Pentair big blue 4x20 filter change

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Jaxjeremy

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Water softener is about a year old and coming due for a filter change. We have a hellenbrand promate ecomax with the pentair big blue whole house filter. The company wanted $120 for a filter change which is insane when I can get two filters for less money. Anyway I'm unable to remove the filter housing, pretty sure it's because the pressure needs to be relieved and I don't know how to do that.
Looking in the manual,
I didn't see anything and Google wasn't any help. I can post up pics if necessary. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
 

Reach4

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I can help with that. Get the plastic wrench. Have a spare 0-ring, in case you need it. If you need o-ring info, say so. Have some silicone grease. I like Molykote 111 in a 5.3 ounce tube, but you can get 1/2 ounce containers of silicone grease locally.

Turn off the water valve that is before the filter. Open a faucet somewhere. A lower-altitude faucet is preferred. That will relieve the pressure. Some housings have a red button to relieve pressure. Opening a faucet is less messy. However if the filter is inside a 3-valve bypass, you will need the button to relieve pressure.

Use the wrench to unscrew. The 4.5 x 20 housing is heavy when full of water. You will spill a little.

Clean any crud from the housing. Lube the o-ring lightly. Replace only if needed. Add a little bleach and water to the housing to disinfect. Put the new cartridge in. Screw in the housing by hand. You may not need to use the wrench to put it back, but if you do use the wrench, do not use much torque.
 

ditttohead

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You will not be able to remove the sump if you have any pressure on it. Do not use pliers, pipe wrench or anything that can damage the housing. Do not buy cheap junk filters based on price, buy a USA made, Italian made, or similar filter cartridge. The race to the bottom for pricing on filters has made for some impressively bad filters being common in the market. Carbon with high levels of Arsenic, melt blown filters that smell like benzene, etc... Stick with real name brands, not the fake name brands.
 

ditttohead

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LOL, I used to be an AC tech many years ago, you are not kidding. Spend the extra dollar, it is well worth it! After cleaning the layers of hair and pet debris off of the A coils...

Dirty-evaporator-coil-004.png
 
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