You're a hero :) I've been getting robbed by Kinetico for the last two years, my taste cartridge was averaging 300 gallons before the pin was down. Great hack, and much thanks from Canada!
@@GABI59042Would probably involve some plastic welding and custom fab work. Can be done, but I don't think anyone has yet. I'm really surprised there aren't aftermarket filters out of China yet, from a place that doesn't care if they get sued.
After 1.5 years with this modification on a brand new filter, I finally noticed the taste of my water to start to decline. I purchased a new set of purple/orange filters today ($149!!) and will hopefully get another few years out of them. Hope this helps anyone wondering how long they will last, but your usage will always vary depending on family size/pets/etc. We are heavy users and drink a ton of water every day, but am happy to get more than 6mo out of a set now.
Interesting. It took a little over a year for my K5 filter to slow down. Either you use a lot more water than we do or the 500 gallon setting is not too far off.
Thank you for figuring this out. Unfortunately I didn’t have the proper valve size to fit over the blue plunger. A workaround with a common item, a zip tie fit right in the hole of the filter to block the plunger without obstucting the water passages. It required no finagling and the filter fit perfectly. Now my water flow is back to normal. I put a date on the filter so I know roughly when to change it based on our usage of 500 gallons per 6 months.
Bought a house with this system installed. we are on well coop. Family of 4, 2 adults , 2 young boys. I would say we are Heavy users. I drink about 3 liters a day alone. my kids drink at lease 2 liters a day, wife drinks 1 or two, then we have coffee pots etc. Our filter lasted 7 month. I was doing some research on 3rd party filter suppliers ( that don't exist I guess) and came across your post. Thanks, just saved us a bunch of money. I will just monitor tastes or replace every 2 years or so. Thank you
I did not have a valve stem cpver that would thread onto the Kinetico valve stem but used a regular tire stem cap and it worked great, I had to hold the valve stem cap in place while I lined up the filter but after a couple of tries I had the filter in place and it worked like a charm. I have water pressure again! Thank you for this video, you saved me 279 dollars in two filters as Kinetico will not sell just one filter, or at least could not find the option to just purchase the carbon taste filter alone.
Wow, that’s great! Hope you get some good life out of the existing filters. Seems like the price is set by the dealers, it’s nowhere near that bad in my area for a pair of filters.
Alex, this worked great...thank you! There was one difference that I needed to account for: the blue pin on my K5 is a little thinner and longer than Alex's appeared in the video. Folks, if you have a pin like this, don't get discouraged. The presta valve cap fits over the thinner pin and prevents it from blocking the flow in the filter, but did not thread onto it as shown in the video. I was able to hold the presta valve cap in place while my son helped me to line up the filter and secure it in the filter housing. It worked brilliantly. In fact, the low pressure problem I was having for the five years I've owned my Kinetico went away. That was my second biggest complaint about the K5 behind Kinetico holding its customers hostage over the replacement filter timing. Give this a try folks! I would also recommend setting a periodic reminder on your calendar to replace your filters since you will no longer be forced to do it.
That is great to hear! I agree with setting a reminder. I wrote the date I replaced my filters on the unit and set a reminder on my phone to check every year. Maybe I'll change it, maybe not, but I'm thinking of doing it every two years now even if the water pressure/quality seems fine. Time will tell! This buys me a lot more time and will save a bunch of money.
@@GABI59042 I am not aware of that being a possible solution. There is a gear-like mechanism in the filter that forces up a pin that restricts water flow after 500 gallons of water pass through, or something like that. The presta valve cap works!
I had to do same thing.. hold the cap in place and slolwy raise the cartriage. I will change it either way in 18 months.. Its safe.. ignore post up top.
Genius. Worked for me. I had to thread the presta valve on more than shown in the video, almost as much as I could. That was the only way I could engage the filter cartridges on the mounting brackets. Mildly frustrating but it worked. Thank you!
