How To Install a Tap Filter in 3 Easy Steps With Pictures

Pretty much every body should install some sort of water filter for their drinking water. Just in January of this year the Northumbrian Water company was fined about £500,000 after pleading guilty for supplying water unfit for human consumption. So no matter what we think about the quality of the water in our area - sometimes water companies can make mistakes, can cut corners or are just down right lazy when it comes to the quality of our water and it's up to us as consumers to look after ourselves and make sure that our drinking water is the best it can possibly be.

Putting aside the various things that can happen at the water company itself, if we think about how our water gets from the water company to ourselves - we would really think twice (or thrice!) about drinking water straight from the tap. Think about it, water that leaves the processing facilities at the water utilities is passing along pipes which could be hundreds of years old, these pipes can sometimes have leaks and cracks which allow bacteria and other foreign objects to leach into the water. It's pretty much impossible to clean all the pipes in the water network, so these old pipes also harbour algae, bacteria and other harmful pathogens which are collected as water rushes through them and of course their end location is our taps. We all clean our bathrooms quite regularly because they get dirty - can you imagine the kinds of dirt and junk there is in these old pipes which never get cleaned? That's why it's so important to filter our drinking water - no matter how clean we think it might look.

When it comes to drinking water filters at home, most people would be familiar with the jug type water filters. You fill up the jug and there's a carbon filter in the middle, as the water passes through the filter it ends up in the bottom half of the jug and that water is filtered. Whilst this is a good solution, it certainly isn't convenient, as only half the jug is filtered at once and you have to keep filling the jug and waiting (and waiting, and waiting) for the water to pass slowly through the filter.

The most convenient and easiest way to filter your tap water is to actually install a Basin Tap Filter, like this one from PureShowers.co.uk:

Basin Tap and Kitchen Tap Filter

The great thing about one of these is that it just fits on the end of your existing tap. So you get filtered water whenever you need it. Just turn on the tap and as the water passes through the filter it cleans your water and safe, pure, filtered water comes out the bottom of the tap. When you don't need filtered water (like when you're washing the dishes), there's a little black lever on the side of the filter which you turn and water comes directly out of the tap without passing through the tap filter.

Pretty much all Basin Tap and Kitchen Tap Filter filters fit the same way, so in this article we will show you in 5 easy steps with some pretty pictures how you can install one of these tap filters in your kitchen or your bath room tap.

Step 1 - Locate the tap aerator and remove it

Every tap has an aerator - you probably don't even know it's there - but it's the little bit on the end of the tap which has a small mesh. Without it as water passes through the tap it would just splash everywhere! So the aerator makes the water come out of the tap in an even and controlled manner.

Aerators are always changeable on a tap, because they can wear out and you sometimes need to replace them. You can easily spot an aerator on the end of your tap because it's a little protrusion on the end of the tap and has two flat sides (so that you can use a tool like a spanner to remove it).

This is what a standard aerator looks like:

They do come in a variety of shapes, so it might not always look like this - but they always will have two flat parts on the sides (which you can see on the image above). They also will always have some make 'threads' (those are the spiral groves on the top of the aerator) which allow the little unit to screw up into the tap.

Here are some pictures of some aerators attached to the ends of taps:

So once you have located the tap aerator you need to remove it, here's a great video on You Tube which shows you how to change a tap aerator. Just follow the instructions on how to remove the aerator and ignore the changing part (or watch it all if you're interested!):

Step 2 - Install the Tap Filter Adaptor Into Where the Aerator Was

Your tap filter comes with a small screw adaptor which looks like this:

On the thinner end, it has the same threads as what your aerator had - check the sizes and it will be the same.

On the fatter end, it has threads which will allow you to attach the tap filter to - but we'll get to that in the next step.
For this step - just go head and screw in the Tap Filter Adaptor into the end of your tap where your aerator came from.

Done? Then go to the final step!

Step 3 - Install the Tap Filter body onto the fat end of the Tap Filter Adaptor

Now that the tap filter adaptor is snugly fitted onto the end of your tap - you just need to fit the tap filter body onto the end of the tap filter adaptor.

If you look at the below picture of the tap filter you will see an arrow with number 1 next to it, that is the ribbed female threads which turns independently from the body of the Tap Filter.

Put that part of the tap filter up to the fatter end of the Tap Filter Adaptor that is already on the end of your tap and spin the ribbed section of the tap filter so it slowly screws up into the adaptor.

Screw it up nice and tight and then you have it! You're done! You have successfully attached your tap filter onto the end of your tap in three easy steps.

Here's what it should look like :

If you are looking for a great tap filter then please do not look past the PureShowers.co.uk Basin Tap and Kitchen Tap Filter and if you have any questions please do not hesitate to email us or leave a comment below.

Have a great day!