How to Install a Whole House Water Filter (Step-by-Step)
Number copied. Text it from your phone: 443-277-2204.
A whole house filter tank goes on the main cold water line: where the water comes into the house on city water, or right after the pressure tank on a well. It's just an inlet and an outlet. There's no drain line and no electric, so the average plumber can get it done in an hour to two hours. I recommend having a plumber put it in, and I'm a phone call away for your plumber. If you'd rather do it yourself, text me with any questions. The diagram shows where the tank goes on city water and on a well; the steps below go in the order the job does.
Quick Answer
Shut off the water and relieve the pressure, cut into the main cold line, run the supply into the tank's inlet and the outlet back to the house, put a bypass on it, then fill it slowly and flush it.
- Who installs it? We recommend a licensed plumber, and I support your plumber by phone at 800-460-5810. A non-backwashing tank is just an inlet and an outlet. No drain line, no electricity. See plumber or doing it yourself.
- What you need. The tank ships empty, with the carbon in boxes and a fill funnel. Your plumber brings the 1 inch fittings, pipe and glue. See what ships.
- Shut off the water. Close the main shutoff valve and open a cold water faucet before anyone cuts a pipe. See the steps.
- Where it goes. On the cold line before the water heater: first on city water, last on a well. See where the tank goes.
- The bypass. Every tank needs a way to send the water around it. Our tanks ship with a bypass valve, so a three-valve loop is optional. See the bypass loop.
- Inlet, then outlet. The supply goes into the inlet, the upflow side, and the outlet goes back to the house line. Metal pipe that grounds the house electric gets a jumper wire across the cut.
- Fill slowly and flush. Open the feed valve a quarter of the way, then all the way, and run the water until the black carbon dust clears. Check for leaks over the next few days.
The Clack 2.5 non-backwashing carbon tank I recommend most is $1,695, with the carbon, the bypass valve and the fill funnel in the box.
What's in This Guide
Where the filter tank goes
On city water, you want to catch the water as it comes into the house; on a well, you want it next to the pressure tank if possible. It goes after the pressure tank wherever the pressure tank is, and nothing goes between the pump and the pressure tank.
It goes on the cold water line only, before the water heater, so the hot water is filtered too. The carbon tank is rated for 40 to 110 degrees F and 20 to 125 PSI.
On city water with a softener, the carbon tank goes first and the softener after it, because chlorine shortens the life of softener resin. On a well, the carbon tank goes last, after the iron filter and the softener. A 20 inch Big Blue sediment filter goes first after the pressure tank, so the tanks behind it never see sand or grit. The full order for a well is in the correct order for well water treatment systems.
Set the tank on a level floor close to the main line, with a little room around it to work. A Big Blue housing hangs on the wall and needs room below it to lower the sump at cartridge changes; Pentek says at least 1-1/2 inches.
What ships with the tank
The tank ships empty, and there's little or no install paperwork in the box. Manufacturers don't put instructions in, because they figure a plumber or a water treatment dealer is installing it, so this page and the video are the instructions. Every tank ships without a drain line, and this one doesn't need one.
| Clack carbon tank ($1,695) | 20 inch Big Blue kit ($195) | |
|---|---|---|
| In the box | The empty Vortech 13 x 54 tank, the Clack in/out head, a bypass valve, a fill funnel, and two 1 cubic foot boxes of Centaur carbon | The Pentek housing with 1 inch ports, a 5 micron cartridge, a wall bracket with screws, and the spanner wrench |
| Connections | 1 inch male inlet and outlet | 1 inch female inlet and outlet |
| Your plumber brings | The 1 inch fittings, pipe, 90s and couplings, and glue for CPVC or crimp rings for PEX | Pipe fittings, shutoff valves, thread tape and wall anchors |
| Needs a drain or an electrical outlet | No | No |
If your house is CPVC, you probably need one or two 10 foot lengths of pipe, some 90s, some couplings, a can of glue and pipe cutters. That runs about $50 to $100.
