Just found your video, even 7 years later, and this is by far the best video I have seen regarding replacing and cleaning a whole house filter. Thank you so much!!!
You are one thorough guy if I have ever seen one! And that's in a respectful way. I always say that if it's worth doing it, it's worth doing it well. Thank you for your complete instruction.
Yes, he's thorough but NOT in a positive way. His procedure is absolutely unnecessary and the painstaking detail that he goes into is silly when you can accomplish the same exact thing in 5 minutes and without all those steps, some of which accomplish absolutely nothing. But after realizing that this guy has OCD, at least it gave me an idea.. See my description in my comment. I accomplished the same thing without oxalic acid, bleach, or most of the steps he shows in less than five minutes.
@@bmfilmnut What does it matter if the guy has OCD or not? What does it matter if he does it thoroughly or not? Everyone has their own way of doing things and some people enjoy going through a process. By the look of it this guy enjoyed doing what he did and that's fine with me. Personally all I care about is he showed me a damn good way of reusing a cartridge and even added a bonus of thoroughly explaining every detail. If you don't like the video just click off it ffs. Lay off.
This was seriously the best video I could have watched. You sir are a fantastic teacher. I had so many questions about this process as a new home owner and you've answered them and taught me so much more. Please continue this series for other home projects! Thank you so much!
Your kind is invaluable, and seemingly a dying breed of a time passed. Your wife knows she is blessed to have a first class handyman. Aside from our family, the elderly women living alone on the block also benefited from my father's mechanical inclination (I tried to put that in a tasteful way that would not be misconstrued). You've helped me and I'm sure so many others. Thanks to you and others on you tube, I am a female that has learned to do anything I set out to learn and then do successfully.
One of the most useful videos if not the most I have watched on that subject... Water from our borehole is full of reduced (ferrous) iron, I leave it to settle and oxidize for a week (--> ferric iron) before pumping it to our tank uphill that feeds the house. I have a 50-micron big blue pleated filter and three 20"x2.5" filters with cartridges: 5-micron, 1-micron and carbon. I also use bleach to get rid of iron bacteria causing the rotten egg issue. Thanks again for that great video and the oxalic acid, I was about to use phosphoric acid but oxalic acid is definitely less dangerous. And what an impressive centrifuge!
Why? You're not using safety glasses when you drink it, are you? Or when you eat it... Have you ever heard of citric acid? Like...in lemons...? Or carbonic acid? Like in soda... In some quantities acids can be deadly if ingested but here it's not the case! By the way, did you knew that most of the vitamins are actually acids?
No body listens until they are in the er with 3rd deg burns like what happened to me....the most pain I have ever experienced in my life..and I've had alot of experience with being in extream pain.
Thanks for posting this very comprehensive video. I don't even have a house filter for my water, and I found your video informative and so interesting that I watched the entire video from start to finish. You did a great job using the tools and environment you had on hand, and your idea of conserving and re-using the oxalic acid is a good one! As someone already mentioned in the comments, when working with potentially toxic materials (e.g. bleach, oxalic acid, dirty effluent, etc.) it's always best to wear eye protection. Great job!
I just used this process on my rust bacteria gummed up spin down and spun water filters.... worked FANTASTICLY! It's wonderful to be able to service and reuse these filters rather than discarding them after every use. This is absolutely a useful and informative video. Thank you so much for posting this video.
Outstanding video with exceptionally clear explanation. One of the best instructional videos on RUclips. Very helpful for me with my whole house water filters. I have 5 of them here and this will be most helpful. I have 4 years of experience with mine and developed a few tricks too, but this has really given me a big boost. Thanks for sharing your exceptional wisdom, experience and great teaching with us.
Might be more feasible to switch to a Big Blue filter (4.5" by 20") . Will last significantly longer and are better suited for the whole house. Those 2.5" by 10"s should only be used as point of use (for a single faucet, shower etc) since alot of the cheap ones are rated at 1gpm. If you really want to save money, get rid of that Proprietary R.O system so you can buy standard filters for 1/4 the cost . Informative Video!
BIGGER does not mean better... look at the filter micron ratings.. the higher the micron number the better filtering... the higher the worse! Bigger filters handles more flow( gpm) (gallons per minute)
Hi , owned and operated water treatment company from 1980 sold it 2007 . Got a US patent for self cleaning reverse osmosis treatment system. Designed built large commercial seawater RO units from Cozumel to Africa. Most enjoyed working with resort hotels , other areas of interest were ro di systems designed for coral reef keepers the entire Typhoon series is my design. I never understood the concern with discolored filters . As long as the filter fabric is free of debris back in it goes. Good video , helpful to many .
Wow, you are really amazing. Although you started out trying to save money, you made an environmental impact of not throwing all those filters in the trash that the manufacturer wants you to do so you buy more filters. Good job!
@@RVBadlands2015 He explains that he neutralized it with bicarbonate of soda. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicarbonate en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalic_acid www.hunker.com/12275090/how-to-dispose-of-oxalic-acid-solution www.mindat.org/mesg-55852.html
Hi nice video. Couple of things I see that pipe dope was used to make the connection of the copper pipe to the plastic filter housing. Teflon tape is the correct way to make that connection, pipe dope over time degrades the plastic. Using a big blue or a four by ten inch filter gives you better flow rates and longer filter runs. The filter you have is not rated for the flow rate a home requires. If you are installing a filter where Sun can shine on the filter use an opaque filter sump ( globe ) . Sun light and water grow algae , out doors use a sump that does not allow sunlight to enter . Thirty years treating water worldwide and I appreciate your efforts to help others.
Thank you for your input which only adds to, and doesn't conflict with the knowledge shared in this video. Its all very helpful because these filters do get costly. And my new cold plunge tub is located outside, where sunlight could hit my chiller's globe for for the 20 micron filter.
