General Plumbing Question

[RedTiger678]

So here is the scenario... I've got a 1" water service that enters via the Garage. What I want to do is install a whole house sediment filter, then a softener, and go back in to the 1" line, however, most of the connections for a filter and softener are 3/4".

Option a: Downsize to 3/4" through the system and upsize back to 1" back into the cold for the house.

Option b: Find a filter and softener that can handle a 1" pipe...

Any other ideas completely welcome!

 

[1320stang]

AFAIK, most residential water services are 3/4". Do you have any idea what your water pressure is? Are there any devices you have that use water that would not be considered as normally being in a home? How old is your home, how big, where are you located?

You should be able to get by fine by downsizing and upsizing. You'll have a bit of pressure loss.... maybe, and your flow wouldn't be as high, but since so many fixtures are now low flow, probably not noticed unless you have a whole lot of rainbird sprinklers you run at the same time. That being said, if you water your lawn with your water service, you don't want that water softened ($$$).

 

[RedTiger678]

Thanks for the help, however, I've discovered that indeed the filter(s) and softeners are also made with 1" ports, so I think I'm going to go that route instead so there are no calculations on flow rate or pressure drop etc...

 

[thooks]

If there are 4 or less people in your house and your pressure is 50 psi or greater, you will be fine with either going with the 1" filter or reducing down to 3/4".

 

[weaponizer]

When i put a filter in my house i was told if it was plastic ( which it was ) that i had to jump the pipes with a ground because i was ungrounding my house because one of the grounds was with the pipes on the house...Maybe its just my state, but i would check into it if i were you...

 

[metal1313]

you can get around the wire ground jump, in fact you shouldnt need one if you install filter properly. i dont install them, or water softeners with out a by-pass loop. that way if something goes down, softener breaks, need to replace the whole filter assembly, you can by pass it and still have water.

you should also not soften hose water, and i dont filter them either in my house, except for one and the filter is intalled right near the faucet head for washing cars

 

[Falcon67]

FWIW - all the new connections and retrofits our city has done are 1" plastic. You might check with the city, but if anything has been updated in the last 10-20 years, it's very likely not going to be metal. Sewer, water - everything is plastic. The meter on our house is brass, with 1" black flex pipe coming in and 3/4" PVC going out to the house.

 

[Highbeam]

Water lines are often 1" but the meter and meter setter are only 3/4" or even 5/8". The reason for the larger pipe is so that the cities only have to stock one size pipe. Also, there is less head loss in long runs if you use larger pipe.

What I'm saying is that your meter is not a 1" meter just because the lines are one inch.

 

[rlitman]

What I'm saying is that your meter is not a 1" meter just because the lines are one inch.

Yeah, but why add more restrictions, when it may affect a irrigation sprinkler system's performance (if he happens to have one).

The 1" port filters take the larger canister (there are 20" long ones, or 10" wide ones, either should be fine, just don't do the 10" narrow ones).

One note. Look for a filter that has metal threads on the inlet and outlet. They all have plastic bodies, but the better ones have metal threads.

A bypass loop isn't a bad idea, but I'm not sure it's necessary. If the filter goes bad and you don't have a replacement, you can just put the canister back on, with no filter in it, and be bypassed. It's just one more valve (you'll want a valve on each side of the filter), but it is a lot more fittings (tees and elbows, etc). Either way, you must guarantee an electrical across the filter (if you have metal pipes). If everything your do is soldered, then a bypass will suffice. If you use any sharkbite fittings (or those weird ball valves that have unions built into each side), you'll have to wire the bypass.

 

[Frank The Plumber]

Use the bypass, a lot less dinkin around at a later date, it may actually save you money in the long run as a wife or some one will be able to bypass the system while you are out of town or unavailable instead of calling a pro to dink with it. The meter on most homes restricts to 1/2" on a 1" service. You would never know. The only time you would notice a lag would be if all of the homes fixtures were open simultaneously. Most homes are designed for this yet seldom encounter this scenario. If it costs you a lot to return it just use it, if it is free to swap, go ahead.

BTW, you will not lose pressure, you will lose volume and recovery pressure at maximum flow rate on the whole system if multiple fixtures are opened. Not really that much.