Manual Backwash Filter for City Water

Pictured above is a city residential catalytic carbon filter for treatment of chloramine and random chemical contaminants. It was designed and installed by the home owner.  Here are details:

Media tank is a 12″ X 52″ inch Vortech (saves water during backwash and requires no gravel underbed).

The tank contains two cubic feet of Centaur catalytic carbon, a specialty carbon designed for chloramine reduction.

The control valve is a Fleck 2510 manual (non-electric) filter valve. It has a three-position control for service, backwash, and rinse. The manual valve costs considerably less than the standard electric timer. A stainless steel bypass is included for easy service.

Clear-housing sediment filters are installed both before and after the large filter.

The drain (needed for backwash and rinse cycles) is half-inch flexible tubing that is included with the filter.

Plumbing parts supplied by the installer are a mixture of standard hardware-store  PEX, Shark-Bite, and John Guest components.

Discussion: This is a very functional filter that will provide excellent water for general household use for many years with little upkeep and minimum expense.  Inclusion of the before and after sediment filters assures that the carbon will stay clean and that any carbon particles (fines) that escape the filter will not make it to home plumbing lines and appliances.

The manual control valve is ideal for this application. The purpose of the backwash in city water filters is mainly to resettle the carbon bed and eliminate channels.  With normal residential use, probably once a month is more than adequate for backwash/rinse, which is a five or six minute job that uses just a few gallons of water. (This filter, equipped with a Vortech tank, needs only 5 gallons per minute to backwash the media bed.)