Thank you for posting this reduce & reuse film about these types of filters. Am a great believer in simple & appropriate chemical cleaners and keep oxalic acid for other reasons and now I'm off to use it for my water filter. Thank you for taking the time to make this film - the world would be a better place if more of us re-used things like this. Yes - simple to go and buy another filter but what happens to the used one?
Wow...a mountain of information on how to save money and a little work out at the end! Thanks for the video. I'll definitely give this a try when I have my home filters put up.
I didn't have oxalic acid so i used 4 oz barkeepers friend solution (which contains oxalic acid, citric acid and surfactant) in the globe filled with water and pleated sediment filter. I rinsed filter first then soaked for 1hr in solution. It came out white as new. Will do it again next year. I live in city so water doesnt have much sediment as others. Thanks for great video.
For those concerned with toxicity of oxalic acid, you're not really drinking the oxalic acid solution afterwards. You only use it to clean filter. You can neutralize the acid with baking soda with the filter in it, then rinse the filter the hell out of it with water. I doubt there will be any acid left to harm you after you install the filter back to your whole house water supply which further dilutes any minute acid left. Remembe, the dose makes the poison.
I didn't have 23 minutes so I played you on 2x speed. You still sounded perfectly normal and the explanation was clear. I am very curious about Oxalic acid (C2H2O4) - I don't have a water filter system yet and just doing research. I am so glad I came across your video. I agree with Diane Harrell below, if you're not a teacher, your school system is missing out. Well done, sir.
I enjoy this amount of obsessiveness very, very much. I have been looking for a way to reuse our sediment filter and I think you’ve given it to me. Thanks for the video.
Being this is a prefilter and being he is bound and determined, this is probably a good practice. There will be some loss with every application but that is up to each individual. It's probably more dependent on how many filters you can buy at one time. The sooner we can come up with a flushable media the better. We are doing more damage then good without the flush option. He is on the right track here and that is most important.
Very informative video. Thanks! I am wondering why you don't add a little baking soda to your final filter dunk/rinse, as you mention before that it neutralizes the acid before dumping the used oxalic down the drain.
Thank you very much for sharing this information! I have very high iron here in southeastern Ontario, and I have to change my filter once a week. I have using the solid foam type up till now. Cleaning my filter will save me around $300 a year and will save on landfill too!
OK , just clean the filter and container and rinse out of the system so that you do not have to purge and redirect the acid and chlorine! heaven help us.Thank you for your detailed explanation,very thorough
The drying of the clean filter was a bit ridiculous. Just put it on the shelf and air dry. Yes killing the biome in your septic tank is a bad idea. So, since you're so worried about that, be thorough next time and sprinkle some baking soda in the bottom of the sink, neutralizing all of the wash off. Thank God we're saving $12 on a filter. I see what appears to be a 60 or 100 watt incandescent bulb in your garage. Which does not illuminate well it looks like a cave. PPE it's nothing to take likely no gloves no glasses. To paraphrase, "It only Burns a little bit after a minute' I thought this was going to be he added a second filter housing and puts the old clean filter in first and the new filter is the secondary. Unless you've got an enormous amount of time to waste and need the exercise. But then again you could just put the leash on the dog and take them dog for 30 minutes walk.
You're absolutely a wonderful instructor, I really do enjoys every step of your explanation. What am saying here is; After taking down the filter what if I use the normal odorless dish washing soap like gently wash every bit/part of the filter before applying the oxalic acid and chlorine process... Would that be okay if No why...???
Great Video! Thank you. I may not spend the time cleaning the filters, but I do want to clean the three sumps on my GE system and the Oxalic Acid looks like the trick. The replacement sumps for the GE System cost about $65 and as much a the whole filter housing. Thanks for saving the money.
Have you tested to efficacy of your filter after the acid bath? Doesn't the acid degrade the 1 micron filtration by eating at the porousness of the filter? Or is the substrate impervious to the acid like the plastic jug you store it in? Capturing the number of uses is important, but at what number of reuses does the process render the pre-filter worthy of replacement? I understand it's just a pre-filter and it obviously still does a great job at collecting the mineral particulate and other unwanted debris, however, for the time and thought you've devoted to this, wouldn't a lab test be fascinating? If your friends accuse you of being too nerdy, please refer them to me because I'd be testing that with my electron microscope.
Nicely done! Gotta love chemistry! Looked to me like you got sufficient cleaning just from the mechanical method of spraying off the filter. Though not as clean as yours, it's sufficiently clean without messing with chemicals. I'd use a larger filter for whole house.
Hey thanks for the acid idea.. My spinout filter's casing was so stained, I could not see the filter anymore.. I did not buy that particular acid though. I used bottled lemon juice and vinegar. I also scrubbed it with a old toothbrush.. All is clear now.. Thanks to this vid
Thank you for sharing info with us! Is worth to mention the effort you have put in. every detail (beside making the video) in improving your results. I have some comments/questions: don't know what is the direction of the water in your system, but what I know is that if you want to rinse the filter, you have to reverse the flow, to avoid pushing the clogs going thru the pores. I see some filters' water flow goes from outside to inside... which would be detrimental if you put water pressure to the pores putting from outside to inside. (This comments goes is some way along with what just Nathan said, the filter may be still useful, but you can not longer count on it as if is new). Have you tried cleaning with vinegar?? (acetic acid would be more friendly than oxalic). The same anergy you spend cleaning the filter should be applied to wash the acid/residues. this is a very important step. and depending on your free time (or how much $ you can do on that time, recycling the filter may not be so convenient... considering safety issues). to be done, I like what you do, specially because goes against consumism, is important to be prepared in case any day you can not longer affor to buy everything you were use to.