Super- I knew there had to be a way! Since I did not have a narrow valve stem, I cut a circle out of a jar lid and then trimmed the edges so that 6 of the eight little holes in the cartridge were open and we are off to the races. This should work for five more lives of the used cartridge I saved when the 6 lives of the present new filter are used up.
SUPER HELPFUL!!!!! Mine just hit 1 years of use and I couldn't even see the black screw pin inside the threads of the filter any longer. So I stuck a skinny rod down there to PUSH whatever was left down into the cartridge. Also, my blue gauge pin does NOT have any screw thread on there so the presta valve wasn't able to adhere on it. All I did was stuff a very tiny piece of teflon tape inside the presta valve opening and then wedged it onto the blue pin. It held there long enough for me to pop the orange filter back on and BAM!!!! It worked like a charm. Be buying a new filter in 4 more years instead. Thank you!!!
moved into an apartment that had this system got to work but dripped slowly i used a wall anchor as well this works awesome thank you! not sure how much life is left but i can definitely taste a difference from the tap water
Thanks, that work like a charm. I didn't have a valve stem cover and didn't want to go get one, so I cut the new tip off of a caulking tube, stuck it on and we are good to go. thanks again for the info.
Thanks for going thru all the trouble to document and share this information. We purchased this RO in 2011. I record the date of cartridge replacement on the inside cover every two years when the water stops flowing and the blue pin disappears. We have well water and it goes thru a Kenetico softener and ph system for iron. By the time it gets to the RO there is NO sediment to remove. I cut the sediment cartridge open and it was bone white like new after 2 years of use. Considering this and your information about the charcoal filter we could go on 10 year intervals! However, I will change them at 5 years instead of every 2 years. I ordered the valve stems. Thanks again!
That’s great! You definitely have a situation that is perfect for this hack. We have a whole house filter as well, so the filters in the RO unit are also pristine after 500 gallons.
Thank you!!!! I’ve been trying to figure this out for years. I used a valve stem cover and a filter with the tab all the way down already. Had to push some Teflon tape into the cap to make it stick.
Nice way to get some more life out of your “spent” filter! Awesome. Happy to help. Took me a few years of brainstorming until this finally hit me after spending $45 on another filter.
I have a newer k5 model?? (black housing. a year and a half now) and just replaced filters for the first time but didnt pay attention to whether the blue pressure valve had threads or not. Some apparently dont. I too dont want to introduce other materials inside my water due to the grinding action on the blue valve. Another option is take a flat head after the blue valve drops completely and rewind it but i dont remember seeing a notch for that. Only a solid flat black stem that covers the hole opening. This method introduces another step in the draining process unless i could easily turn the water supply line and tank off without making too much of a mess. Preferred method over presta valve or anything connected that doesnt enter the water filter hole. Another method is to grind down the tabs?? on the filter but having a hard time visualizing what that looks like or located. The best method however based on comments is to remove the gears that turns the blue valve and remove the spring. Trying to visualize this but without one physically to look at its hard to see how the mechanisms work. Could someone who has tried this successfully explain clearly what components need to be removed so I could picture this in my head? On another note which someone commented on would make all these hacks useless which is an embedded timer. Is there really a timer and if so is there a fix or workaround? I couldnt imagine there being a timer without some sort of battery so if someone could confirm that would help myself as well as others thx!
"Another option is take a flat head after the blue valve drops completely and rewind it " - You cannot rewind it back up as there is black spring inside the filter will prevent you to unscrew back, watch the video again.. He showed that..
the first time I needed to replace my filters, I noticed the threaded rod in my orange filter. I didn't think it was supposed to be there, as the other 2 filters had nothing. So, I took a nail punch and punched it through!!! After realizing what I had done, I replaced the plug with a rounded head stainless steel screw. I'll just have to replace it next time I put in a new filter, but it will still last longer than the 500 gallon limit
Thank you for this video. I was able to achieve the same results by using a small plastic wall anchor that I’d typically use to hang something. Does this hack still allow the taste filter to fully be operational?
