Rusty water, need a filter, recommendations?

[Steeze]

I just moved into a “new” 120+ year old apartment. The water is a bit brownish when you first turn it on and then clears up. Occasionally and suddenly it will brown again, making cooking difficult. We have been using bottled water for a few days and I want to get in top of this quickly.

I want to get a filter to remove the rust and any other potential contamination such as lead. Only need a single drinking water filter, not a whole house filter. Any recommendations on under sink vs. faucet mounted vs. pitcher types?

I am thinking an under mount type with a dedicated faucet. My DIY skills are ok, but haven’t messed with plumbing much. I would also need to drill a new hole in my corian counter tops. Worth hiring out? I have some other plumbing work that needs to be done in the bathroom, cracked sink, leaky faucet and a cracked drain pipe.

Thoughts, advice, learning resources welcomed!

[Papa bear]

Are you on well water or city water?  Have you had it tested for contaminants? 

If you do have high amount of iron, if you want to avoid orange rings around your toilets, tubs, shower surrounds, etc. you’re going to need a whole house filter.   These don’t have to be expensive.   

But first, I’d check to see what exactly you need to get rid of here.  You might only need a simple 5 or 10 micron sediment whole house filter at your main.  Cheap and easy.  Or if you have bacteria, ecoli, etc., you will have some bigger issues. 

Most people who want filtered water at their faucet tend to go R/O.


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[Steeze]

City water - and I am in a building with 20 or so units. Not sure if I have an individual riser from the basement or if it is a shared riser. I am assuming it is shared and I cannot add a filter in the basement without also filtering my neighbors water. Think this has to be an individual fixture installation. All the fixtures in the bathroom have the same line going in, so that would be easy enough to install if I wanted to do that in the future. Also I believe this is old metal pipes rusting from the inside and not a bacteria issue judging by the sediment in the aerators. Bigger issue having old risers in the building, but not one I can personally address.

[Papa bear]

Renting or own?  Is this galvanized steel pipe?  If it is and it’s been 120 years, I’m surprised any water is coming through at all.

Are you separately metered for water bill? If you are, then there is a main that T’s off to your unit and should have a shut off. That’s where I would add your filtration.


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[Steeze]

Own, and yes galvanized steel, and not separately metered. The HOA is not very interested in preventative maintenance either. They just deal with problems as they arise. So I am sure any old pipes do not get replaced until there is water flowing into someone’s apartment.

[lthenderson]

Since it is a rental, my recommendation would be to get one that either screws to the end of your faucet or get one that you can fill and stick in your fridge. I wouldn't want to drill holes through a countertop or mess with the plumbing unless I had the owners express permission to do so.

[Papa bear]

OP owns the apartment, based on the prior post. I haven’t been ignoring this since my last comments, I’m just letting this mull in my brain for how I would alleviate this problem...


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[lthenderson]

OP owns the apartment, based on the prior post. I haven’t been ignoring this since my last comments, I’m just letting this mull in my brain for how I would alleviate this problem...

Yes ownership changes things.  I would really look at the gpm ratings of whatever filter you go with and how often you want to change filters. I had one that was a reverse osmosis one with an air bladder that was dependent on city pressure. It periodically back flushed to clean the filter and just had a charcoal filter to improve the tastes. It was great for getting a glass of water but filling up a large stock pot for cooking some soup took forever. My parents on the other hand had one mounted inline with several replaceable filters that had four or five times the flow rate of mine. The disadvantage was that they had to change several filters several times a year.

[Steeze]

Ended up grabbing a filter for the faucet last night, was on sale 50% off, works good for drinking, but the water volume is not going to cut it for cooking. Will at least buy us some time to research the under sink systems more. Filter should be good for 3 months.

[nereo]

The faucet-mounted ones are incredibly expensive once you factor in how much they can actually filter and their cost.