Install steps
This is the order for a single non-backwashing tank, like the carbon tank in my video. The photos come from my acid neutralizer install video. It's the same Clack head on the same Vortech tank, plumbed the same way, but the tank is almond and full of calcite instead of black and full of carbon. Where the video and these steps differ, follow the steps: rinse the new carbon 10 to 15 minutes, and I recommend a plumber for the job.
-
Pick the spot
Place the tank where you want it to go, before you cut anything: level floor, close to the main line, with a little room around it to work. On a well, that's next to the pressure tank if you can.
On a well, the tank stands right beside the pressure tank. -
Shut Off the Water and Relieve the Pressure
Close your main shutoff valve (next to the well pressure tank, or at the meter side of the house on city water). Then open a cold water faucet somewhere in the house and let it run until the water stops. That drains the line and relieves all the pressure so you're not cutting into a live pipe.
The main shutoff: the blue valve after the well tank. -
Pour the carbon in with the funnel
The tank ships empty. The carbon comes in two 1 cubic foot boxes, and it goes into the tank through the fill funnel before the head goes on. Then mount the head on the tank.
The funnel in the tank opening. Carbon pours in the same way as the calcite here. -
Cut into the main water pipe
Cut a section of pipe out of the main line where the tank connects. The connections are 1 inch male threads, so the plumber adapts the house line to 1 inch. If metal water pipes ground your house electric, a jumper wire goes across the cut so the ground isn't broken; a grounding strap from a hardware store does it, and Pentek says to ask an electrician if you're not sure.
A pipe fitting after the well tank. -
Connect the supply pipe to the inlet
Run the line from the water supply into the inlet, the upflow or riser side. On the tank in my video, that's the left side. The water goes down the center tube and comes up through the carbon.
The supply pipe going into the tank's inlet. -
Connect the outlet pipe to the house line
Come out through the outlet side and take it back to your main house line, with the bypass valve on the inlet and outlet. Put a valve after the system too, so the house side can be shut off. Make sure you glue all your fittings, or on PEX make sure everything's crimped, before you turn the water on.
The outlet pipe heading back up to the house line. -
Fill the tank slowly
Once the glue is set up and dry, open a cold water faucet, then open the feed valve about a quarter of the way and let the tank fill. It may take a few minutes. When water comes out of the faucet, bring it slowly to full pressure. The first water looks black from carbon dust. Don't get alarmed. It's normal. Run it 10 to 15 minutes at an outside hose bib or a bathtub, something you can get a lot of volume through quick, until it's clear. You can get air sputtering for a few days, and if it gets black and a little dusty a few days later, just run it again. Check for leaks and drips over the next few days.
Run the flush at an outside faucet like this buyer's, right after his tank.
Text Aidan a photo of the pipes
Send a photo of where the tank is going and your question. Aidan answers you or your plumber.
8 AM to 5 PM Eastern, seven days a week. A real person, not a call center.Bypass valves around the tank
A three-valve bypass loop uses three valves to send the water around the tank. It's three ball valves, two tees and four pieces of pipe in the shape of a C: an inlet valve, an outlet valve and a bypass valve in the middle. It sends the water around the tank, so the house still has water while the tank is serviced or if there's ever an issue with it.
The bypass valve built into our tanks
All of our systems come with a bypass. You don't have to use a three-valve bypass; that's just an option. A lot of companies don't sell a bypass, so the plumber has to take three ball valves, two tees and four pieces of pipe and make a C.
Each unit comes with its own bypass except a UV light, so a UV gets valves around it. If you want to bypass a whole system of several tanks at once, a set of three ball valves around all of it does that.
