There is a terrible amount of sediment in my father-in-law's country home. This has caused the failure by rusting of six water heaters in the 16 years he has been there. It also clogs up shower heads and water intakes on icemakers. I realize he should drain his two water heaters at least once a year and I know there are in line filters available for the icemaker. I have suggested a 'whole house' filter. What do you think?
COMMUNITY FORUM
Absolutely, get a whole house filter. But don't use the "fine" filters, such as charcoal, because they'll clog up very quickly and have to be replaced often. Just use the "general" filters, that are made for sediment.
I used to have 1/2-inch of mud in the bottom of my toilet tanks before I got my filter. I can't imagine why my house was built without any filter, being on a private well, but it was.
I got the standard "whole house filter" at Lowes for twenty-some dollars (I think), installed it myself, and am happy with it several years later. It was not difficult to install. I use about 4 filters a year.
I'm surprised the sediment causes his water heaters to rust. Mine is still good and is 16 years old, half of that time without a filter. Maybe his water should be tested.
I used to have 1/2-inch of mud in the bottom of my toilet tanks before I got my filter. I can't imagine why my house was built without any filter, being on a private well, but it was.
I got the standard "whole house filter" at Lowes for twenty-some dollars (I think), installed it myself, and am happy with it several years later. It was not difficult to install. I use about 4 filters a year.
I'm surprised the sediment causes his water heaters to rust. Mine is still good and is 16 years old, half of that time without a filter. Maybe his water should be tested.
[This message has been edited by rpxlpx (edited January 29, 2001).]
Just a hint in setting up your hot water tanks. If using 2 tanks, the should be pipped in parallel meaning that both tanks should draw evenly when turning on the water. This is accomplished by having the pipping to each tank the exact same length as the other tank. If not the tank with the shortest distance will draw water more easily and thus fail sooner. The other tank will not have a tendency to draw slower and not put out what you want.
Regarding rusted water heaters: something I've noticed is that sometimes when a new water heater is installed, the paint gets scratched. Those places are the first to rust (from the outside). I believe it's important to avoid scratching off the paint during installation. If he installs his own, you might pass this on.