I wouldn’t not recommend putting any foreign material in your drinking water. I used to work at a Kinetico dealer and to modify the k5 filters for Cafe’s and coffee shops all you need to do is grind down the two tabs the blue meter engages with. I always did it with a Dremel. I suppose if you planned on doing this with every filter you could just grind the blue tab instead
Reggie, wouldn't grinding down the two tabs put you at high risk for introducing foreign materials into your drinking water? I am going to try Alex's presta valve trick this morning and will let y'all know how it goes. Of course, I will put a little bleach on the valve first.
@@jlocke13844 If you follow the proper filter changing procedure you will run any material to the drain To be sure you could even drain down the tank another time.
I purchased the same unit in April of this year by August my filter had to be replaced, he said it may be a defective filter. I've had the filter replaced twice this year now averaging 4 months per filter ( my city water TDS is 465.6) I know im not using 500 gallons so your tip is definitely helpful. I didn't even know we can change our own filters
That’s interesting it is shutting off prematurely. As far as I know the unit only spins the filter shutoff based on gallons used. Based on the TDS do you think your filters are actually clogging up prior to the 500gal limit? Maybe a basic cotton pre-filter on your main line is in order!
@@fiehlsport I don't think the water is clogging up the filter, The blue indicator does go down. The guy that came to replace the filter said he has the same unit and based off my usage I should be getting a lot more out of it, at the very least 9 months.
Great tip. I just used a round punch and put part of an old laundry detergent jug in the whole. works a charm. what an extortion racket. I have a 50u prefilter, Kinetico2060s softener before the K5 and they still want me to swap the post filter after 500 gallons. it's extortion of the ignorant I suppose. Thanks again.
I wouldn’t recommend this solution. Better to watch the blue indicator, when it gets quite low, remove the taste and odour filter and use a screwdriver to wind back the little screw in the top of the filter (effectively resetting it to new), that way you at least know that you used maybe 400 gallons, reset it, then maybe used another 400 gallons and reset it again. Just capping off the usage screw means you end up using an unknown quantity of water and run the risk of not changing a cartridge in-time
That is a pretty good idea if you can catch it in time. The only problem I see is that the top of the threaded pin is molded like a “security” fastener - you can’t use a flathead screwdriver to turn it the opposite direction.
That is likely the RO membrane you’re referring to. Is it low pressure, or a trickle? If it’s a super slow trickle, it’s probably the blue stem not being pressed up far enough to enable full flow. (Old filter scenario) Otherwise it’s possible the RO membrane is clogged but I don’t know enough about it to say if that’s even feasible. They usually last many years.
I have the K5 system and with a yucky well we use sediment, mineral, taste and arsenic filters, these four filters cost us 300$ a year, changing them is easy enough but obviously we lose pressure within about 12 months and was told at that point is when it's time to also replace the sediment, arsenic and mineral filters as well, so if i modify the taste one with the stem to extend the flow and use won't the other filters be ineffective at that point (if i extend it say another 6 months and change at 18 months vs 12 months when the flow stops), won't I also be risking the arsenic filter may be used up too possibly causing harm by extending past the point of their expiration? I dig the K5 and all but these filters are killing me...
This is strange. I'm currently watching "Ray and Zach" live stream and these comments are under it. These comments are clearly not from their channel. :D
Bought the same valves on Amazon but no way would it fit secure onto blue valve/plunger so had to add a bit of modeling clay inside the valve to make it stick long enough to install filter. Once done, it worked fine.
Previous owner of my home had this system installed, I'm not calling his dealer once I saw what he was paying for service visits. The water has been restricted lately bc we never changed it, but we just let it take its time filling a pitcher. Still better than a tap. However I think we've gotten far enough that I want to restore the taste- where is the best place to get replacement filters? The few I'm seeing online are insane, almost the price of a different system. Is there really no third party making filter changes? Or a way to get them cheaper through a supplier?
i have A200 system kinecto said change your filter after 200 gallons of use, but i changed mine after 1.5 years of use without having any bad taste i bought the filters orange and purple and changed it myself and saw on both the original and new filters it says change it after 500 gallons basically same filters like k5 so they lied to us changing it after 200 gallons while the filter itself says change it after 500 gallons
I have this same problem. Couldn’t we just snip the very end off the tip of the blue piece so it no longer acts as a “flat head” into the filter? So when it turns, it doesn’t actually turn the screw ?
i did this today, thanks for the tip. Now i keep hearing the hissing like it is pressurizing and will only get a short burst of water. This has been going for 3 hours. Is it possible i pushed the blue sensor too high up?
