How to Outdoor-Install a Whole House Water Filter in Hot/Cold Climates

If you want to improve the water quality in your entire home, installing a whole house water filter is the perfect solution. Whole house filters are usually installed indoors, but you may need to install yours outdoors if you do not have enough space near the main water valve inside your home.

Got no idea how to start? This guide will take you through everything you need to know about installing whole house water filters outdoors, from the tips you need to keep in mind to each step involved. Whether you live in a hot or cold climate, we believe you’ll find this guide quite helpful.

Tips to Keep in Mind for Outdoor Water Filter Installation in Hot/Cold Climates

If you live in extremely hot or cold climates, you should keep in mind that installing your water filter outdoors exposes it to harsh weather elements. In cold climates, this may mean that remnant water inside your filter occasionally freezes, causing pressure that may break your filter components. As a result, you’ll experience plumbing leaks, and your water filter media becomes less effective.

In hot climates, ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun can damage plastic parts of your water filter, reducing its effectiveness. To prevent these from happening to your water filter even when you install it outdoors, you should practice these installation tips:

If you live in a hot climate, use ultraviolet (UV) resistant pipes for your connections.
If you live in a cold climate, choose low-temperature pipes for your connections.
After installation, construct a simple shed to cover your whole-house water filter. You can use a simple wooden shed, but a concrete or metal shed is a lot more durable. Whatever shed you choose, ensure that it’s spacious enough and can comfortably accommodate your whole house filter (you also want to keep it spacious so that you can easily replace filters or do maintenance).

How to Outdoor-Install a Whole House Water Filter

Because buying is usually expensive, you may want to save some costs when installing a whole house water filtration system by learning to connect one yourself instead of paying a professional. To install a whole house water filter outdoors, you’ll need:

Appropriate pipes (depending on your climate) and pipe fittings
Hacksaw
Wrench and Teflon tape
Drill and drill bits
Sandpaper
Water filter and complete components

Now, here’s how you go about the installation:

Choose a location outdoors to install your filter. The location should be spacious enough and should not have electric lines or pipes nearby.
Turn off your main water valve and open all taps to drain any present water.
Mark out an area wide enough to fix your water filter on your main plumbing line. Cut out that area using your hacksaw. Place buckets below the pipe as you cut to collect any water spills.
Smoothen the ends of the cut pipe using sandpaper and then attach a connector to each pipe end.
Attach the necessary components (shut-off and bypass valve) to your water filter unit.
Now, mount the filter unit to the space you cut out by drilling it into the wall (here’s where you use the drill and drill bits).
Fix a pipe to connect the inlet pipe of your water filter to the first end of the cut plumbing and another pipe to connect the outlet pipe of your filter to the other end of your cut plumbing.
Use Teflon tape and your wrench to secure your connections tightly.
Place the filter inside the filter housing. Now switch on your water valve and confirm that there are no leaks. If you notice leakage, use Teflon tape to further secure the leaking area.
If you stay in a cold climate, get insulation casings (for example, a foam rubber) to cover your whole house water filter.
If you stay in a hot climate, get special UV-resistant casings to cover your filter.
Finally, construct a simple shed over your whole house water filter to protect it.

Conclusion

Installing a whole house water filter outdoors is not harder than installing it indoors. You just need to take a few extra steps to protect your filter from weather elements, which would otherwise ruin your water filter, especially in extreme climates. Professionals are always available to take care of your outdoor filter installation, but with some plumbing skills and this guide, you can do it yourself and save some cash!