How I Installed High Flow Under Sink Water Filter Filtration System for My Kitchen – Identifying Parts

We spend enormous amount of money on bottled water every year and I hate the amount of plastic garbage this generates. I also cook a lot so I wanted readily available filtered water when washing fruits and vegetables. This article is my solution to meet these two needs.

Please note: if you arrived on this page via a search engine, you may want to read Under Sink Water Filter – Best Kitchen Setup or How I Installed High Flow Under Sink Water Filter Filtration System for My Kitchen – Installation Steps

Purpose

To install a high volume, high capacity, high flow under-sink water filtration system for daily cooking and food washing.

Applicability

Install in any kitchen under-sink (space permitting)

Background

Before remodeling my kitchen, I used to have a dual-cartridge water filter system with a dedicated mini-faucet similar to something like a (3M Aqua-Pure AP-DWS1000 Under Sink Water Filtration System).

Although this setup worked well for drinking purposes, at 0.6 gpm (gallons per minute), it took forever to fill up a pot to boil pasta/rice or use it to wash fruits and vegetables.

I also did not like having a separate faucet on the counter because having the extra hole meant another possible leak point as well as more difficulty in keeping the area clean.

So when I remodeled my kitchen, I decided to replace it with a new filtration setup that had these qualities:

• High-capacity / high-flow water filtration system (greater than 5 gpm);
• Can be hooked up directly to a kitchen faucet;
• Provide basic filtration including sediment, rust and chlorine (1)

(1) For bulk of the drinking needs, I was going to supplement the under-sink filtration with my Brita setup.

Note
For portable water bottles, re-usable bottles like Nalgene On The Fly Water Bottle are the best with BPA-free construction and dual locking mechanism. My kids can drop them all day long without breaking their bottles and there are virtually no leaks because locks stay in place.

Water Filtration Set Up

After much researching, I ended up going with :

• Aqua-Pure AP11T Filter System; AP11T was installed in 2007 and has a brass button for pressure relief) or;
• Aqua-Pure AP101T Whole House Transparent Water Filter; AP101T has an on/off button instead;
• Both units can be used with Aqua-Pure AP117 Universal Whole House Filter Replacement Cartridges (2 pack) which filters out chlorine, dirt and reduces rust/scale.

At 3 gpm, AP117 filter is not as fast as some of the others (i.e. Aqua-Pure’s AP420 is rated for 10 gpm) but that is mainly due to AP117’s ability to filter out chlorine.

I also recommend having some O-rings as spares as they will go bad after about a year of use ( 3M Aqua-Pure 63597174C O Ring )

Errata
Please note that Amazon’s Aqua-Pure filter comparison chart is incorrect. AP420 filters DO NOT filter out chlorine.

Next, you can choose either the soldering or non-soldering method.

Soldering Method

I have listed everything I need to accomplish this project. Other than propane, I highly suggest either going to your local plumbing supply store or purchase using the provided links.

I can speak from personal experience that one retailer location will most likely not have all the items listed here and it will be very time consuming to visit multiple stores hunting for parts.

Fittings – Water Supply Side

• 3x, 90 degree elbow, 1/2″ copper (buying 10 per pack makes sense in case I goof up)
• 2x, 2 feet long, 1/2″ copper tubes / pipes (Type M)
• 1x, Brass Ball Valve, Lever Handle, 1/2″ Female Solder
• 1 roll, metal hanger strap;

Soldering Tools

• 1x, 3M Emery Cloth
• Copper Pipe Cleaning Tool for Inside/Outside
• Lead Free, General Purpose/Plumbing Solder
• Rectorseal 74026 3-Ounce C-Flux
• 1x, Propane Fuel Cylinder (I don’t recommend getting this one via mail. Visit a local box retailer; the price difference is nominal;
• 1x, Bernzomatic Propane Torch Nozzle / Start Torch
• 1x, Flame Blanket / Welding Blanket;
• Ridgid 32975 1/8-Inch to 5/8-Inch Close Quarters Tubing Cutter

2b: Required Materials – NON-Soldering Method

If you do not want to solder, you can always use SharkBite fittings. Because all Sharkbite fittings should be acceptable by your local plumbing codes, but just to be sure, call and ask first.

Fittings – Water Supply Side

• 3x, SharkBite U248LFA 1/2-Inch SharkBite Lead Free Elbow
• 2x, 2 feet long, 1/2″ copper tubes / pipes (Type M)
• 1x, SharkBite 22222-0000LF Ball Valve SB 1/2″LL
• 1 roll, metal hanger strap;

3: Required Materials – For Both Soldering and Non-Soldering methods

Parts in this list are needed regardless of the connection method.

Fittings – Faucet Side

• 2x, Brass Threaded Pipe Fitting, Hex Bushing (reducer), 1″ Male x 1/2″ Female
• 1x, Brass Pipe Fitting, Adapter, 1/2″ Male Pipe x 1/2″ Female Pipe
• 1x, Brass Compression Tube Fitting, 90 Degree Elbow, 3/8″ Tube OD x 1/2″ NPT Male Pipe
• 1 roll, PTFE Seal Tape, Water (a.k.a. “white Teflon Tape”)

General Tools

• Adjustable pliers

Next Steps

Now that I have the necessary parts and tools, I can begin the installation. Click on the link How I Installed High Flow Under Sink Water Filter Filtration System for My Kitchen – Installation Steps for more information.

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