I would remove it and exercise the blue stem up and down fully to make sure it's not stuck on anything internally. Then re-seat the filter and try again. It's a clumsy & wet process but hopefully works the second time.
Awesome! Thanks Alex! Just purchased my first house and the K5 slowed down to just about nothing two days ago. I just took it apart tonight looking at the filters. I noticed the float was all clear and then after watching some videos before coming across yours! I see it meant it was time for a change NOT! Thanks for the great video. Tomorrow I’ll go get the part and modify it and get my Money’s worth! THANKS!!
I tried several times following instructions. Could not get filter to reinstall, think the presta cover prevented filter from reseating. Trimmed the top of presta and tried again but still would not allow filter to seat. Note- i was trying this on a well used T&O filter. It is on the end of its life. So maybe starting with a new filter would be the trick?
From what I understood of the video, you would need relatively new filters as by the time it’s nearing the end of its life the internal pin in the filter is already pressed down into the filter itself
The biggest thing that people are forgetting here, is that for every 500 gallons of water that come out of the post filter. Is that about 2000 gallons of water go through the pre filter. Seeing that these systems preform based all on water pressure you are hurting your membrane in the long run. So I would not advise this ill-advised video.
I keep a log inside the unit and set a yearly reminder on my phone. Based on your water quality you may want to keep tabs on it more often. But I manually log the dates I change everything now so I don’t forget and leave the filter in for 3-4 years. :-) I will try 1.5-2 years and see if the water pressure or quality changes drastically on mine. We have pretty clean city water to start with.
Good day new question: the stem cap seemed to have blocked the water from entering the orange chamber and we aren’t sure if we are doing something wrong?
Is the blue stem fully "deployed" downwards? I would push it up and down to ensure that it is fully sprung down. If it is stuck in the "up" position it will limit flow. Mine needed to be jiggled initially for it to pop down 100%.
Okay. I’ll give that a try. From what I can tell from mine, they make it so small that the presta Valve can’t slip through… but I’ll give it a giggle anyways to see. Maybe they figured out how to hack the hack. ;) nicely done btw
I have a VX Plus, and it was a completely old filter with the screw turned all the way down. It worked fine for me on the VX Plus. Maybe the K5 filters are built differently though.
Any reason not too just snip the last 1/8” off the blue stick and eliminate the gear teeth all together? Or better, just remove the gears that turn the blue rod. Think either of those ideas would work?
The blue stick needs the upward pressure from the filter in order to open the valve for full flow. Good idea though! I think I’ve read of a hack where someone modified the gears, but it was a lot more complicated for the same end-result.
So this is for the charcoal filter are you supposed to change the pre filter every 500 gallons? I called the dealer and they want $198 plus tax for the filters, can I just by the pre filter somewhere cause they won't just sell it to me?
Wow, my dealer sells the filters for $45 each. You can likely get more than 500 gallons out of the pre filter as well, but it depends on your water quality. I already have a whole house filter I replace every 6 months on city water, so the Kinetico pre filter isn’t as crucial. I’ll do it once a year probably, instead of twice a year. Not sure where you can buy the pre filter though unless you find them on eBay.
I've never come across one, it surprises me that there aren't any Chinese Kinetico clone cartridges out there. Or, maybe I haven't looked hard enough on the dark web. :-)
No and no, unfortunately. The blue thing needs to be pressed upward to allow water flow. The screw has a non reversible head on it, so you can’t grab it with any tool. One way only.