I very much agree that was only concern is the toxins being disposed and protecting your hands face etc it only takes 15 secs to absorb into body thru skin mild or not and repeated exposures. simple baking soda splash into to acid maybe even with drain plugged swish around. it worth it every little bit helps doing our part for water. never stop inspiring the next it person to do same. thank you for the fantastic video sharing is caring. community heads together...sustainability
I use a string wound whole house filter, and I have kept my old used filters with the idea of cleaning them in the future. I wonder if this same method would work, or if the oxalic acid would eat away at the string?
Thank you for doing this video, I'm new to well water and although I think it's much better for us than city water, ours has a lot of iron just like yours. I thought your video was so informative that I wanted to try it and bought the oxalic acid. Today I mixed my solution and used an old 1/2 cup I had to measure, but since it sounded like I needed just under a 1/2 cup i really wasn't exact when I did it. The previous home owned used bleach and when we tried that, they didn't come out looking clean. Mine came out looking great but I'm wondering if i need to make sure I rinse mine better, or take any other precautions, because i wasn't precise with my measurements? When I read some of ther other comments I got worried that I might make my family sick. Thank you again for taking the time to make this video! I don't like buying things and just throwing them away if they can be reused with a little effort on my part.
Great video. I'll give it a try. I've found using Molykote around the threads of the canister when putting it back on helps with leaks and helps when you need to release the canister to change the filter. I can change the filter around 10 times before I need to add another dose of it around the threads. I use such a small amount, one tube will last many years. My filters are much less expensive. I have to change them about every week, depending on how much company we get, and they used to be $3/filter. They are now over $4/filter. I get them from Menards for that price vs $10-$15 on Amazon. So, one filter is no big deal but multiply that by 30 or so filters a year and it adds up.
Great video! Thank you so much!! You've answered EVERY question I had!! And then some! 🙋🏼♀️👍 I used to use similar filters in our intex pool yrs ago, and I used, cleaned, and reused one filter all summer long. People used to shake their head, but my water numbers were always perfect! I 😉👌
I have the same system and watching you press the red button on top, which released the air, may have saved my basement. My system has been leaking over the past few months. Today I saw this video and released that air pressure and I will watch that area for leaks. Will provide update. Thanks.
Rick, try really hard not to use the red button. They notoriously leak after you press them. Instead, you can put a sample port valve in the line before the shut off value to depressurize the filter housing. Or, you can close of the influent water supply to the filter and bleed of the pressure at a near by point of use.
I appreciate all the detail put into the information. I use a similar process to wash my pool filters. I clean the filter box and replace with my back up clean filters so I can take my time cleaning the the dirty ones. Using acid to clean four big pool filters which requires filling a clean trash can with solution could be difficult to dispose of outside. Nice to have a man around to do that stuff!
We went out and bought this while watching your video a year ago, and today i found the oxalic acid on the floor in a sealed bag as we forgot about it. IM now back to clean my filter with your strategy. 1:28 is where he starts
"..ya got a minute or two to get it off of you." lol..Great info and a laugh along the way. Not a good indicator of the time involved IF it was daylight when you started. Thanks.
Well thank you for the very thorough and detailed process. Glad to see they can indeed be cleaned up like new and moreso the filter housings can be kept clean clean , without any creep factor of old caked on rust stains. I have acquired a rural property and my well water looks very similar to yours... hence my search for how to clean filters. I have a container of bar keeps friend, so I get to try out the process without ordering anything. BTW, that ball cap has more personality than any I have...mine usually fall apart before they get so experienced. Perhaps i'm just not busy enough :)
Well I thought he did a good job on this video. Right down to the vinegar to neutralize the acid. I would put vinegar through the filter before using it. But Bravo to you. I think you did a great job. Even down to the rope through the filter and spinning it to get rid of excess liquid. Somehow I think some here sell the filters :) But always do your research before using chemicals. Just to be on the safe side. I'm always looking for a cheaper way of doing things. Thank You for this video!!
Very clever! I may use your ideas to treat my hot tub filters. The price are becoming more reasonable on the house water filters if you buy in bulk on Amazon so I might not do it for my well water...But the hot tub filters can be VERY expensive to buy. Thanks!
New sub here. We live in the Texas countryside on a well. Lots of sandy sediment. I have a big problem with the sediment filter we have plugging up. I am searching for whole house filter options again. Oh, we have been buying purified water from a local provider but the price is no $8/5 gallon jug (used to be $5). So I am motivated to purify my own water for coffee and drinking water. Thanks for your video.
Thanks! Just bought my first house with a well and had to put in a whole new softener/filter system. I have hardly ran 500gallon through and the sediment filter looks full. With chunks in the housing. The house was not used for 18 months so hoping the more I use the well that will get a little better but I was worried about the cost of filters. I had oxalic acid for cleaning other things so I’m going to give this a shot. Had you ever thought about going to a 20” filter so it lasts longer between changes? I would think the pleated ones would work the best for this vs the rope that could hold a lot more internally.
Unbelievable, I own & use a slush machine that uses Polycarbonate/Lexan Barrels. Over the years making Margaritas the lime ingredient turns the bowls a greenish color, yuck. You just showed me how to clean the bowl stains. My GBG slush machine is a vertical barrel machine which is now obsolete. (No more barrels available) I can't wait to order the Acid to completely restore all of my stock barrels back to their original blueish color. Thank you sir, Best regards..
Thank you for this excellent video. I learned a lot and do have whole house, double larger filters that need to be replaced 3 times a year. Since I am on city water I don't have your problem with iron, however my filter cartridges [one at 1 micron and the initial other one at 20 microns] do get dark over time. Does oxalic acid work on non-ferrous city water, which does contain dirt and other stuff? Should I seek out some other compound instead of oxalic acid? Thanks again, even though I am late to discovering your channel. Cheers!
