Home Water Filter Maintenance
Just like any other system that runs, your home water filtration system requires maintenance in order to ensure smooth and continuous operation. Depending on the type of filter filtration system, the maintenance ill differed quite a bit. For example, a water softener usually just requires you to add salt every so often. Whereas a reverse osmosis system requires you to actually take the system apart and replace/clean various parts on a regular
basis. Other types of systems such as carbon or a next generation filter require that you either change the filter or just replace the filter altogether. If this maintenance is not performed on any system in a timely manner than you are at risk of either damaging the system or consuming contaminated water.
Fortunately, maintenance is easy to schedule and quick to take care of. Even better, if you do not want to worry about spending time on maintenance, you can have professionals like us take care of those needs for you. We have a team of expert technicians on call to ensure your filtration system stays running clean and smooth. We are able to look at the internal parts of any filtration system and quickly determine what needs to be done. Simple tasks like putting a little food grade silicone lubricant on to the O-rings of your filter can be the difference between a system that holds up for years, or one that has problems.
When changing or removing any type of filter, it is important to turn off the flow of water before attempting to service the system. Usually there will be a valve on either side of the filter or group of filters. Those will both need to be closed off, and the pressure will need to be released from the filter itself. It is recommended to change the sediment filter every 3 to 6 months depending on usage. With the exception of a water softener, all of the filtration systems contain a carbon filter which must be changed every 6 to 12 months depending on usage. The carbon filter is responsible for filtering chlorine and chloramine, as well as other dissolved solids in the water. It is important to schedule the task so you will not forget about it. A good tip is to combine the changing of your filters with other types of tasks around your home in order to ensure that they all get done together.
A good way to keep an eye on the state of your filters is to monitor the flow of water that comes out of your sink and shower. When any of the filters come to the point where they need to be changed, the flow of water will slow down. If you see this occur it is best to check your filters immediately, especially your sediment filter. If the sediment filter becomes clogged, it no longer filters out large debris. The finer more delicate filters can become clogged more quickly than they should, as well as damaged by sediment they are not meant to filter out.