Sherry and I drink a lot of water. Between refilling our Klean Kanteens several times a day and rarely ordering anything else at restaurants (I gave up soda for 2009), we’re definitely well hydrated. Even though our local water quality is decent, we’d long talked about adding a filter because we drink so much water and wanted extra peace of mind. We hesitated because faucet-mounted filters felt bulky, and I could never remember to keep a pitcher filter filled—plus those pitchers are plastic, and Sherry prefers glass and stainless steel.
We were thrilled when friends gifted us an under-sink filter from Filtrete. Hiding the system under the sink suited our aesthetic, and the unit promised “easy” installation with minimal tools. Since Sherry trusted my knack for simple home projects, installing it became my Sunday morning task.
I started by emptying the cabinet under the sink, shutting off the cold water supply, and gathering the tools. The kit included the filter cartridge, filter head, tubing and mounting screws. The instructions suggested a screwdriver, adjustable wrench, drill and a utility knife to cut the tubing. I also found plumber’s tape helpful. With everything at hand, the install felt straightforward.
The first step was mounting the filter head to the inside of the cabinet. I held the head in place with enough clearance beneath it for inserting and removing the cartridge, marked the screw locations with a pencil, drilled pilot holes and screwed the bracket in. I didn’t fully tighten the head until after all the tubing was attached, which made aligning everything easier.
Next I removed the existing cold water connection and began installing the supplied lengths of tubing. In our case the old fittings were very tight, so it took both Sherry and me to get them loose. With the old line removed, I connected one cut length of tubing from the cold water shutoff to the filter head. The cold water side used a hex-nut-style adapter that came in the kit, and the filter head accepts the tubing with a push-in fitting. The connection was secure and simple to make.
The other side of the filter head connected to another length of tubing that leads up to the faucet adapter. That end also uses a push-in fitting at the filter head and the included faucet adapter at the faucet. Everything fit together cleanly and required little force to assemble, which made the whole process quick and painless.
With the tubing in place I tightened the filter head to the mounting screws and inserted the cartridge. The filter simply slides into the head and locks with a small quarter-turn. The manufacturer recommends replacing the filter every six months, so we labeled the cartridge with a permanent marker to remind ourselves of the date. The kit also included a reminder sticker, which Sherry dutifully placed in her planner—now we have two reminders to make sure we don’t forget.
After installing the cartridge we turned the water back on, ran the faucet for several minutes to flush the new filter and checked all connections for leaks. Everything stayed dry, so installation was a success. The new system gives us cleaner, fresher water without the counter clutter or awkward faucet attachments we wanted to avoid.
At the moment we’re using the unit’s Advanced filter, which reduces sediment and improves chlorine taste and odor—similar to what you might expect from a pitcher-style filter. Later this year we may upgrade to the Professional filter, which adds protection against additional contaminants if we decide we want that extra level of filtration.
Overall, the under-sink filter solved our concerns about convenience and aesthetics. It’s out of sight, keeps our counters clear, and gives us confidence that the water we drink every day is filtered. Installation took a little time and a few basic tools, but the steps were logical and manageable for any handy homeowner.
Are you heavy water drinkers too? Do you filter your tap water? If so, what kind of system do you use—under-sink, faucet-mounted, pitcher, or whole-house? We’d love to hear what’s worked well for you and any tips for choosing or maintaining a home water filter.