Hi Alex. I have a slightly different question. I have unit installed couple months ago and still far away from filter changing but Ive read that every time filter are being replaced , system has to be sanitized. Is it tue? Have You ever done that before? Thanks
I've tried to read as much about this system as I can (Kinetico info is sparse) and have not read anything about sanitizing it, but that doesn't mean it isn't true. :-) I wouldn't even know where to begin. But, for what it's worth, my dealer has never mentioned this when I bought filters from them in the past.
@@fiehlsport Thank You for the reply. My dealer also didnt say anything about sanitizing although I found couple posts saying you need to do this every time filters are being replaced. Kit like this costs around 100$. I guess it tje manufacturer of those kits is the one whi recommends that lol
@@dumnylach kinetico left me a cleaning booklet, showing a few different ways to clean. i.e. chlorine dioxide, household bleach (unscented). A 34 step process.
Sanitisation is a great revenue for the company changing the filters although not necessary. After all the system is providing ultra pure water..... the impurities have been removed. If the system had been unused for a long period, Sanitisation would be required.
@@TheWaterBoyuk Thank You for an answer. As far I remember, the guys who installed the system didnt mention sanitation but I found out on ther videos that I might need it. Now I know that not exactly. Thanks.
there is a reason there is a 500 gallon limit. once carbon becomes expelled you risk bacteria growth and other damage to the unit. not sure if it is worth the money you’re trying to save here.
yeah loads of studies in the matter left out here. Kinetico cant be trust it much but neither essentially removing that bit where it quantify the lifetime of the filter, filters dont last forever lol.. I would try this bloke method but start measuring my water readings, maybe cond, pH or even TDS.
I have a VX Plus system and tried this. The cap was too big and I couldn't get the filter up all the way. So, I took a plastic push pin, and cut off the top of it so it was a little plastic rod with a flare on the top of it, and dropped it in the hole. Note that this was a filter that was used and the thingy was already screwed all the way down. If you can keep the filter centered when you push it up in there, this works. I don't care about the taste, or really anything else on this system. The previous owners of my house bought it, and it was a ripoff, especially when it makes you buy $150 worth of filters every 500 gallons. Also, RO water tastes terrible, and it's not safe to drink long term. Look up the World Health Organization report on it. It's only safe to drink if you get a remineralizer that you put cal-mag into. I just use it for watering plants, and making hydroponic nutrient solutions. We do NOT drink this water, and if you're drinking RO water, then you need to do some research on the safety of it. It's just like drinking distilled water, not good, and can cause a huge range of health problems, including heart issues. Anyway, good video. Saved me the expense of going out an buying a new system. A new system from iSpring or one of a number of different companies is less money than replacing the filters in this thing and they don't have the 500 gallon limit that forces you to spend more money.
Thanks for the reply, interesting take on RO I had not heard of before. I’ll take a look into it. For our Kinetico unit we think the water tastes better than anything we’ve ever drank before, but it’s possible we’re still getting some mineral content in it. There is a mineral cartridge available as well to add them back in, but I suppose that’s another ripoff by Kinetico too. :-) Glad the hack worked for you!
We're checking out the Aquasana system to replace our Kinetico unit. :-) $67 for filters every 6mo is a price I'm willing to pay. Even with the hacked Kinetico, the high price of the filters every 1-2 years was still more. And we were considering a Kinetico mineral cartridge, but that's another $90-150 as well. Crazy.
Ha! I’m in a love/hate relationship with mine. The water tastes so good I’d still buy the filters if I had to. Without the blue stem being pushed up into the housing by the filter, it shuts off.
@@fiehlsport Thanks for the reply, makes sense. I absolutely love the pressure this system provides, just amazed at how they rigged the filters to basically shut down at such a short interval. I have an old school RO and it's like a few dollars to change the filters, I could go close to 2 years without an issue.
Greta video Alex. I’m going to try this. I did notice that after the initial filter change the 2nd change came much quicker. I wonder if the system uses frequency of using water rather than volume? Meaning if we get water more often but in smaller amounts. Like my little kids constantly using. If that has any affect on life. I got the presets valves and plan to do this fix soon.
