Sediment Pre-Filter Explained Simply
A sediment pre-filter is a 20-inch, 5-micron cartridge filter at your main line that catches sand, rust and grit before they reach fixtures, softeners and other filters. It handles about 5 gallons per minute with very little pressure drop, and each cartridge is rated for about 10,000 gallons. It's common on wells and older plumbing.
Sand, rust flakes and grit can come from a well, from old pipes, or from work on the city lines. They clog faucet screens, scratch valve seals and wear out softeners and filters early. If you keep cleaning grit out of your aerators, a sediment filter is the simple fix.
When You Need a Sediment Pre-Filter
You need one if you see sand or grit in your water, clogged aerators and showerheads, or brown water after work on your street. Most well owners benefit from one.
It's also smart protection in front of a softener, carbon filter or conditioner, since sediment wears out their media and valves faster.
Wells often carry some sand, especially after heavy use. On city water, sediment shows up more after main breaks, hydrant flushing or work on nearby lines.
A clogged filter can also lower your water pressure, so a quick cartridge change is often the fix when pressure drops at every tap.
Our Sediment Pre-Filter Process
We install a 20-inch by 4.5-inch housing with a 5-micron cartridge on a mounting bracket at your main line, ahead of your other equipment. It handles about 5 gallons per minute with very little pressure drop.
The cartridge is rated for about 10,000 gallons, and the housing opens quickly for mess-free changes. We'll show you how to change it, or we can do it for you.
We place the filter so it's easy to reach, with a shutoff on either side if needed, so changing the cartridge is quick and clean.
If your water has a lot of sediment, we may suggest a coarser filter first and a finer one after, so the cartridges don't clog too fast.
Sediment Pre-Filter Cost in Salt Lake City
Price depends on where it goes in your plumbing and whether it's part of a larger install. It's usually a small add-on compared with a full system, and you'll know the price before we start.
Replacement cartridges are inexpensive, and changing them on time keeps water pressure strong and protects the rest of your system.
Your price covers the housing, the first cartridge, the mounting bracket and the plumbing to connect it. Spare cartridges are easy to keep on hand, and we'll tell you which ones fit.
Why Choose Us
We respond in about 10 minutes on average. We're an authorized dealer for the equipment we install, so the team that sells it is the team that installs and services it. We're Utah locals with offices in Salt Lake City, Draper and Springville, covering everywhere from Bountiful to Spanish Fork. We make sure your pre-filter is sized for your home and your other equipment.
See every option on our whole-house water filtration page.