How to install an under-sink water filter

In this video, Greg Chick, demonstrates how to install an under-sink water filter system which delivers filtered water to a separate spigot by the sink. He tackles: advantages of this filter type,how to find the best countertop location for the filter's spigot, drilling through a granite countertop, placing and connecting the water filter.

Greg says: Too many consumers are ignorant at besst when it comes to water “purification."  Even “Plumbers” are not as educated as they should be.  Even if they are, they often just sell the brand thy stock or represent, not really being objective or fair in the sales—like a political party voter instead of  voting  for the best solution or person.  

While the brands listed on the following page are good ones, none of them necessarily do all the things the salespeople say or imply they do.   This is why a due diligence on the specific issues each consumer has is needed.  One size does not pure all.  Private well water as well as municipal tap water can be a moving target from one year to the next.  I urge consumers to look at both Point of Use, (POU), and Point of entry, (POE), systems and what both do and consider one or the other or both.  Most importantly, an educated choice.

See reviews on 10 different water treament options from ConsumerAffairs.com
(ConsumerAffairs.com is not a government agency)

This installation uses the dual-port angle stop (shut-off valve) installed in the video on "How to replace an angle stop." The dual port angle stop allows separate control of the sink faucet and water filter system, and avoids having to cut a T into the faucet supply line. The installation also uses quater inch PEX tubing with simple push-in connections.

Greg intalls a Body Glove on-demand water filter, which he recommends. This filter has the following advantages over some other filter or reverse osmosis (RO) systems:

  • It processes water on demand. You can't run out. (home RO systems process water slowly over time and store several gallons for use when needed.)
  • It does not store filtered water, which can become "stale" after an extended time of non-use (e.g., vacation).
  • It does not have any waste water associated with the filtering process. (RO systems dispose of far more water than the filtered water they produce)
  • It processes over 500 gallons over the life of the filter, up to 10 times the capacity of some other commonly used filters (especially those used in refrigerators)

Additionally, the refrigerator's filtering needs are easily handled by using the push-in PEX connections to add a T to the filter's output line. This avoids separate filter costs for the refigerator and can be easily done in a very few minutes.

Time to complete 30 min - 1 hour depending on counter surface materail
Materials Filter kit, additional PEX tubing as required
Tools wrench, plyers or channel locks, drill, drill bits appropriate for the counter surface,
Optional tools flashlight
Skill level medium