I think the unit uses a little plastic wheel to "meter" the amount of water that goes through it. I'm leaning towards thinking it's volume based, but maybe someone else can chime in with more knowledge of the system. Pretty sure it has a 500 gallon limit. Hope this works well for you!
My salesman told me that he had upgraded my system so that I wouldn't have to change the filters for 10 years! Reading the book it says; that for a family of 4, it will last 9 to 12 months. Family of 2 and it didn't make it 9 months! We use bottled water! This system is for coffee, tea, and ice maker. I don't think we have used 500 gallons!
Your salesman definitely made that up. I guess it's possible that the RO membrane can last many years, but there's nothing a Kinetico dealer would ever do to extend the life of the pre and post filters. Try modifying the cartridge and replacing the pair every year, that should suffice for you.
Was considering this until learned had a timer that shuts it off no matter what the purchaser wants. That smells skeezy right There. Also they only sell sets? Also over 100 dollars to change it out 'for you'? Skeezy.
I couldn't get the Presta cap to work. I think there may be some minor variation in sizes that prevented me from getting the filter to twist in. I **did** however have much better luck with a 1-1/4" x 15 soffit and trim nail. Slip the nail down into the filter hole and the head of the nail pushes up on the blue stick. This may not be a long term solution because of the potential for the nail getting rusty! I am looking for some type of plastic piece with the same dimensions as the soffit and trim nail.
I had to push the presta valve up a few times to make sure everything was centered, and also guide the valve to the center port on the filter perfectly before it would attach. It's finicky for sure...
I love the conspiracy that Kineticco are robbing you! You really should check your facts and “evidence” before making claims. For example, "the indicator screw has the flick on the end to prevent winding it back up" Had you tried, you would have found that to be false. The flick is there to prevent the screw moving during shipping, unduly shortening the filter life. It’s there to ensure you get the volume you are paying for, not "con" you out of money! You are right about something in your video though, that the filter could last longer. It might give the same volume as the other filter manufactures claim. It all depends on your water quality. Even after the membrane there could still be contaminants (water pressure and inlet ppm dependant) that the filter would remove. As the filters are used internationally, it makes sense to size for worst case scenario. Having the volume set at 500 gallons ensures that the water is always filtered, where ever it is installed. That is unless it is malfunctioning, or has been misused. Tampered with for example. In the interests of transparency, I will state that I have a connection to Kinetico. However, that aside, I think your advice is dangerous, especially given the horrific water quality some people experience! They rely on filtered water for their health. Whilst we all need to find those extra pennies, it shouldn’t come with increased risk to your health. Your disclaimer does not admonish you of your recklessness, "Use common sense when determining how long you want to use your filters.", really??!! The average UA-cam watcher is a water chemist are they? Or accurately measure how much water they use every day? I hope that people have the common sense to consult a professional independent water expert rather than heed your miss-advice and lack of understanding on what and why the unit has been designed in that way.
no no no, that gross! remove the site glass above and remove the gears. leave the blue stem without the spring. by removing the gears you stop sheading plastic particles into your water also.
@@brn141 the moving gears shed plastic particles because they are grinding together and moving whereas the plastic housing is stationary and will not shed plastic easily. i've worked on high purity water systems at IBM and discovered any moving parts in water shed particles more then stationary things.
A woman doing remodel threw hers out. Free! I can use it to augment my pure water window cleaning buy letting it run to fill water tanks. I do know ROs and have a 2400 gpd. and 1800 gpd. For me I can make the indicator disappear. I am still learning it. So far it runs constantly, waste always runs even though permeate is off, maybe something to do with the tank?. Technically, I can bypass tank altogether since quality isn't a concern, just TDS. Now, not sure of membrane stats yet. Read maybe 400 gpd but anyone know the rejection rate? Ran a while and was getting 4 and 6. Read it may do an auto flush as well? The user manual is useless guess just have to play with it.
