Whole house filter for shared well

[Mulligan Stew]

Hey Folks. I’m working with a water filter provider and we’re looking at installing a 1” inlet/outlet whole house filter onto a 2” shared well supply pipe. The filter would be installed inside the well house which is about 300ft from the seven single story, 1 bathroom, 1 kitchen houses it serves. So that’s 300ft of 2” pipe in the ground downstream of the short section of 1” and filter. Will this impede flow enough to be noticeable? And also, for extra genius points, what would the flow rate of the filter need to be?

 

[Reach4]

Is this filter one that uses a 4.5x20 inch cartridge? I expect the loss to be noticeable soon, if not immediately. Note that the pressure drop charts they supply are for a new cartridge. As the filter does its job, the backpressure will get higher and higher.

If cartridges, I would think that you would want to have at least two filter housings in parallel, but with valves that let you switch to one filter while you are swapping cartridges.

Or is this a 12x 52 backwashing filter?

No filter genius or pro, but I am thinking maybe 20 to 30 gpm. WAG-- not SWAG. This presumes household water use and not irrigation

Do install pressure gauges before and after.

A 10 psi pressure drop will be more noticeable if you have 30 psi water pressure than if you have 60 psi water.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[royalflush001]

Installing a 1" inlet/outlet whole house filter on a 2" shared well supply pipe will create a flow restriction at the point of the filter, potentially affecting the overall flow rate in the system. However, whether this flow restriction is noticeable or not depends on various factors such as the water demand of the houses, the pressure of the system, and the flow capacity of the 2" pipe.

To calculate the flow rate needed for the filter, you would typically consider the maximum expected water demand in the houses. This includes using multiple fixtures such as showers, faucets, and appliances. The filter's flow rate should be able to accommodate this maximum demand without causing a significant drop in pressure.

 

[Mulligan Stew]

Is this filter one that uses a 4.5x20 inch cartridge? I expect the loss to be noticeable soon, if not immediately. Note that the pressure drop charts they supply are for a new cartridge. As the filter does its job, the backpressure will get higher and higher.

If cartridges, I would think that you would want to have at least two filter housings in parallel, but with valves that let you switch to one filter while you are swapping cartridges.

Or is this a 12x 52 backwashing filter?

No filter genius or pro, but I am thinking maybe 20 to 30 gpm. WAG-- not SWAG. This presumes household water use and not irrigation

Do install pressure gauges before and after.

A 10 psi pressure drop will be more noticeable if you have 30 psi water pressure than if you have 60 psi water.

Don't know the filer spec's yet. I'm working with a filter contractor who asked me to pipe to what he spec's. I'll find out of course what he has but wanted to review my end. I like the idea of two filters in parallel. I suspect he's under sizing with just the one and hey, he can sell both filters this way. And the gauge downstream of the filter/s is a great idea. Thanks!

 

[sajesak]

Is this filter one that uses a 4.5x20 inch cartridge? I expect the loss to be noticeable soon, if not immediately. Note that the pressure drop charts they supply are for a new cartridge. As the filter does its job, the backpressure will get higher and higher.

If cartridges, I would think that you would want to have at least two filter housings in parallel, but with valves that let you switch to one filter while you are swapping cartridges.

Or is this a 12x 52 backwashing filter?

No filter genius or pro, but I am thinking maybe 20 to 30 GPM. WAG— not SWAG. This presumes household water use and not irrigation. For more accurate recommendations and insights, you might check out Mitchell Plumbing Heating And Cooling reviews to see how similar setups have been handled.

Do install pressure gauges before and after.

A 10 psi pressure drop will be more noticeable if you have 30 psi water pressure than if you have 60 psi water.

Installing a 1” inlet/outlet whole house filter on a 2” shared well supply pipe could indeed impact flow, especially with 300 feet of 2” pipe downstream. The restriction created by the 1” filter on a 2” line can cause a noticeable reduction in flow, potentially leading to lower water pressure or slower water delivery in the houses.

To minimize the impact, ensure that the filter has a high flow rate capacity that matches or exceeds the combined demand of all the houses it serves. Typically, a whole house filter should have a flow rate of at least 10-15 gallons per minute (GPM) per bathroom or kitchen, but since you have seven houses, you’ll need to sum up their peak demand. For example, if each house uses around 5 GPM, you should look for a filter with a flow rate capacity of at least 35 GPM or more.