Water Filter Cartridges

Change is important

Our water filters use carbon, polypropylene or ceramic cartridges to remove impurities and contaminants from your household water.

Over time the water filter cartridges clog up which reduces their effectiveness, which is definitely something you don't want.

You can normally tell when your water filter cartridge needs to be replaced as your flow rate drops.

We recommend that you change your cartridge every 6-12 months depending on how many people are living in your household.

We're on hand to help if you need assistance. Please call us on 01352 838 281 or request a callback.

Do I have to change the water filter cartridge every 6 months?

The life of all water filter cartridges is dictated by the amount of water filtered and not by time. Despite what you read elsewhere.

Neither we nor anyone else can tell you how long a water filter cartridge will last in terms of time. We do not know how many people there are in your household nor do we know how much filtered water you'll use for drinking and food preparation.

We express the life span of a water filter cartridge in litres. A rule of thumb is to allow at least 3,000 litres per adult and 1,500 per chiild per year.

We have to remind you to check your water  filter performance every 6 months. We abide by the water treatment industy's "best practice". 

Nevertheless, you must change every 12 months or risk bacteria break through.

Most of our customers get far more than 6 months use out of our water filter cartridges.

How do I know when to change the water filter cartridge?

We recommend that you trust your senses of smell and taste. There is warning of imminent depletion because the flow of water slows out of the tap. Final depletion is marked and sudden and most of our customers carry a spare cartridge against this eventuality.

Alternatively, we can supply an automatic shut-off water meter. You can set this for the amount of water we give for each model and the meter will shut off the filtered water at the specified amount.

There are systems available (not from us) with an indicator. It is easy to assume that these indicators are measuring contaminants - they do not. In fact, they are measuring a pressure drop caused by particles on the surface of the cartridge. This is NOT a measure of cartridge depletion as the activated carbon for chlorine and chemicals may still be active - or if the water is clean, it may not measure at all so showing, inaccrately, that the cartridge is not depleted.

How do I change the water filter cartridge?

The procedure to change the filter cartridge is as follows:

• Turn off the water supply to the filter system and open the filter tap to release the pressure.
• Place the spanner that came with your kit around the body of the filter bowl and slide up until the lugs enable you to unscrew the bowl from the housing cap. Rotate from right to left looking straight on, or clockwise if you view it from above. If you haven't mounted the housing to the cupboard wall you may nned to brace the cap somehow.
• The housing bowl will be full of water so proceed carefully to minimise spillage. Once unscrewed lower the housing bowl away from the cap, and remove to the sink.
• Empty the water and remove the old fiter cartridge.
• Rinse and wipe out the housing bowl.
• If the black O ring is 2 to 3 years old this is the time to replace it. Otherwise ensure the O ring is in good condition, it's worth coating it with silicon grease if it's a bit dry. Replace it in the groove, ensuring the O ring is properly seated.
• Unwrap the new filter cartridge and place inside the housing bowl, making sure it slips onto the small stand pipe in the base of the housing bowl.
• Screw the housing bowl onto the cap, turning anticlockwise until hand tight - do not over tighten.
• Turn on the water supply and allow the the filter system to refill - once done close the tap and check the housing bowl to cap for leaks. If there are any leaks then use the spanner to tighten the bowl a fraction. You may need to either turn off the water supply and release the pressure again to do this.
• Finally, once you're certain there are no leaks, open the tap and allow the water run for 5 minutes to flush out any manufacturing debris.

DO NOT use the spanner to tighten the housing bowl - this will make it very difficult to undo at the next filter change.

How do I dispose of my used water filter cartridge?

You can just dispose of your used water filter cartridge in your household recycling bin. If you're really keen you can break it up and dig it into your garden as it's predominantly coconut shell.

Why do I need to change the o-ring?

You can tell if the seals start leaking, which is obvious, I know.

Even if there are no leaks you may find that the profile of the O ring becomes flattened because of prolonged time under compression. The cross section should be round and if it's not it may not seal easily.

However, I recommend that you replace the O rings every two or three years as a precautionary measure.

One of the main reasons for changing O rings periodically is that as they age and compress, the housing bowl needs to be tightened excessively. That leads to difficulty loosening the bowl from the cap next time the cartridge needs to be replaced.