This is a terrible idea! Everyone that has a K5 has a Kinetico dealer. You need to call your dealer and ask if this is good advice. ITS NOT!! And Before someone puts a “bicycle stem” in their drinking water system, think about that. (Random materials that are not designed to be in drinking water.) There’s a reason why you have to change it after 500 gallons . without getting into the weeds too far, most filters use media that adsorbs contaminants and once the capacity is reached or a certain time has elapsed the media actually sheds these contaminants INTO YOUR DRINKING WATER. If you believe this guy, i recommend putting stickers over your oil change light so you cant see it. just run the car with the same oil forever!
Yeah, stopping the taste filter from working after only 500 gallons is a scam. They are good well beyond that. Also, you shouldn't be drinking RO water anyway unless it's run through a remineralizer. RO and distilled water are UNSAFE to drink long term as they leech trace minerals from your body, or foods cooked in it. We only use our RO system for watering plants and in appliances that generate steam (steam oven, clothing iron, etc) Oh, and Kinetico... be careful. They will try to sell you stuff at whatever price they think you'll pay. From what I can tell, there's no MSRP, or it's kept under wraps, and their sales guys will throw out a number based on how rich you look or how dumb you are. My Kinetico rust system and softener system work great, it's good equipment. But the previous owners of my house paid FOUR times the price it would have cost them to get another brand that would have worked just as well. Plus, the other brand was serviceable yourself or from a number of different companies. Kinetico won't sell you parts, and they require a service call for EVERYTHING. I've taken my stuff apart for cleaning, but it's risky because if you mess up one of the seals in a layer in the head or something else, then you need to call them to get a replacement part, and they will require a service call for it, and they won't just sell you the part... they'll insist on installing it, which can cost hundreds of dollars. They also have tight control over territory, so you''ll never have any kind of competition between dealers. If the dealer for your territory is shady and gouges you on pricing, too bad, you're stuck with them and can't go to anyone else.
While you make valid points, I spent a lot of money on this system. However when I bought it, the price was around 1 dollar a gallon. With the new prices I can no longer afford to use this system and my next alternative is just going back to tap water. At least with this I can prolong the system to bring it back in line with that one dollar range. Still better then tap water.
I 100% agree with being unsure of using parts make for a bike system in your water. But I strongly disagree with your logic- You had me until "call your dealer and ask". In college, I used to work for a brand that sold equipment we were specifically told NOT to tell them they could maintain themselves. This water system has a built in unit to force you to change it, whereas other systems have cheaper / smaller filters that can be used for much longer. It is an artificial limit. Kinetico wants you to change it then, it keeps their dealers in business and them in business... essentially it's fueled by business and not quality or safety. Oil changes, for the record, are similar. Most car manuals will tell you to change it far less often than 3,000 miles (My last car said 5k miles between changes) yet every oil change shop will insist you need to do it every 3 and even put a big sticker to remind you when to come back... not because you need to, but because THEY want you to! And the truth is, you don't need to change it when the manufacturer does either, it's preventative maintenance. You SHOULD in order to avoid problems, but it's not like I haven't skipped oil changes when I was a broke single guy in school. Car never died on me, it was 15 years old when I sold it to someone who then sold it to someone else afterwards so for all I know it never died! I don't recommend people do that, but it's not this doomsday thing people treat it like. Meanwhile, as is the case with other water filter systems, you can choose to change it when you feel it is time. In my old house, we would change the filter when the water didn't taste as good as it used to. The "contaminants" are essentially what would likely have been in your water if you drank it from the tap. It'll taste bad, and you'll change it anyway. But on your OWN TIME. This is such corporate nonsense and greed. I'm with you on the bike parts thing. I'd rather go with something more "food grade" to stop the filter from turning.
You're a hero :) I've been getting robbed by Kinetico for the last two years, my taste cartridge was averaging 300 gallons before the pin was down. Great hack, and much thanks from Canada!
300 gallons is a scam!! Thanks for the comment!