Thanks for your video. I have 3 - 20" Big Blue filters. I have 20 & 5 micron filters and the 3rd one is a granular activated charcoal filter. Do you have a method to clean and reuse CAG filters?
Just clean filter with a garden hose sprayer removing all dirt and sediments, then add in a pitcher or (anything similar) 2-4 table spoon of baking soda, 1/2 - 1 cup of white vinegar and 1/4 or so cup of liquid bleach, put the filter in the liquid solution and let it soak in for about 30-1 hr. rinse again inside and out with garden hose. Should look good as new and no need to dry and wait just reinstall and flush the water softener for a couple minutes and voila!
You’re suggestion on using bleach to clean the hot and cold pipes was something I never thought of. I’m pretty sensitive to bleach so I was wondering if a baking soda/vinegar combination on the filter chamber would suffice. Perhaps even doing this regularly prior to reinstalling the filter as a method to remove debris from the pipes and the hot water heater. Thanks.
Your best bet to ensure that the O-ring gets an optimal seal and lifespan is by using a small amount of silicone or Teflon based lubricant (never use Vaseline)!
These examples are useful for anyone that has a whole house water filter. My filter is an over the sink model. There's nothing attached to the system. There also no handle to grip in order to loosen it. What a challenge.
Can i use vinegar to replace oxalic acid sir ? In my area oxalic acid is hard to find .. if i use vinegar the result can still be same sir? ... sorry my english is bad ..
like the thought of this but is it still doing the work you need,as foe me my water is real good but I still filter will try and do a test to see if it holds to be safe,it will work out cheeper if it all holds up to be doing its job ,if you drink water that has bad things in side some will kill you ,is that worth it,i will try and run tests if it all holds I will let you know.
An activated carbon filter absorbs molecules of chemicals. It does not catch particles like this filter. For example a 5 micron filter will catch particles down to 5 microns. Do not try to “clean” an activated carbon filter. It will absorb your cleaning chemicals. You will not “clean” the activated carbon filter.
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Just found your video, even 7 years later, and this is by far the best video I have seen regarding replacing and cleaning a whole house filter. Thank you so much!!!
If you’re NOT a High School science teacher, your local school district is surely missing out! Great explanations, clarity, and attention to detail!
I was guessing engineer.
Wow, I'm humbled by your kind words! Thank you, God Bless.
You are one thorough guy if I have ever seen one! And that's in a respectful way. I always say that if it's worth doing it, it's worth doing it well. Thank you for your complete instruction.
homayoun Shirazi ,... Your welcome. Thanks for your kind words of praise.
Thanks for your kind words of praise.
Thanks for you
Yes, he's thorough but NOT in a positive way. His procedure is absolutely unnecessary and the painstaking detail that he goes into is silly when you can accomplish the same exact thing in 5 minutes and without all those steps, some of which accomplish absolutely nothing. But after realizing that this guy has OCD, at least it gave me an idea.. See my description in my comment. I accomplished the same thing without oxalic acid, bleach, or most of the steps he shows in less than five minutes.
@@bmfilmnut What does it matter if the guy has OCD or not? What does it matter if he does it thoroughly or not? Everyone has their own way of doing things and some people enjoy going through a process. By the look of it this guy enjoyed doing what he did and that's fine with me. Personally all I care about is he showed me a damn good way of reusing a cartridge and even added a bonus of thoroughly explaining every detail. If you don't like the video just click off it ffs. Lay off.
This was seriously the best video I could have watched. You sir are a fantastic teacher. I had so many questions about this process as a new home owner and you've answered them and taught me so much more. Please continue this series for other home projects! Thank you so much!
Thank you Sam, for your kind words. May this knowledge forever be a blessing to you, your friends, and your family. Pay it forward. God Bless.
Your kind is invaluable, and seemingly a dying breed of a time passed. Your wife knows she is blessed to have a first class handyman. Aside from our family, the elderly women living alone on the block also benefited from my father's mechanical inclination (I tried to put that in a tasteful way that would not be misconstrued). You've helped me and I'm sure so many others. Thanks to you and others on you tube, I am a female that has learned to do anything I set out to learn and then do successfully.
What's bob doing honey? Oh he's just out there spin drying his filters again .. 🤣 thanks for sharing!
One of the most useful videos if not the most I have watched on that subject... Water from our borehole is full of reduced (ferrous) iron, I leave it to settle and oxidize for a week (--> ferric iron) before pumping it to our tank uphill that feeds the house. I have a 50-micron big blue pleated filter and three 20"x2.5" filters with cartridges: 5-micron, 1-micron and carbon. I also use bleach to get rid of iron bacteria causing the rotten egg issue. Thanks again for that great video and the oxalic acid, I was about to use phosphoric acid but oxalic acid is definitely less dangerous. And what an impressive centrifuge!
Anytime you're dealing with and ACID it's always advisable to use safety glasses to protect your eyes from an acid burn.
Good point, even though it's a very weak acid, it's always best to not take chances, especially with your eyes.
Why? You're not using safety glasses when you drink it, are you? Or when you eat it... Have you ever heard of citric acid? Like...in lemons...? Or carbonic acid? Like in soda... In some quantities acids can be deadly if ingested but here it's not the case! By the way, did you knew that most of the vitamins are actually acids?
No body listens until they are in the er with 3rd deg burns like what happened to me....the most pain I have ever experienced in my life..and I've had alot of experience with being in extream pain.
@@GabbrEL OMG, You said the perfect mouthful there, buddy. Not too much, not too little. How refreshing.
@@JohnBruno-yi1ex but it wasn't oxalic acid was it. I'd bet you effed around and found out with sulphuric acid.
Sir, I am working in plumping section for 36 years in Bahrain practically you are the great thanks a lot superb idea ! ! !
