Tips and tricks for removing water filter canister in Rockwood 2509s?

[Mccarty11740]

Anyone out there with a good way to remove the filter canister without getting water everywhere? Seems to be placed in the worst spot possible for filter changing. It also seems to have a little pink antifreeze left in it after it was flushed out.

[Toddupton]

Remove the filter completely and put it outside.

[formerFR]

I just carry a big towel...

[formerFR]

the canister can much more easily be turned when there is NO pressure - turn off spigot/pressurized water and turn on a faucet to relieve all pressure - then turning the canister is a breeze - making it also much easier not to 'spill' the water left inside.

and yes, the factories put these in the most inaccessible places they can think of! : )

[5picker]

Many suggest placing a cake pan underneath or something similar.

Many suggest removing the filter assembly completely and using it outside at the hydrant.

[dieseldodge]

tips or tricks? Yes, I have one. Remove the whole filter, canister and all, then carefully throw it as far as you can. Then mount another filter somewhere where you can actually service it. Forest river mounts the water filter in the most ridiculous places. IMHO I believe that it has to be some sort of joke at the plant, finding the worst possible places to mount them.

[HappyTrav]

I use a plastic grocery bag. It catches all the water or antifreeze.

Just make sure you check the bag for holes and release the pressure in the system first.

I just picked up a GEWH20S and I am going to take out the FR custom one and put in the GE. The GE has a built in bypass and pressure relief valve. Plus the replaceent filters are reasonably priced.

Bob

[Mccarty11740]

Haha! That sounds about right. They could not have found a more inconvenient place to put it. I will be looking into moving it somewhere else. Thanks!

[RangeMaggotBob]

They just couldn't be in a worse place. I always put down a couple of big towels cause I know I'm going to spill water. The best thing to do- and I haven't done it yet- is to get rid of that filter by bypassing it and using one of those blue filters (from CAMCO I think at WalMart) that go in-line with your hose. To bypass your filter, just purchase a barbed coupling and hook each end going to your filter hosing together. Probably should put a clamp on each end. Done. I guess those blue filters aren't as good as the whole-house type, but we'll probably hear about that.

[Tundra 2014]

I would like to Jap-Slap the engineer who put the filter in the very front of my V- front trailer. I agree they must still be laughing about it. It took me a while to find it originally, as they put a cover over it w/ 8 screws. I had my wife cycle the water pump figuring it should be close They could not have put it in a worse location. I believe they built the trailer around it. I have learned all the tricks and can change it OK. I started using food grade silicone grease on the O ring and push up and turn 1/4 turn, also releasing any pressure. It is on my bucket list to take it out this spring. You have to put a new filter every year. This filter does do a better job of filtering out materials than the Campco we used before, no taste to water at all. At the high price for FR-1 filter, it should be! If you move it outside, what my plan is, make sure to paint or coat outside w/ something to prevent algae growth in the clear filter. May just be a problem for us, as we camp several parks on well water w/o clorine.

[wanglermi]

Originally Posted by Mccarty11740

Haha! That sounds about right. They could not have found a more inconvenient place to put it. I will be looking into moving it somewhere else. Thanks!

I removed mine. I bought 2 braded toilet lines from Home Depot and installed where the filter was. Now the filter is outside hooked up to the water line hose.

[WFD]

Check out the other thread going on right now..."Water Filter Piece busted- any tips?"

That should be enough to convince anybody to pull those crappy filters out and put one of your choice outside instead.

[rockfordroo]

You think they hire engineers? That's a laugh!

[itat]

As others said, relieve the pressure in the water system first. The canister will spin off easier after that.

In my TT, I used a Rubbermaid dishpan under the canister and carefully removed the canister and tipped it into the dishpan. It needs to be as large as you can fit into the place where they installed the filter housing. You'll still need to keep a towel ready because its hard to not spill any water.

Like most other posters, I finally got tired of the contortions needed to remove the canister and I removed it (replaced it with a PVC union) and now use a filter outside. The FR1 housing has a bad reputation. The CCI-10-CLW housing is fine. I bought a similar housing with a solid white canister to block UV rays for better water quality and I use aftermarket filters.

[TheWolfPaq82]

Wish I had a pic, but neighbor took his filter canister on his Montana 5ver, found a small 1/4 turn valve, drilled a hole in the bottom of canister, tapped the hole to match threads on valve, screwed it in with pipe tape on threads. When he needs to drain, he shuts off water, opens a faucet, cracks the valve on the canister and drains it.

[Villagerjjm]

I relieve the pressure in the cold and hot water lines. Then I open both low point drains. Then I use the wrench and slowly crank the filter housing open. The water in the housing will get pulled out through the lines leaving about 1 inch of water in the bottom of the housing. I lower the housing and ease the filter off the filter seat and let it fall to the bottom of the housing. No water leaks into the compartment!!

[ArkRVHog]

I'm in a Forester Model 2801 motorhome and just winterized after getting back from a Florida Keys trip. Not sure this is applicable (but think it should be)...after draining my fresh tank and no city water hooked up, I simply turned on my water pump and then a cold water fixture and carefully watched the water level in my filter go down about halfway so I could remove it without spilling. (My filter location is not nearly as challenging as what yours appears to be.)

I guess the filter cartridge could completely drain but would watch it closely as running the pump with no water very long is probably not good!

And I was told to also remove the "paper" filter inside the plastic cartridge before winterizing thus no pink antifreeze residue is possible and the cartridge cleans up easily.

Hope this helps.

[HappyTrav]

Originally Posted by TheWolfPaq82

Wish I had a pic, but neighbor took his filter canister on his Montana 5ver, found a small 1/4 turn valve, drilled a hole in the bottom of canister, tapped the hole to match threads on valve, screwed it in with pipe tape on threads. When he needs to drain, he shuts off water, opens a faucet, cracks the valve on the canister and drains it.

Now that’s a slick solution.

Bob

[kawac14]

I agree with the others and plan to remove the entire unit this spring. For me it's been an extra hassle because with a winter trip to FL, we have to winterize/unwinterize at least twice a year--each time removing and replacing the canister 3 times: (1) open canister & remove filter, then replace and flush system with anti-freeze (2) remove antifreeze from canister and replace for winter (3-unwinterizing) open canister and replace filter. It's nice having a whole house filter that works with the water from the fresh water tank as well as the city water inlet. But with the above hassle and spills, an exterior unit is preferable and even works when filling the tank from a hose.

[Paul GA]

I replaced mine. No chance of cheap canister popping off (had that happen with GE as well) and just swing it up to put in bypass for winterizing.