How to Install a Whole House Iron Filter (Step-by-Step)

An iron filter goes on your main water line after the pressure tank and the sediment filter, and before the water softener. Your plumber connects the water in and the water out on the bypass valve, runs a drain line, and plugs the valve into an outlet. We recommend a licensed plumber, who typically finishes in 2 to 3 hours, and I support your plumber by phone at 800-460-5810.

Orders now ship with Pentair's new Fleck 2510 AiQ valve, the replacement for the 2510 SXT. It has an oval body and a digital screen, so the setup step on this page is written for the AiQ.

Where the iron filter goes

The iron filter goes on the main line after the pressure tank and the sediment filter, and before the water softener. The iron filter always goes before the water softener, because iron shortens the life of softener resin. From the well to the house:

1. Pressure tank. Nothing goes between the well pump and the pressure tank.
2. Sediment filter. First after the tank, to catch sand and grit. I recommend the 20 inch Big Blue with a 5 micron cartridge.
3. Iron filter. If your pH is low, an acid neutralizer goes in too, and I set its place from your test.
4. Water softener, if your test shows hard water.
5. UV light, if you have one, after the filters and the softener.

A spin-down screen, if you have one, goes after the treatment tanks. Why each one sits where it does is in the correct order for well water treatment systems.

Adding an iron filter to an existing softener

If your softener is already in, the iron filter goes in before it. As I told one caller, "put it in before the softener." Set the two so they do not backwash at the same time. My words to him: "set the iron filter for 12 and set the softener for 2, so they don't backwash together." On the AiQ, have your plumber call me for that one change. Putting in a softener in the same visit? Installing a water softener covers that half.

What comes with your iron filter

Every tank ships empty. What ships: the mineral tank (a Vortech tank with a plate in the bottom, so there is no gravel), the Fleck 2510 AiQ control valve, the stainless steel bypass valve, a fill funnel, and the Katalox Light (the black filter media that catches the iron) in separate bags or boxes, loaded into the tank at install. The bigger units also come with a flow restrictor for the drain. The Katalox Light can arrive in a separate delivery from the tank.

Not included: the drain line, the adapters and pipe to connect the bypass, and plumber's tape.

The filter backwashes every day (it rinses itself clean, out the drain line), so your well has to give enough flow for it and the drain has to take the water. Here is what each size needs:

In my install video I show what arrives and how the bypass and the drain line connect. I filmed it on the older 2510 valve; the AiQ that ships now looks different and sets up differently, as set the clock on the valve shows.

What your plumber brings

Every house is plumbed differently, so your plumber supplies the fittings. Have them on hand before install day:

• Two male adapters to match your pipe (CPVC, PEX or copper), to screw into the bypass.
• Fittings such as 90s and couplings, and probably 10 to 20 feet of pipe, depending on how far the filter sits from your pressure tank.
• Plumber's tape (Teflon) for the threads.
• A drain line, sized for the backwash. See end the drain line above the drain.
• An outlet near the valve that is always on, because the AiQ plugs in.

What to tell your plumber: "It is a Fleck 2510 AiQ air injection iron filter with a stainless bypass. It goes on the main line after the pressure tank and the sediment filter. It needs a connection in and out, a drain line sized for its backwash with an air gap at the drain, and an outlet."

Not sure which fittings you need?

Send me a photo of your pipes

Text me a photo of the pipe where the filter will go, and I will tell you or your plumber what to have ready.

Text Aidan443-277-2204 Call800-460-5810Aidan

8 AM to 5 PM Eastern, seven days a week. A real person, not a call center.

The install in 9 steps

The install is nine steps, in the order your plumber does them. The one that matters most is letting the water in slowly.

1. Pick a level spot near a drain

   The filter goes on the main line after the pressure tank and the sediment filter, on a solid, level floor, in a dry spot out of direct sun where the water will never freeze. It needs a drain within reach (Pentair says within 40 feet) and an outlet that is always on.

2. Shut off the water

   Turn off the well pump at its breaker, then open a faucet after the pressure tank to let the pressure off. Keep a bucket and towels close; there is always water left in the line.

