Pentek 20 Big Blue Water Filter Housing with Pressure Relief: How to Choose the Right One for Your Needs

I finally got around to installing the Pentek 20 Big Blue water filter housing with pressure relief. It was a bit of a pain, but I managed to get it done.

First off, I wanted to find a way to filter the water without messing with the faucet. The house had a Rusco 1.5 spin-down filter already, but it was clogged with orange-brown gunk. Looked like fine clay. So, I figured I’d add the Big Blue to the mix.

I started by turning off the main water valve. It’s located in the basement. Once that was off, I drained the remaining water from the pipes by opening the faucet in the kitchen sink.

Next, I got all the tools and materials ready. I needed a pipe cutter, some Teflon tape, a wrench, and of course, the Pentek 20 Big Blue filter housing and a new filter cartridge. The one I picked up has this cool radial flow design. Apparently, it’s good for reducing pressure drops, or something like that. Anyway, it was from the RFC Ametek series.

I cut the pipe where I wanted to install the housing. Then, I wrapped some Teflon tape around the threads of the fittings to make sure there wouldn’t be any leaks. It took me a few tries to get it right, but eventually, I got it sealed tight.

After that, I installed the filter housing onto the pipes, making sure to tighten the fittings with the wrench. I didn’t want any leaks, so I made sure everything was nice and snug. I also made sure the filter cartridge was properly seated inside the housing.

Once everything was connected, I slowly turned the main water valve back on. I checked for leaks, and thankfully, there weren’t any. The pressure relief valve is a nice touch, by the way. It lets out any excess pressure, which I guess is good for the system. It took a little while for the water to flow through the new filter, but eventually, it cleared up.

Someone mentioned removing the sprayer under the sink and capping it to use the hole for the filter faucet. I didn’t do that. I just wanted a whole-house filter and figured the Big Blue would do the trick. And it does. The water tastes way better now, and there’s no more of that weird sediment stuff.

Overall, it was a bit of a hassle, but I’m glad I did it. Now, I have clean, filtered water throughout the house, and I don’t have to worry about that nasty gunk in the old filter.