Hello,

In my house, we have an AquaPure water filter on the main water line (right after the meter). It works pretty well; the problem is, once the new filter cartridge has been in for a couple of weeks (but not long enough to need a cartridge change), the water pressure begins to drop noticeably. So my question is: is there any way to boost the pressure past the filter? e.g. maybe I can install some sort of small tank right after the filter which would be filled with filtered water. When the faucet is turned on, the tank would supply the water full blast; meanwhile, the slow-moving water exiting the filter would replenish this tank in it's own good time (i.e. there's no rush; it can continue to fill even once I've turned the faucet back off).

In a nutshell, my idea is sort of like how water heaters work: since the user wants hot water immediately upon opening the faucet (and doesn't want to wait for the water to be cooked from scratch), a tank in the basement holds a certain amount of hot water which is immediately available; then, once the water has been supplied to the user, the water heater can heat more cold water at its convenience (so to speak) and "catch up" without keeping the user waiting. So too, with my idea: since the bottleneck is the filter, perhaps some [pressurized] water could be stored on the other side of the filter for immediate use, and then later, the filter can "catch up" without me being inconveniced.

Does anyone know how to make this work?

I see no reason why a pressure tank like used with wells shouldn't work. Even a fairly small one would cover things like washing your hands. I have greatly extended how long our whole house filter lasts by removing the restricter washer in the shower head of our bathroom. If the benefit of a small tank doesn't last while a toilet fills or the washer fills, no big problem.

Sounds good to me. Three questions, though:

1) Where can I get one of these (i.e. is this the kind of thing that Lowe's or Home Depot would have, or is it a special-order type of thing)?

2) Can you give me a "ballpark price" for a small unit?

3) Where can I find more information about this (i.e. how to install it, etc.)?

And by the way, how on earth did removing the flow restrictor from your shower head make the filter last longer??

Your idea will work. You will need to do a couple of things.

1- The air pressure in the tank needs to be equal, or just a bit less than, the waterline pressure with NO water flowing.

2- A check valve will need to be put in before the tank.

You should be able to buy a 20 gallon (Flexcon WR-60)tank for 150 - 200 dollars. Look in your phone book (water well drillers and pump suppliers).

Sounds like a lot of work and expense for what appears to be a either a problem with the whole fliter assembly or a filter that clogs up very fast. You state that the pressure is fine for several weeks with the new filter then drops, indicating to me that the bottleneck is at the filter. You can't always go by the recommeded time to change the filter. I have an inline filter recommended to be changed every 3 months. I have well water and it starts to clog up and reduce pressure after a month and a half. Maybe you have really dirty water though the filter should last longer than it does :( Not sure how your filter set up is installed in the line but if easy to remove you might try a different filter assembly first. I'm not an expert on this stuff, just passing along things I encountered while doing major upgrades on my house. For example, I had low water pressure and was ready to install a booster pump until I found that the lines were full of sediment and the pump wouldn't have helped.

That's what troubles me about this whole business; I live in New York City, where Federal regulations do not even require the city to filter the water supply because New York supposedly has "some of the purest municipal water in the world". We installed the filter when it was discovered that the water contained copepods; although it's surprising how dirty the filter is when I change it - let me tell you, there sure is a heck of a lot more than copepods in there.

Our filter, like yours, is also supposed to last between three and six months, but often goes more quick than that. A couple of months back, there was even one point where we had to change the filter almost monthly. My brother told us that he heard that the reason for that was that there had been a lot of flooding during that time near the resivoirs, washing a lot of extra mud and dirt into the supply (or something like that).

Still, all that doesn't bother me that much; I'd be willing to change the filter as often as absolutely necessary - IF it were to work properly from beginning to end. The main problem is, however, that the water pressure is good for a week or two, after which the drop in pressure becomes noticeable. This continues for the rest of the filter's life, until it is time to change it. See, the problem is that (e.g. two weeks after installing a new filter) we're stuck with a dilemma: on the one hand, it doesn't pay to change the filter since it is relatively new; on the other hand, the significantly reduced pressure is a considerable nuisance. That's why I came up with my abovementioned idea for rectifying this.

Any comments/alternate suggestions?

Hmmmm, I'm stumped. The dirty water from flood/heavy rain can happen-has happened here in the Chicago area though it is rare. Also, this situation clears it self up pretty fast. The kicker here is that the pressure is good for several weeks than drops. There are companies that check water quality for bacteria, iron, etc. I'm not sure if they actually check for "dirt" but it might be worth contacting one. Any neighbors have filters with the same problem? Depending on the city, they should also be able to test your water quality. There might also be a small leak in the supply line from the main line into your house letting in dirt; again this would be kind of rare. However, as one of the problems I had, the feed line from the well to the house had a small leak. It was not enough to flood the yard but when water was being used it would draw in dirt. Initially, my filter would only last a week or two until I had the line fixed. These are just some of my thoughts, maybe you'll have to go with the pressure tank set up... BTW, what is a copepod? My dictionary doesn't list it.

Easy, We get more water at the same pressure. As long as I still get a nice shower, I put up with the lower pressure longer.

The floodwater issue, indeed, stopped after a while; but even the "usual" is not too good here.

BTW, I noticed one day a few months ago, all the fire hydrants on the street were gushing water full blast for several hours. A city official told me that this was being done to flush dirt and sediment from the street's water mains. So I guess that was good news.

I think I'll go with the pressure tank idea (if we can afford it). It seems easier than busting up the sidewalk in front of our house and digging up our front lawn to check the main supply line.

Wikipedia is your friend. (Especially when looking for scientific info, like micro-organisms and stuff.) Follow the link, and be sure to read the fourth paragraph ("Copepods are sometimes found... )

You mean I just need to cut the pipe and install a T-fitting and attach it to that (i.e. there doesn't have to be two separate connections like the filter - one input and one output) - sort of like a water heater safety tank? And come to think of it (now that I mentioned it), can I just use a water heater safety tank for this project (instead of trying to get the kind used for wells)?

Hmmmmm... just found something interesting:

http://www.wellowner.org/awellmainte...pressure.shtml

From the first paragraph: "Have you ever had your shower reduced to a trickle because someone started the washing machine or turned on the dishwasher? This nuisance happens because your private water well system or utility pipeline doesn't have enough water pressure... " (bold emphasis mine)

Seems like they're suggesting that what will work for wells will work for utility lines as well...

I think it should work. Sorry to be late responding. I don't keep a close eye on plumbing.