3. Pour the Katalox Light into the tank

   Stand the tank where it will stay before you fill it: full, it is too heavy to move around, which is why it ships empty. Cover the top of the center tube with tape, set the funnel in the opening and pour in all of the Katalox Light. It is one media, and it all goes in the tank. Take the tape off when you are done. Media that gets down the tube is a pain to get back out.

   

4. Put the control valve on the tank

   Put a little silicone grease on the O-rings, never a petroleum grease. Lower the valve so the center tube slides into it, and thread it on by hand. Pentair says the plastic connections are hand-tightened, never with pliers or a pipe wrench.

5. Connect the water pipes to the bypass

   The stainless bypass slides into the back of the valve, and two metal clips hold it in place. Your plumber connects the pipe from the pressure tank to the inlet and the pipe to the house to the outlet; both are clearly marked with arrows. In the video I wrap the adapters with Teflon tape about 8 times so they will not leak. Leave the bypass handle on BY PASS for now. Two rules from Pentair: let soldered joints cool before they go near the valve, and never let the pipes hang on the valve or the bypass.

6. Run the drain line

   No drain line comes with the filter. Your plumber sizes it for the backwash flow and the length of the run, ties the end down, and ends it above the drain. The bigger units come with a flow restrictor for the drain; make sure it goes in. Without it, the backwash pushes media out of the drain line. Details are in end the drain line above the drain.

7. Set the clock on the valve

   Plug the valve in. It comes set up for the iron filter from our manufacturer, so your plumber only sets the date and time: on the AiQ, that is DATE/TIME on the Home screen. If the screen opens on setup questions instead (Pentair's Quick Start-up menu, which only shows on a new or reset controller), do not pick anything; call or text me. Leave every other setting as it ships.

   

8. Fill the tank slowly

   Pentair's AiQ manual has the tank fill with the valve in its backwash position: your plumber starts a manual regeneration from the menu, then lets water in a little at a time, and the air leaves through the drain line. Go slow. As I told one caller, when the water goes on full blast, the air cannot get out of the tank quick enough. Once the drain runs clear, bring it up to full pressure slowly, let it rinse about 10 minutes, check every joint for drips, and run a backwash or two.

9. Turn the filter on

   Turn the bypass handle so the arrow points to SERVICE, then run a cold water faucet until it runs clear. Cloudy water that clears from the bottom of the glass up is tiny air bubbles, and it goes away on its own. Chalky water or black specks in the first few days are probably dust from the new media; I told one caller who saw them to give it until the next week to clear. From here the valve backwashes every day to rebuild its air pocket.

   

End the drain line above the drain

The filter backwashes every day, and that water goes out the drain line, so the drain line has to carry the backwash flow for your size. No drain line ships with the filter. The drain line ends above the drain, never inside it.

• Size. Your plumber sizes the line for the backwash flow and the length of the run. Pentair's AiQ manual calls for rigid or semi-rigid pipe, because a soft hose can whip when the backwash starts.
• Where it drains. A floor drain, a laundry tub, a washing machine drain, or a standpipe with a P-trap into a vertical PVC line.
• The air gap. At least 2 pipe widths or 1 inch, whichever is larger. Pentair says never to push the drain line into a drain, a sewer line or a trap.
• The end of the line. Tied down so it cannot move when the backwash starts.

The air gap keeps drain water from being pulled back into the filter. If a softener sits beside the iron filter, the two drain lines can tee into one, as installing a water softener explains.

Install mistakes that cause trouble

What buyers wrote about the install

These are verified buyers of our iron filters, quoted as they wrote it.

What an iron filter install costs

A licensed plumber typically charges about $800 to install one iron filter, and it should take 2 to 3 hours. With a softener in the same visit, I told one caller he should not have to pay more than $700 to $1,000, and that it would take 3 or 4 hours at the most. Add the fittings, pipe and drain line your plumber buys. The filter itself is $2,095 to $3,295 by size, with the prices for each size in what comes with your iron filter.

A dealer's real advantage is that they do the install. Buying from us, you hire your own licensed plumber, and I support your plumber by phone while the filter goes in.

Frequently asked questions