Thank you
Thanks for posting this very comprehensive video. I don't even have a house filter for my water, and I found your video informative and so interesting that I watched the entire video from start to finish. You did a great job using the tools and environment you had on hand, and your idea of conserving and re-using the oxalic acid is a good one! As someone already mentioned in the comments, when working with potentially toxic materials (e.g. bleach, oxalic acid, dirty effluent, etc.) it's always best to wear eye protection. Great job!
Thank you for your kind words,..God Bless.
When working with potentially toxic materials it's always best to wear eye protection and GLOVES.
I just used this process on my rust bacteria gummed up spin down and spun water filters.... worked FANTASTICLY! It's wonderful to be able to service and reuse these filters rather than discarding them after every use. This is absolutely a useful and informative video. Thank you so much for posting this video.
Thank you for sharing your good news and success with this method. May it be a blessing to you and everyone around you. God bless.
Outstanding video with exceptionally clear explanation. One of the best instructional videos on RUclips. Very helpful for me with my whole house water filters. I have 5 of them here and this will be most helpful. I have 4 years of experience with mine and developed a few tricks too, but this has really given me a big boost. Thanks for sharing your exceptional wisdom, experience and great teaching with us.
Thank you for your kind words. I'm just trying to "pay it forward". We are taught, "for whatever one sows, that will he also reap".
Might be more feasible to switch to a Big Blue filter (4.5" by 20") . Will last significantly longer and are better suited for the whole house. Those 2.5" by 10"s should only be used as point of use (for a single faucet, shower etc) since alot of the cheap ones are rated at 1gpm.
If you really want to save money, get rid of that Proprietary R.O system so you can buy standard filters for 1/4 the cost .
Informative Video!
Do you have links for what you are referring to? tia
Yes, I would be interested in this too!
@@runsheeprun - Amazon or Google : Big Blue Filter , or Whole house big blue water filter . It should come up. (Around $56 on Amazon , Nov 2020).
BIGGER does not mean better... look at the filter micron ratings.. the higher the micron number the better filtering... the higher the worse! Bigger filters handles more flow( gpm) (gallons per minute)
Manufacturer recommendeds 5 to 10 micron filters for residential homes
Thank you for taking the time to produce this video. In the long run it will help my family financially.
Your welcome Brady. Thank you for your comments. I certainly hope that it will be a blessing to you and your family.
Hi , owned and operated water treatment company from 1980 sold it 2007 . Got a US patent for self cleaning reverse osmosis treatment system. Designed built large commercial seawater RO units from Cozumel to Africa. Most enjoyed working with resort hotels , other areas of interest were ro di systems designed for coral reef keepers the entire Typhoon series is my design. I never understood the concern with discolored filters . As long as the filter fabric is free of debris back in it goes. Good video , helpful to many .
Wow, you are really amazing. Although you started out trying to save money, you made an environmental impact of not throwing all those filters in the trash that the manufacturer wants you to do so you buy more filters. Good job!
Yes, but he just put oxlide acid down the sink. That’s bad for any water system that people will drink. Don’t care where you live.
@@RVBadlands2015 He explains that he neutralized it with bicarbonate of soda.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicarbonate
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalic_acid
www.hunker.com/12275090/how-to-dispose-of-oxalic-acid-solution
www.mindat.org/mesg-55852.html
RNcelia, I too dislike the disposable nature of our culture!
Hi nice video. Couple of things I see that pipe dope was used to make the connection of the copper pipe to the plastic filter housing. Teflon tape is the correct way to make that connection, pipe dope over time degrades the plastic. Using a big blue or a four by ten inch filter gives you better flow rates and longer filter runs. The filter you have is not rated for the flow rate a home requires.
If you are installing a filter where Sun can shine on the filter use an opaque filter sump ( globe ) . Sun light and water grow algae , out doors use a sump that does not allow sunlight to enter .
Thirty years treating water worldwide and I appreciate your efforts to help others.
Kind of you to say.... Did you ever work in Zimbabwe? I built a project there, would be interested in your story and travels. happyrogermarcus@gmail
Thank you for your input which only adds to, and doesn't conflict with the knowledge shared in this video. Its all very helpful because these filters do get costly. And my new cold plunge tub is located outside, where sunlight could hit my chiller's globe for for the 20 micron filter.
I like this guy.. Good Job Brother peace be with you...
Thanks,.. and you as well.
Thank you for posting this reduce & reuse film about these types of filters. Am a great believer in simple & appropriate chemical cleaners and keep oxalic acid for other reasons and now I'm off to use it for my water filter. Thank you for taking the time to make this film - the world would be a better place if more of us re-used things like this. Yes - simple to go and buy another filter but what happens to the used one?
Thanks,..... agreed
Wow...a mountain of information on how to save money and a little work out at the end! Thanks for the video. I'll definitely give this a try when I have my home filters put up.
Thanks,.... let us know how it works out for you.
Maybe at the end soak it in water and baking soda just to make sure it neutralizes any acid residue left just as a precaution
Excellent point!
Good point
This whole method is all well worth it just for the drying part.
😂🤣😂
@@joemama5259 hey interesting finding you in here. David Weiss is my Lord and saviour
I didn't have oxalic acid so i used 4 oz barkeepers friend solution (which contains oxalic acid, citric acid and surfactant) in the globe filled with water and pleated sediment filter. I rinsed filter first then soaked for 1hr in solution. It came out white as new. Will do it again next year. I live in city so water doesnt have much sediment as others. Thanks for great video.
For those concerned with toxicity of oxalic acid, you're not really drinking the oxalic acid solution afterwards. You only use it to clean filter. You can neutralize the acid with baking soda with the filter in it, then rinse the filter the hell out of it with water. I doubt there will be any acid left to harm you after you install the filter back to your whole house water supply which further dilutes any minute acid left. Remembe, the dose makes the poison.
