In July 1998 I installed an undersink filter. I know the date because I kept the original installation instructions. I remember the accompanying written warning but paid little attention: “To prevent costly repairs or possible water damage we strongly recommend that the housing be replaced periodically: every five years for clear tanks, and every ten years for opaque tanks. If your housing has been in use for more than the recommended period, it should be replaced immediately”.
Imagine my surprise and dismay in November 2016 when, upon returning to the house, we noticed water in the garage coming from the entrance way which leads to the kitchen, and the kitchen and most of the dining room floors covered with water. Yup, as the above picture shows, the bottom of one of the housings had separated and its failure produced a mini flood.
Busy I was with a commercial carpet cleaner vacuuming up the water on a non stop basis for several hours. Then with fans and the heaters to dry the carpets. Over the next 24 hours we were reasonably successful, except for the entrance where the underlay and the concrete floor were so wet they stayed damp and began to smell. I lifted the carpet and underlay/pad and continued heating the area until the foundation had dried. Then installed a new underlay and re-installed the carpet. So normalcy returned and we were fortunate we had carpet and tile rather than wood floors.
My communications with the manufacturers made little headway. The new housings they carried would not fit the old base so they could not offer a goodwill replacement. And they courteously reminded me of the warning to replace the housing within 10 years of installation. I could not argue.
I bought a new undersink filter with just a single cartridge. We had previously needed a 2 cartridge system but with sediment no longer an issue, a high quality chlorine eliminator filter was all that was needed. And the water bill for that month showed unusual usage of close to 1,000 gallons. So, if you have an undersink filter, remember to replace the housings timely.