How to Clean Water Filter Cartridge to Use It Again?

Do you feel the unpleasant taste of water or doubt the cleanliness of your water filtration system; it’s time to clean the water filter cartridge to purify your drinking water.

You can reuse your older water filter after cleaning it the right way. It is periodic maintenance that should be done after a month. It will help you to reduce the harmful contaminants from your drinking water.

All you have to do is to follow our supportive guide to clean the water filter cartridge and get the purified water under your fingertips.

What is Water Filtering?

Water filtering is basically a method to take out all the impurities, including bacteria, parasites, algae, viruses, and other contaminants, from the contaminated water to make it purely clean and safe to drink and use for different purposes.

 Easy Way to Clean Water Filter Cartridge

Water filtering and cleaning are not as easy a task as they may seem. They require to be carefully done when needed.

Tools Required for Cleaning Water Filter Cartridge

Step by Step Guide to Clean Water Filter Cartridge

Here are the steps to begin with the cleaning process of the water filter.

Step 1. Shutting The Water Valve Off

The first and foremost thing to do before you dive into the process of cleaning the water filter is to shut off the water filter valve completely.

Some filters contain either a valve to be turned in a direction, or a button on the top to turn the water pressure off.

Step 2. Removing And Taking The Filter Out

Now, as there are several different types of filters, it’s not always possible to clean every filter.

Paper filters mostly cannot be cleaned as they are delicate, whereas the carbon-based filter and pleated synthetic filter are the ones that can be cleaned.

So to remove the filter, you must use a tool. A wrench could possibly be helpful here to remove the filter from its place and then from the system itself.

Step 3. Removing the Plastic Netting on the Filter

Most of the filters, especially the carbon ones, have a special netting onto them to help them keep the paper part of the filters. Use a box cutter to slice around the edges of the net from the top just below the ring.

However, if you want to strip off the netting, you can do that by simply cutting a little piece of the net and then stripping until it comes off completely.

Step 4. Hose the Filter Down

One of the easiest and most effortless ways to begin cleaning the filter is to get a water hose and wash down the filter with the help of a hose.

You can either hold the filter or place it in a firm place, where it doesn’t fall off. Then spray the water on it to clean off the excess gunk of it.

In the case of the carbonated filter, you must first take off the paper on then wash its hose by spraying from both sides of the filter.

Step 5. Soaking the Filter

The next step here is to shake the pleated filter enough so that the excess water inside is out from it and then place it in the water housing.

After this, you must pour some of the oxalic acids into the housing and let it sit for around 15-20 minutes until it thoroughly cleans the filter.

Step 6. For Carbon-Based Filter

All you need to do for the carbon-based filters is get the water housing filled with approximately 1 gallon of water, mix a tablespoon of bleach in it, and soak the filter in the bleached water.

Use a soft bristle brush to scrub the filter and let the filter soak in water for about 5 minutes.

Step 7. Rinse the Pleated Filter

Once you feel that the pleated filter is clean enough, you must then take it out to rinse it. For the remaining acid, you can add a couple of drops of baking soda to neutralize it before dumping it.

After you have discarded the water, make sure to clean the housing with clean water again.

Step 8. Preparation of the Filter

So before placing the filter back in the housing, you can also add an ounce of bleach into a small cup and fill the rest with the water. This also helps in removing the bacteria from the housing.

In the carbon filter case, all you need to do is roll the paper back into the housing and zip it from the top and bottom tightly for it to hold in place.

Step 9. Inserting the Filter Back into the Housing

Now, make sure to place the filter into the housing. Then screw the filter back into the filter system where it is actually placed.

To clear filter housing, first, remove the air built up in the filter by turning the water valve on.

Then you must use the pressure button to release the air. Finally, you may turn the other valve on to release the water into the household.

Should You Clean Water Filter Cartridge or Replace It?

As a clean water filter cartridge is a time-consuming process and not a thing to be done in a few minutes, it may take from 30 minutes to an hour or so while you clean your filters.

Whereas if you want to replace the filter system, it might be a bit more costly than the cleaning procedure.

So to consider either going for cleaning or replacing the water filter, you must go with the better option available.

 Pros and Cons of Using Water Filter Cartridge

Advantages

• Very convenient systems to use
• Remove most of the contaminants
• Safe to use
• Energy efficient
• Can improve the taste of drinking water
• Removes harmful impurities
• It kills bacteria and other pathogens
• Environmental friendly

Disadvantages

• High initial cost.
• May remove some of the essential minerals required.

Conclusion

Keeping a healthy and hygienic atmosphere is always beneficial for everyone. Similarly, you should always try to keep household items that may affect your health in a certain way.

There are several methods to handle water for different needs like distilled water, purified water, and filtered water. You should know about all these things in order to have an idea about relevant applications.

We have been explaining ways to prevent the water to contaminate. Also to use it accordingly for any purpose without catching any diseases through the water source.

But the choice to go for either cleaning or replacing the water filter ultimately depends on your preference.

We hope that this article will help you with the best guidelines for cleaning the water filter and cartridge.