it doesn't have this particular wrench with 6 slots. I can't find it anywhere. Any other ideas?

@@fast22fast There are 3 different 6-slot options on that page. If none of them are the correct size, maybe this one would work: www.purewaterproducts.com/products/wr006

@@fast22fast Sorry, I just looked at my wrench and had forgotten that it has cutouts, not pins. This one looks like it should work: amzn.to/4bEjAeo . If not, a rubber strap wrench, like this, should work: amzn.to/3OGuJRK

@@Mikeattempts Hey Mike it's all good. I ended up purchasing a $6 set of strap wrenches from Harbor Freight and used the larger one along with a heat gun on the top of the housing before removing. No drama and filter changed. Honestly I used that old plastic tool for 20+ years with no issue but let the filter in for too long last time. We are on city water and it's super clean so I don't need to change the filter much anymore. Used to be on a mountain spring. Thanks for the video!

Mine is just a standard sediment filter. A reverse osmosis water filter requires electricity to do its job so maybe you have one of those and it's just the standard "electricity and water don't mix" warnings. Find the model number and search for the manual online to get the exact instructions for your filter.

I don't use any grease on mine but just a super light coating of food grade silicone grease would work, if needed. You can find small containers in the plumbing section of any hardware store, it should say approved for potable water applications.

On the top of the filter housing, there are 3 settings: Off, Filter, & Bypass. I guess there's a chance that yours is set to Bypass which allows the water to flow without going through the filter.