Whole House Water Filter - Part One

After being in the valley for close to two weeks, Laurie finally made it back to Payson just days after the biggest snow storm so far this winter. It was the third time it snowed since October and each time we were both in the Valley and Laurie had to go up to the house and deal with the aftermath.  This storm brought about a foot of snow as you can see from the photos.  The first thing Laurie had to do upon arrival was to turn on the water at the street.  Not too long ago we bought a tool used for turning on/off main water lines.  The only issue is our main line has a regular red-handled 90 degree turn valve - not the normal button type lever.  So Mike widened the head on the tool to allow it to fit over the red handle.  It would have worked for Laurie this time, but the meter box was full of water and she could not see the valve handle or feel its position.  She finally had to get a bucket and scoop out the water before she could turn on the handle.  Once that was done, she had no problem using the new tool and getting the rest of the house opened up.  She got some good pictures of the snow around the house and even found some icicles forming through our back deck.

Water valve box filled with water

Our back patio just a few days after the snow

Our other back deck and stairs

Without a cover, the car got its share snow

The last picture we had of Zena in the snow she did not have her coat on

Icicles through the deck

Just as Mike was leaving work on Friday to make the 1 1/2 hour trek to Payson, a co-worker told him a big storm was working its way through the north region.  Mike wished he had heard that sooner as this particular weekend he had to pick his mom up before hitting the road.  But even with the extra stop and extra traffic involved in getting his mom, he was able to make it to the house before the snow started to fall.  It did not last long, but was still fun to see since we had missed the others.

It is hard to see, but it really is snowing in this picture

Over the holidays, we were able to get all the parts we needed to install the water filter system and this was to be the weekend to get the job done.  As you can see from the title, it did not get completed but we did make really good progress.  As we have explained before, this is a whole house water filter system by Pelican and we got it through a special deal at Home Depot.  It is a mutli-level system with a pre-filter, filter and water conditioner.  It received really good reviews and we especially like the design because it does not require a drain and does not use salt.  We also decided to go with a pex crimp style connection for the pipes that go between the tanks and to the house lines. That being said, off we go with the install.

Before we could begin, the filter tank had to be filled with water and soaked for a period of 48 hours.  The tank is about four feet high and less than a foot in diameter.  It comes with an attachment that allows a hose to be connected to the unit for this task.  We did not want to delay the install (already had to wait until Sunday evening because of the 48 hour soak period), but the snow, cold and pending darkness did not allow us to fill the tank outside.  So we tried a couple of methods at the kitchen sink until Mike decided to cut a short hose we had and, using a funnel, fill the tank using pitchers of water.  As you can imagine, this took us quite awhile but it worked and eventually the tank was filled.  We placed the tank in a tub to allow runoff and let it stand in the kitchen for its soak period.

Hose, funnel and pitcher - a slow process but it was warm and dry in the house

The next task was making the four pipe connections: house to the pre-filter; pre-filter to the filter; filter to the conditioner; conditioner back to the house.  The first connection had to go from 3/4" (at the house) to 1" at the pre-filter and the last connection would reduce from 1" at the conditioner to 3/4" back into the house.  Mike was able to get a pex adapter that had a 3/4" pex barb with a 1" male screw fitting for the pre-filter connection, but going back into the house he had to use an inline reducer connector. Any other option was only available through online sources and we didn't want to wait for an order to be shipped.  All-in-all, we had 14 sections of pipe, eight adapters, nine elbows, one reducer and 28 crimp rings (meaning 28 crimps).  Mike decided to start easy by creating the connection between the two tanks.  Originally he thought he could use one elbow for this, but the 1" pex pipe did not flex very much, especially since the pipe lengths were so short (less than 6").  So he made a "U" using three lengths of pipe and two elbows.  The new crimp tool we had purchased online, for half the price of the one sold by Home Depot, worked very well, though each crimp took some time as the two halves of the tool need to be slowly compressed using a ratchet on the joining bolts.  But with the filter tank still soaking, Mike had time to spare.  Soon his first pipe section was complete.

Three crimps done and one more to go

The tool has two halves that compress with the bolts and crimp the copper ring

First completed pipe assembly

Crimp checker tool - to be sure the ring compressed completely

To take a break from the crimping process, Mike mounted the pre-filter on the wall in the pantry.  Normally the three units are installed in a line, but to save space, Mike decided to put the pre-filter above the two larger tanks.  After the issues he had with his older stud finder when he installed the pantry shelves, we purchased a new one at Sam's Club.  It is about 10" in length and has multiple LEDs across its top with a level.  When a stud is found, multiple LEDs light up to show the full width of the stud.  This unit made it much easier to find the stud center for two of the four screws which went in the mounting bracket.  The other two screws were attached with wall anchors.  After connecting the two male pex adapters and some partial pipe runs from those adapters, Mike mounted the pre-filter on the wall.  Once the pre-filter was up, Mike was able to measure the pipe needed to create the connection from the pre-filter to the filter as well as most of the pipe from the conditioner to the house.  These connections could not be completed until after the filter finished its soak and was put in place.

This is our new stud finder, but ours in blue.  The little squares at the top are the LEDs.

Another pipe created for the conditioner to the house

Crimping pipe connections to the pre-filter

The pre-filter attached to the wall with its partial pipe connections and the conditioner tank

The 48 hour soak completed Sunday night, but we waited until Monday to finish the process - better to work in the daylight when it was warmer.  The next step was to flush the filter with water for at least 30 minutes or until the water was clear. Due to the weight of the completely filled tank, we were unsure as to the best way to flush it out.  Using the same short hose with a pitcher at the kitchen sink was not an option as it would take way too much time.  Mike's mom suggested placing the tank on the front porch and letting the water flow over the railing.  This was a great idea especially since it was right next to an outside hose bib.  So Mike put the tank on our two-wheeled dolly and moved it to the front porch.  He then attached the hose and started the flush process.  To better see the color of the water coming out, he used a bucket to catch the output and then dumped the water in different spots in the yard.  When the flush was complete and the water was clear, the tank was put into its final resting place in the pantry.

With the tanks properly set, Mike was able to finish the rest of the pipe/crimp connections, except for those to and from the house.  This step requires the house water to be turned off in order to remove the current loop connection, screw in the new adapters and then make the final crimp connections.  As Mike completed the rest of the work, he realized it was getting later in the day and, if there was a problem with the connections to the house or in any of the connections, he would not have time to troubleshoot and make repairs before heading back to the valley which could leave Laurie without water for the week.  Laurie suggested he wait to finish the install until the following weekend and Mike liked that idea.  That is the set-up for Part Two and time for Mike to return to the Valley.

The "filter" tank in place (on left) and most of the pipe connections

The last connections will be the two blue pipes to the house pipes

Stats: 2 Home Depot trips; 0 Walmart trips

Remodeling expense 1/04/16-1/18/16: $0

Remodeling expense to date: $52,629