I didn't have 23 minutes so I played you on 2x speed. You still sounded perfectly normal and the explanation was clear. I am very curious about Oxalic acid (C2H2O4) - I don't have a water filter system yet and just doing research. I am so glad I came across your video. I agree with Diane Harrell below, if you're not a teacher, your school system is missing out. Well done, sir.
Thanks
I enjoy this amount of obsessiveness very, very much. I have been looking for a way to reuse our sediment filter and I think you’ve given it to me. Thanks for the video.
Your very very welcome. Thanks for commenting, and I hope this video helps you accomplish your task.
A great well explained tutorial. you are my kind of value conscious person. Thanks a lot,
Thanks
Thank you for sharing your cleaning process, and the dry spin cycle was excellent! Thumb up.
Being this is a prefilter and being he is bound and determined, this is probably a good practice. There will be some loss with every application but that is up to each individual. It's probably more dependent on how many filters you can buy at one time. The sooner we can come up with a flushable media the better. We are doing more damage then good without the flush option. He is on the right track here and that is most important.
As expensive as filters are getting these days and with this horrible economy, this information is invaluable!!!
Thank you. May this knowledge be a blessing to you. Pay it forward.
Very informative video. Thanks! I am wondering why you don't add a little baking soda to your final filter dunk/rinse, as you mention before that it neutralizes the acid before dumping the used oxalic down the drain.
I considered using baking soda, but in the final analysis, I found that step unnecessary. I have found that a good water rinse suffices.
If NOTHING ELSE, this guy was entertaining to watch!
Thank you very much for sharing this information! I have very high iron here in southeastern Ontario, and I have to change my filter once a week. I have using the solid foam type up till now. Cleaning my filter will save me around $300 a year and will save on landfill too!
Thank you for sharing this comment with all of us. Please let us know how it works out for you. God Bless.
OK , just clean the filter and container and rinse out of the system so that you do not have to purge and redirect the acid and chlorine! heaven help us.Thank you for your detailed explanation,very thorough
The drying of the clean filter was a bit ridiculous. Just put it on the shelf and air dry.
Yes killing the biome in your septic tank is a bad idea. So, since you're so worried about that, be thorough next time and sprinkle some baking soda in the bottom of the sink, neutralizing all of the wash off.
Thank God we're saving $12 on a filter. I see what appears to be a 60 or 100 watt incandescent bulb in your garage. Which does not illuminate well it looks like a cave.
PPE it's nothing to take likely no gloves no glasses. To paraphrase, "It only Burns a little bit after a minute'
I thought this was going to be he added a second filter housing and puts the old clean filter in first and the new filter is the secondary.
Unless you've got an enormous amount of time to waste and need the exercise. But then again you could just put the leash on the dog and take them dog for 30 minutes walk.
You're absolutely a wonderful instructor, I really do enjoys every step of your explanation.
What am saying here is; After taking down the filter what if I use the normal odorless dish washing soap like gently wash every bit/part of the filter before applying the oxalic acid and chlorine process...
Would that be okay if No why...???
Great Video! Thank you. I may not spend the time cleaning the filters, but I do want to clean the three sumps on my GE system and the Oxalic Acid looks like the trick. The replacement sumps for the GE System cost about $65 and as much a the whole filter housing. Thanks for saving the money.
Have you tested to efficacy of your filter after the acid bath? Doesn't the acid degrade the 1 micron filtration by eating at the porousness of the filter? Or is the substrate impervious to the acid like the plastic jug you store it in? Capturing the number of uses is important, but at what number of reuses does the process render the pre-filter worthy of replacement? I understand it's just a pre-filter and it obviously still does a great job at collecting the mineral particulate and other unwanted debris, however, for the time and thought you've devoted to this, wouldn't a lab test be fascinating? If your friends accuse you of being too nerdy, please refer them to me because I'd be testing that with my electron microscope.
LOL!!! 😂 ❤
Hey. I know its an old video. But when you interrupt copper lines like that, you are supposed to use copper wire as a jumper so it remains grounded.
Many homeowners and even plumbers forget the jumper.
Learned a lot.... I use the same type of filters... thanks a bunch!
Your are a natural teacher. Great job.
Nicely done! Gotta love chemistry! Looked to me like you got sufficient cleaning just from the mechanical method of spraying off the filter. Though not as clean as yours, it's sufficiently clean without messing with chemicals. I'd use a larger filter for whole house.
Chemistry LOL
LMAO! You got to hang in there guys until he shows you his centrifugal extractor!
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If I saw my neighbor doing this, I would immediately, without hesitation, call the authorities.
Hey thanks for the acid idea.. My spinout filter's casing was so stained, I could not see the filter anymore.. I did not buy that particular acid though. I used bottled lemon juice and vinegar. I also scrubbed it with a old toothbrush.. All is clear now.. Thanks to this vid
Your welcome, thanks for viewing our video.
You are the first person to "EXPLAIN" everything so PERFECT ! You never missed a thing ! Thank You So Much ..
Thank you very much for your kind words of praise,.. I don't know that we deserve them. Thank you.
Excellent video with a clear, well presented, explanation. Thank you.
Thanks
Thank you for sharing info with us! Is worth to mention the effort you have put in. every detail (beside making the video) in improving your results.
I have some comments/questions: don't know what is the direction of the water in your system, but what I know is that if you want to rinse the filter, you have to reverse the flow, to avoid pushing the clogs going thru the pores. I see some filters' water flow goes from outside to inside... which would be detrimental if you put water pressure to the pores putting from outside to inside. (This comments goes is some way along with what just Nathan said, the filter may be still useful, but you can not longer count on it as if is new).
Have you tried cleaning with vinegar?? (acetic acid would be more friendly than oxalic).