We installed a two-stage filtration system that sits in the cabinet under the sink and uses standard 10" filters.  You do NOT need to drill any holes or install a new faucet - it attaches to your existing plumbing using standard flex hose and fittings. No plumber or special tools required, just a simple crescent wrench.  You *can* install a seperate faucet if you want, or just hook it up to your cold-water line.

While the upfront cost is a bit more (in the $75 range), the filters last for more than 10,000 gallons and cost about $4 to replace.  For comparison, those screw-on faucet filters are usually rated for 400 gallons (1/25th as long) and replacement filters are about double the cost.  If you've got as bad sedimentation as you say I'd use a 20micron filter followed by a 5 micron

[Steeze]

The faucet-mounted ones are incredibly expensive once you factor in how much they can actually filter and their cost.

We installed a two-stage filtration system that sits in the cabinet under the sink and uses standard 10" filters.  You do NOT need to drill any holes or install a new faucet - it attaches to your existing plumbing using standard flex hose and fittings. No plumber or special tools required, just a simple crescent wrench.  You *can* install a seperate faucet if you want, or just hook it up to your cold-water line.

While the upfront cost is a bit more (in the $75 range), the filters last for more than 10,000 gallons and cost about $4 to replace.  For comparison, those screw-on faucet filters are usually rated for 400 gallons (1/25th as long) and replacement filters are about double the cost.  If you've got as bad sedimentation as you say I'd use a 20micron filter followed by a 5 micron

Thanks  @nereo you mind linking to an example of the system you have? Sounds more in line with what I am looking for.

[nereo]

The faucet-mounted ones are incredibly expensive once you factor in how much they can actually filter and their cost.

We installed a two-stage filtration system that sits in the cabinet under the sink and uses standard 10" filters.  You do NOT need to drill any holes or install a new faucet - it attaches to your existing plumbing using standard flex hose and fittings. No plumber or special tools required, just a simple crescent wrench.  You *can* install a seperate faucet if you want, or just hook it up to your cold-water line.

While the upfront cost is a bit more (in the $75 range), the filters last for more than 10,000 gallons and cost about $4 to replace.  For comparison, those screw-on faucet filters are usually rated for 400 gallons (1/25th as long) and replacement filters are about double the cost.  If you've got as bad sedimentation as you say I'd use a 20micron filter followed by a 5 micron

Thanks  @nereo you mind linking to an example of the system you have? Sounds more in line with what I am looking for.

I bought it from a local store so the brand isn't exactly the same, but this is pretty much what I'm talking about:
https://www.amazon.com/Culligan-US-600A-Undersink-Drinking-Filtration/dp/B0002YXMG8/ref=sr_1_31_sspa?keywords=under+sink+filter+system&qid=1556577252&s=hi&sr=1-31-spons&psc=1

You can but two (or even three) in series, and it just hooks up to your existing plumbing with standard flexible sink hose.

I didn't spend much time searching ofr the best price for filters, but here's a multi-pack of 5 micron carbon block (works just like a Brita).  Since sedimentation seems to be a problem in your home I'd recommend the first filter be a 20 micron to capture the big particles.

[Steeze]

Ended up getting the Aquasana three stage filter system from Home Depot. The unit is compact, only 12 in. Which fit under the counter without me having to remove any shelving. It also has a 20 micron filter as the first stage as was recommended by you fine folks, and can remove lead, rust, etc. Flow rate, Q=0.5gpm which is just OK. I will appreciate my cooking water more. Cost was around $150 + $50 for filter replacement every 600 gallons which should be once a year although they recommend every 6 months. A little more expensive than the standard 20” filters but that is the price I pay for a compact unit.

I had to drill a hole in the counter for the dedicated faucet which ended up being pretty easy. Install was straight forward with the provided directions. Took about an hour, but could have been done in 15min if I had the right drill bit for the countertop.

DW will be happy when she wakes up, and that is what matters most. Thanks for all of the suggestions!

[Steeze]

Also should note that over the last couple weeks the water has cleared up a lot. I haven’t had any noticeable rust in the last few days. The old pipes cleared out with some use.