Big Blue Filter Housing / O Ring Blues!

[Lee_Leses]

So, not sure why this has been so difficult for me.

I had a 10 x 4.5 big blue filter housing installed about 2 years ago, when I had the GE softener installed.

This is only about the 3rd time I changed the filter.

I had to get a strap wrench because the housing would not loosen.

Then I took it apart twice, the 2nd time using a new or-100 o-ring.

I'm still getting a slow drip from the housing.

Especially the 2nd time I took it apart, I made sure to use plenty of food grade silicone lubricant.

Is it usually this hard to get a good seal?

Am I supposed to hand tighten it, or really apply pressure to the plastic tool?

I've been hand tightening it so far.

Is it better to use the flattened o-rings than the round ones?

Is there a better kind of filter housing to use?

Any experiences or thoughts greatly appreciated!

Thank You,

Lee

 

[Lee_Leses]

I'm also wondering if a flat/square o-ring might seal easier, if I could find them?

A spare housing I have seems to have shipped with a flatter o-ring than the ones I'm trying so far that are supposed to fit.

 

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[Reach4]

I had a 10 x 4.5 big blue filter housing installed about 2 years ago,

Maybe yours is not a real Pentek housing, but something else.

This is only about the 3rd time I changed the filter.

There is a wrench made for the purpose. It is normally recommended to only use that for loosening, and tighten by hand. Maybe the wrench could help. Pentek number is 144368 SW-4 Wrench for 20" Big Blue.

Then I took it apart twice, the 2nd time using a new or-100 o-ring.

The real housing uses a round o-ring.

I'm still getting a slow drip from the housing.

Especially the 2nd time I took it apart, I made sure to use plenty of food grade silicone lubricant.

Is it usually this hard to get a good seal?

Something is damaged I think. Try another o-ring, and inspect the housing and sump top for damage. Sliding a fingernail over the surfaces that the o-ring touches may let you detect a flaw.

Pentek O-ring is part 151122. I think these are equivalent:
Ace Hardware 4001756 or Ace 49561, American Plumber W 10-OR and 152032. 151122, UPC 33663005082, Culligan OR-100.

 

[Lee_Leses]

The housing I'm attempting to use looks exactly like this, with a yellow sticker on it.

I'm thinking from some videos I just watched that it's not a Pentek.

So I'm thinking this shouldn't be this hard, right?

Will take it apart and inspect it again.

So a housing uses either a round or a square o-ring specifically, but not both for the same housing/unit interchangeably?

?

 

[Lee_Leses]

Wow! The way the o-ring's held in the Pentek sump is totally different! UGH

Will have to look at the cap I have more closely.

 

[Lee_Leses]

OK so here's a little update. Please don't laugh at me I'm doing the best I can with this, LOL! So from 10 PM to 6 AM this is all that it leaked, so I have some time to think about what I'm doing with it. I looked at a ton of pictures of these housings, and I'm amazed how they all look so similar and accept the 10 x 4 1/2 standard filters, but they have a LOT of different O-ring designs. Does anyone recognize this brand? I may need to dump this brand and get a genuine Pentek, The O-ring design on this is very different than the Pentek.

If it continues to leak at this very slow rate, I may wait until next weekend to take it apart again. When I take it apart again I’ll look very closely at the cap and everything. I didn’t over tighten it, just hand tight and then a little snugging with the plastic tool.

 

[Martin Boring]

Had a guy I had put a whole house filter in for a few years back called and said he had changed the filter and couldn't get the housing to quite leaking. Very small leak. He had provided the filter when I installed it. Long story short I found the box store he had bought the filter at had changed brands of filter housings and the O ring was different and wouldn't quiet seal on his housing. Make sure you have the correct brand of O ring for your housing and that you didn't crack the filter housing. I have the Omini brand on my house and like that housing design.

 

[Lee_Leses]

Thank you. I'm wondering if anyone can identify the brand I have from the pictures above.

I looked on the blue part for what brand it is and so far I didn't see anything useful printed on it!

 

[Martin Boring]

Lee if the top picture is the one you have it looks like a Omni brand B7 filter housing and the O ring kit should be a OK7. In my area Menards is a dealer for Omni in my area.

 

[Lee_Leses]

Thank you Martin. I think it looks similar to the Omni, yet still different!

 

[Reach4]

Do you still have the original o-ring? Measure that for thickness.

People have posted that the OR-100 is about 5.465 inches ID. Maybe you can compare to either the housing or the old o-ring and see what dimension should change.

The old O-ring typically will have stretched longer, and that is why you could not reuse that. Anyway, you may be able to order an o-ring from the many sizes available.

 

[Lee_Leses]

Thanks Reach! I like your thinking on this issue.

I think I'm going to explore different brands of O-Rings too.

It seems not all O-Rings are created equal! lol

Also going to switch to Pentek filters, the off brands suck!