The same anergy you spend cleaning the filter should be applied to wash the acid/residues. this is a very important step. and depending on your free time (or how much $ you can do on that time, recycling the filter may not be so convenient... considering safety issues).
to be done, I like what you do, specially because goes against consumism, is important to be prepared in case any day you can not longer affor to buy everything you were use to.
Thank you for your comments and insights, I will take them into consideration, going forward.
I very much agree that was only concern is the toxins being disposed and protecting your hands face etc it only takes 15 secs to absorb into body thru skin mild or not and repeated exposures.
simple baking soda splash into to acid maybe even with drain plugged swish around. it worth it every little bit helps doing our part for water. never stop inspiring the next it person to do same. thank you for the fantastic video sharing is caring. community heads together...sustainability
I use a string wound whole house filter, and I have kept my old used filters with the idea of cleaning them in the future. I wonder if this same method would work, or if the oxalic acid would eat away at the string?
Thanks for your in-depth explanation. You have some very useful tips and easy to follow instructions. Very appreciated
Thank you for doing this video, I'm new to well water and although I think it's much better for us than city water, ours has a lot of iron just like yours. I thought your video was so informative that I wanted to try it and bought the oxalic acid. Today I mixed my solution and used an old 1/2 cup I had to measure, but since it sounded like I needed just under a 1/2 cup i really wasn't exact when I did it. The previous home owned used bleach and when we tried that, they didn't come out looking clean. Mine came out looking great but I'm wondering if i need to make sure I rinse mine better, or take any other precautions, because i wasn't precise with my measurements? When I read some of ther other comments I got worried that I might make my family sick. Thank you again for taking the time to make this video! I don't like buying things and just throwing them away if they can be reused with a little effort on my part.
Good on you for giving it a try! If you throughly rinse the filter, you have nothing to fear, and nothing to lose.
Great video. I'll give it a try. I've found using Molykote around the threads of the canister when putting it back on helps with leaks and helps when you need to release the canister to change the filter. I can change the filter around 10 times before I need to add another dose of it around the threads. I use such a small amount, one tube will last many years. My filters are much less expensive. I have to change them about every week, depending on how much company we get, and they used to be $3/filter. They are now over $4/filter. I get them from Menards for that price vs $10-$15 on Amazon. So, one filter is no big deal but multiply that by 30 or so filters a year and it adds up.
Thanks,... I'll look into Molykote.
this si a great video to show how to demo something very simple into something very complicated
This is wonderful, thank you.
Can this process work with city water?
I am so excited that I came across this video!!! Thank you for sharing your process.
Your very welcome. Let us all know how it works out for you and your family. God Bless
Great video! Thank you so much!! You've answered EVERY question I had!! And then some! 🙋🏼♀️👍
I used to use similar filters in our intex pool yrs ago, and I used, cleaned, and reused one filter all summer long. People used to shake their head, but my water numbers were always perfect! I 😉👌
The filter should be cleaned from the inside out with hose first. Great video sir
I have the same system and watching you press the red button on top, which released the air, may have saved my basement. My system has been leaking over the past few months. Today I saw this video and released that air pressure and I will watch that area for leaks. Will provide update. Thanks.
Rick, try really hard not to use the red button. They notoriously leak after you press them. Instead, you can put a sample port valve in the line before the shut off value to depressurize the filter housing. Or, you can close of the influent water supply to the filter and bleed of the pressure at a near by point of use.
Thanks for sharing from Barbados in the caribbean.continue to be safe.
Thumbs up for knowing to use isolation valves for ease of service.
I appreciate all the detail put into the information. I use a similar process to wash my pool filters. I clean the filter box and replace with my back up clean filters so I can take my time cleaning the the dirty ones. Using acid to clean four big pool filters which requires filling a clean trash can with solution could be difficult to dispose of outside. Nice to have a man around to do that stuff!
Impressive. I hope you all are well … this was good stuff.
We went out and bought this while watching your video a year ago, and today i found the oxalic acid on the floor in a sealed bag as we forgot about it. IM now back to clean my filter with your strategy. 1:28 is where he starts
Excellent - the best video for filter maintenance I've seen! Well done!
Wow, that's high praise, thank you!
Excellent, very well done, instructional video!
Hey buddy nice video! One thing that works really good also is IronOut! I do the same thing and it turns it all completely clear. Nice work!
"..ya got a minute or two to get it off of you." lol..Great info and a laugh along the way. Not a good indicator of the time involved IF it was daylight when you started. Thanks.
Well thank you for the very thorough and detailed process. Glad to see they can indeed be cleaned up like new and moreso the filter housings can be kept clean clean , without any creep factor of old caked on rust stains. I have acquired a rural property and my well water looks very similar to yours... hence my search for how to clean filters. I have a container of bar keeps friend, so I get to try out the process without ordering anything.
BTW, that ball cap has more personality than any I have...mine usually fall apart before they get so experienced. Perhaps i'm just not busy enough :)
That ball cap has been with me on some of my best projects. Thanks for your kind words,.. Good bless.
Let us know if "bar keeper's friend" works as well.
I really appreciate you and your knowledge. The tips are really useful. They have come in very handy. Very kind of you. A true gentleman. Thank you
Well I thought he did a good job on this video. Right down to the vinegar to neutralize the acid. I would put vinegar through the filter before using it. But Bravo to you. I think you did a great job. Even down to the rope through the filter and spinning it to get rid of excess liquid.
Somehow I think some here sell the filters :) But always do your research before using chemicals. Just to be on the safe side. I'm always looking for a cheaper way of doing things. Thank You for this video!!
Thanks Gail.
Gail Kwas Vinegar is an acid. I think you meant baking soda. That will neutralize the acid.