Setting the three bypass valves
| Valve | Normal use | Bypass |
|---|---|---|
| 1, the inlet valve before the tank | Open | Closed |
| 2, the bypass valve in the middle | Closed | Open |
| 3, the outlet valve after the tank | Open | Closed |
Installing it outdoors
A tank can go outside where it never freezes: people do it all the time down South, with the system right next to the well tank in the yard. Where winters freeze, it goes in the house, because you can't let it freeze. Pentair's softener manual recommends installing indoors and says freezing water in the valve damages the inside of the valve and the plumbing.
| Outdoor problem | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Freezing | Put it in the house where winters freeze | The carbon tank is rated down to 40 degrees F. Pentek says a frozen filter can crack and leak |
| Sun on a Big Blue housing | Shade it, or put it in a shed | Pentek says not to install it where it's exposed to direct sunlight |
| Sun on a black tank and valve | A cover or a shed | Fleck says a black unit absorbs heat in direct sun. Pentair says the valve fades in the sun but doesn't weaken |
| Rain and weather | A small plastic shed from Lowe's or Home Depot, or a little enclosure, with the equipment inside | A cover protects the outdoor well equipment |
Tanks that need a drain line
A backwashing tank or a softener is a different install, because it has a totally different valve: electronic and programmable, with an inlet, an outlet and a half inch drain line. It discharges at least once a week to once every two weeks, so you have to find a place to run the drain line, and it has to plug in.
| Non-backwashing tank | Backwashing tank or softener | |
|---|---|---|
| Drain line | None | 1/2 inch tubing to a floor drain, standpipe or utility sink, with an air gap; not included |
| Electric | None | An outlet for the valve |
| Settings | None | Programmed once with the buttons on the screen |
| Salt | None | Softener only: salt in the salt tank |
| Plumber's time | An hour to two hours | About 2 to 3 hours, about $800 |
The steps for those are in how to install a water softener and how to install an iron filter. Which carbon tank you need is in backwashing vs non-backwashing carbon filters.
Hiring a plumber or doing it yourself
We recommend having a plumber install it, and I support your plumber by phone at 800-460-5810. Call a couple of different plumbers in your area. Smaller plumbers usually cost less and are easier to get. The average price is $85 to $125 per hour plus materials, and the average plumber can get a single tank with an inlet and an outlet done in an hour to two hours if he's efficient and knows what he's doing.
If you'd rather do it yourself, text me at 443-277-2204 with any questions. Take your time, glue or crimp every joint, and fill it slowly. What the whole job costs, tank and plumber together, is in what a whole house system costs to buy, install and run.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a whole house water filter cost to install?
A plumber runs $85 to $125 per hour plus materials, and a single tank with no drain line is an hour to two hours of his time. Parts for a CPVC house are about $50 to $100. A backwashing tank or a softener is about $800 for the plumber, because of the drain line and the outlet.
Does a water filter require a bypass?
Every tank should have one, so you can send the water around it without shutting off the house. Our tanks ship with a bypass valve, so a three-valve loop is optional. A UV light has no bypass of its own, so it gets valves around it.
How do I bypass my water filter?
On a three-valve loop, close the inlet and outlet valves and open the middle one. On a bypass that sits on the head, turn it to its bypass position. The valve-by-valve table is in the bypass loop.
Can a water filtration system be installed outside?
Yes, where it never freezes, out of direct sun, under a cover or in a small shed. Where winters freeze it goes in the house. The details are in installing it outdoors.
How often does a water filter need to be changed?
The carbon in our non-backwashing carbon tank lasts 4 to 5 years in most homes; then it's dumped and replaced with two new boxes through the funnel. A 20 inch Big Blue sediment cartridge gets changed about every 4 to 6 months on a typical well.
What do whole house water filters filter out?
It depends on what's in the tank. A carbon tank reduces chlorine taste and smell, chloramine, chlorine byproducts, herbicides, pesticides and PFAS; it does not remove hardness, nitrate or bacteria. A sediment filter catches sand, silt and rust. Each one is in whole house water filtration systems.
Aidan Walsh
Co-owner & Residential Water Treatment Specialist, Mid Atlantic WaterAidan Walsh has spent 32 years in residential water treatment, the first stretch of it installing and servicing well systems before Mid Atlantic Water became an online supplier. Mid Atlantic Water is a family company; every recommendation on this site is based on what actually failed in the field and what fixed it. If you have a question this page did not answer, call 800-460-5810 or text him at 443-277-2204.
Aidan answers calls and texts 8 AM to 5 PM Eastern, every day.Number copied. Text it from your phone: 443-277-2204.