Dewinterizing & Draining Water Filter Cartridge

[Oafdawg]

You'll never completely clear the water filter of the pink stuff unless you unscrew it and dump it out. I fixed the problem by taking the factory supplied filter, with it's overpriced replacement filter cartridge, out and trashing it. I use an external hose filter now.

[Tundra 2014]

I use a large plastic bowl on top of a towel.

[pmsherman]

A few years ago, I purchased a metal disk insert for the filter cartridge that is put in before winterizing. This prevents antifreeze from filling the cartridge.



When I winterize, I blow out the system with compressed air using the city water attach point. This will remove almost all of the water from the cartridge making it easy to remove. I do, however, need to remove the cartridge and change the filter a number of times each year because I use two different types of filters. For these exchanges, I put a towel under the cartridge and use a small diameter plastic tube to make a siphon to drain out the water from the filter cartridge once I unscrew it. There's very little spillage when doing this.


Phil

[Wolverine 1945]

Originally Posted by pmsherman

A few years ago, I purchased a metal disk insert for the filter cartridge that is put in before winterizing. This prevents antifreeze from filling the cartridge.



When I winterize, I blow out the system with compressed air using the city water attach point. This will remove almost all of the water from the cartridge making it easy to remove. I do, however, need to remove the cartridge and change the filter a number of times each year because I use two different types of filters. For these exchanges, I put a towel under the cartridge and use a small diameter plastic tube to make a siphon to drain out the water from the filter cartridge once I unscrew it. There's very little spillage when doing this.


Phil

As did I, dammed if I can remember what it was called ???

[jimmoore13]

My filter cartridge was oriented vertically. The plumbing came and left at the top, and the clear plastic canister (filter holder/housing) hung from that.

All I had to do was depressurize the system, put an old towel under the canister to catch a few drips, and remove the canister and carefully take it outside and dump.

I winterize with air, so, for me, this process always happened AFTER blowing the lines dry, which eliminated any "gravity feed" from water lines. But, since the filter is usually higher than most of the plumbing, there should not be a lot of water in Pex lines that can drain back through the filter mount. A decent old bath towel should absorb that much water.

With dry Pex lines to and from the filter (air does NOT blow the filter housing dry) I seldom "spilled a drop" when removing the canister.

That's one guy's experience...may not be representative. Perhaps overthinking this?

[Scrapper]

Originally Posted by jimmoore13

My filter cartridge was oriented vertically. The plumbing came and left at the top, and the clear plastic canister (filter holder/housing) hung from that.

All I had to do was depressurize the system, put an old towel under the canister to catch a few drips, and remove the canister and carefully take it outside and dump.

I winterize with air, so, for me, this process always happened AFTER blowing the lines dry, which eliminated any "gravity feed" from water lines. But, since the filter is usually higher than most of the plumbing, there should not be a lot of water in Pex lines that can drain back through the filter mount. A decent old bath towel should absorb that much water.

With dry Pex lines to and from the filter (air does NOT blow the filter housing dry) I seldom "spilled a drop" when removing the canister.

That's one guy's experience...may not be representative. Perhaps overthinking this?

I agree. With the weight of air considerably lighter than water, once the air pushes the water from the top 1, maybe 2 inches of the canister it will take the path of least resistance. Most likely you will have a housing about 3/4 full.

[dbledan]

Originally Posted by Scrapper

I agree. With the weight of air considerably lighter than water, once the air pushes the water from the top 1, maybe 2 inches of the canister it will take the path of least resistance. Most likely you will have a housing about 3/4 full.

I winterize via compressed air. This was my experience as my filter had a top input and top output. I never got more than an inch or two out of it with the fiter removed. Perhaps different configurations do better or better if you left the filter in.

I grew tired of it and removed the filter using an inline one instead, though a bypass would be good as well.

[Threex14]

Originally Posted by 45RPM

Since a filter is unnecessary when winterizing, someone should make a SMALLER cartridge to replace the big one so that we're not wasting antifreeze when winterizing!

I put a bottle of water, or something similar in the housing to take up the space of the missing filter. Anything will do.