Very clever! I may use your ideas to treat my hot tub filters. The price are becoming more reasonable on the house water filters if you buy in bulk on Amazon so I might not do it for my well water...But the hot tub filters can be VERY expensive to buy. Thanks!
Thanks Kevin. I hope that it works out well for you. Keep us posted.
Thanks for the video! How strong is the acid? How many grams of powder per gallon?
smart as smart can be! Im impressed! Thank you sir!
Thanks
New sub here. We live in the Texas countryside on a well. Lots of sandy sediment. I have a big problem with the sediment filter we have plugging up. I am searching for whole house filter options again. Oh, we have been buying purified water from a local provider but the price is no $8/5 gallon jug (used to be $5). So I am motivated to purify my own water for coffee and drinking water. Thanks for your video.
Thanks! Just bought my first house with a well and had to put in a whole new softener/filter system. I have hardly ran 500gallon through and the sediment filter looks full. With chunks in the housing. The house was not used for 18 months so hoping the more I use the well that will get a little better but I was worried about the cost of filters. I had oxalic acid for cleaning other things so I’m going to give this a shot. Had you ever thought about going to a 20” filter so it lasts longer between changes? I would think the pleated ones would work the best for this vs the rope that could hold a lot more internally.
Unbelievable, I own & use a slush machine that uses Polycarbonate/Lexan Barrels. Over the years making Margaritas the lime ingredient turns the bowls a greenish color, yuck. You just showed me how to clean the bowl stains. My GBG slush machine is a vertical barrel machine which is now obsolete. (No more barrels available) I can't wait to order the Acid to completely restore all of my stock barrels back to their original blueish color. Thank you sir, Best regards..
Thank you for this excellent video. I learned a lot and do have whole house, double larger filters that need to be replaced 3 times a year. Since I am on city water I don't have your problem with iron, however my filter cartridges [one at 1 micron and the initial other one at 20 microns] do get dark over time. Does oxalic acid work on non-ferrous city water, which does contain dirt and other stuff? Should I seek out some other compound instead of oxalic acid? Thanks again, even though I am late to discovering your channel. Cheers!
Truly a great video. Such useful information. Thank you!
Nice video. Do you also clean reverse osmosis system membranes and filters? Would washing with HCL and then NaOH also work?
You are so sweet to show this step by step video! Thank you so much!
Thanks for your video. I have 3 - 20" Big Blue filters. I have 20 & 5 micron filters and the 3rd one is a granular activated charcoal filter. Do you have a method to clean and reuse CAG filters?
I'm thinking a tablespoon of baking soda during the rinse will neutralize any acidity.
Just clean filter with a garden hose sprayer removing all dirt and sediments, then add in a pitcher or (anything similar) 2-4 table spoon of baking soda, 1/2 - 1 cup of white vinegar and 1/4 or so cup of liquid bleach, put the filter in the liquid solution and let it soak in for about 30-1 hr. rinse again inside and out with garden hose. Should look good as new and no need to dry and wait just reinstall and flush the water softener for a couple minutes and voila!
Im no chemist but I do know baking soda neutralizes vinegar. You might as well just soak it in bleach.
On a well, the spigot would have iron in it. Rinsing out iron with iron...doesn't work.
Thank you for the precise details on cleaning water filters.
Your welcome, thanks for commenting.
You’re suggestion on using bleach to clean the hot and cold pipes was something I never thought of. I’m pretty sensitive to bleach so I was wondering if a baking soda/vinegar combination on the filter chamber would suffice. Perhaps even doing this regularly prior to reinstalling the filter as a method to remove debris from the pipes and the hot water heater. Thanks.
ruclips.net/video/k2eZ72n5uaE/видео.html
Thanks Excellent demonstration
Excellent experiment. I was thinking about the same but was not sure whether its possible. Now i am going to try this tomorrow. Thank you for sharing.
Your best bet to ensure that the O-ring gets an optimal seal and lifespan is by using a small amount of silicone or Teflon based lubricant (never use Vaseline)!
I have been using Vaseline for years.
Why shouldn't you use Vaseline?
Excellent procedure, I will try it as I have the same issue. :) Thanks a lot!
I hope it works as well for you, as it has for us, over the years...blessings to you.
How did you determine to use 62.5 grams of oxalic acid per gallon of water?
Does the baking soda need to come from the refigerator (asking for a friend)?
Will this process work with the non-fluted filters? Our systems are similar, but the filters are different, mine are more solid paper.
Thank you so much! I appreciate your thoroughness. Great job!
These examples are useful for anyone that has a whole house water filter. My filter is an over the sink model. There's nothing attached to the system. There also no handle to grip in order to loosen it. What a challenge.
Can i use vinegar to replace oxalic acid sir ? In my area oxalic acid is hard to find .. if i use vinegar the result can still be same sir? ... sorry my english is bad ..
Very informative. I think I would put the globe in the dishwasher and just replace the filter for $6
Great job ,Thanks.
God Bless you.
Thank you for the video. Will this work for all filter types? I have a rain fresh filter system about the size of yours
like the thought of this but is it still doing the work you need,as foe me my water is real good but I still filter will try and do a test to see if it holds to be safe,it will work out cheeper if it all holds up to be doing its job ,if you drink water that has bad things in side some will kill you ,is that worth it,i will try and run tests if it all holds I will let you know.
I found it hilarious when he started spinning it. If I were his neighbor I would assume he's a cowboy enthusiast.
Think this would work with carbon versions of these filters?
An activated carbon filter absorbs molecules of chemicals. It does not catch particles like this filter. For example a 5 micron filter will catch particles down to 5 microns. Do not try to “clean” an activated carbon filter. It will absorb your cleaning chemicals. You will not “clean” the activated carbon filter.
Thank you for sharing this valuable knowledge!
Thanks a lot and God bless you richly for your help and service.