The cartridge are good for 500 gallons, the system stop you after that
there in no way to cut the bottom of old Kinetico filters to reuse them with other brands or something else like an adapter?
@@GABI59042Would probably involve some plastic welding and custom fab work. Can be done, but I don't think anyone has yet. I'm really surprised there aren't aftermarket filters out of China yet, from a place that doesn't care if they get sued.
After 1.5 years with this modification on a brand new filter, I finally noticed the taste of my water to start to decline. I purchased a new set of purple/orange filters today ($149!!) and will hopefully get another few years out of them. Hope this helps anyone wondering how long they will last, but your usage will always vary depending on family size/pets/etc. We are heavy users and drink a ton of water every day, but am happy to get more than 6mo out of a set now.
there in no way to cut the bottom of old Kinetico filters to reuse them with other brands or something else like an adapter?
Interesting. It took a little over a year for my K5 filter to slow down. Either you use a lot more water than we do or the 500 gallon setting is not too far off.
Lifesaver! I used a small red wall anchor as I was in a pinch. Worked perfectly and allowed me to continue to use my system.
Thank you for figuring this out. Unfortunately I didn’t have the proper valve size to fit over the blue plunger. A workaround with a common item, a zip tie fit right in the hole of the filter to block the plunger without obstucting the water passages. It required no finagling and the filter fit perfectly. Now my water flow is back to normal. I put a date on the filter so I know roughly when to change it based on our usage of 500 gallons per 6 months.
I just did this last last, after 5 years worth of filters finally someone learned this. Thanks to you.
there in no way to cut the bottom of old Kinetico filters to reuse them with other brands or something else like an adapter?
Bought a house with this system installed. we are on well coop. Family of 4, 2 adults , 2 young boys. I would say we are Heavy users. I drink about 3 liters a day alone. my kids drink at lease 2 liters a day, wife drinks 1 or two, then we have coffee pots etc. Our filter lasted 7 month. I was doing some research on 3rd party filter suppliers ( that don't exist I guess) and came across your post. Thanks, just saved us a bunch of money. I will just monitor tastes or replace every 2 years or so.
Thank you
Great to hear. Even if you can stretch it to a year with your heavy usage, you'll be saving money.
I did not have a valve stem cpver that would thread onto the Kinetico valve stem but used a regular tire stem cap and it worked great, I had to hold the valve stem cap in place while I lined up the filter but after a couple of tries I had the filter in place and it worked like a charm. I have water pressure again! Thank you for this video, you saved me 279 dollars in two filters as Kinetico will not sell just one filter, or at least could not find the option to just purchase the carbon taste filter alone.
Wow, that’s great! Hope you get some good life out of the existing filters. Seems like the price is set by the dealers, it’s nowhere near that bad in my area for a pair of filters.
Alex, this worked great...thank you! There was one difference that I needed to account for: the blue pin on my K5 is a little thinner and longer than Alex's appeared in the video. Folks, if you have a pin like this, don't get discouraged. The presta valve cap fits over the thinner pin and prevents it from blocking the flow in the filter, but did not thread onto it as shown in the video. I was able to hold the presta valve cap in place while my son helped me to line up the filter and secure it in the filter housing. It worked brilliantly. In fact, the low pressure problem I was having for the five years I've owned my Kinetico went away. That was my second biggest complaint about the K5 behind Kinetico holding its customers hostage over the replacement filter timing. Give this a try folks! I would also recommend setting a periodic reminder on your calendar to replace your filters since you will no longer be forced to do it.
That is great to hear! I agree with setting a reminder. I wrote the date I replaced my filters on the unit and set a reminder on my phone to check every year. Maybe I'll change it, maybe not, but I'm thinking of doing it every two years now even if the water pressure/quality seems fine. Time will tell! This buys me a lot more time and will save a bunch of money.
I wrote the date on mine a year ago so 4 more years to go with this new hack!!!!
there in no way to cut the bottom of old Kinetico filters to reuse them with other brands or something else like an adapter?
@@GABI59042 I am not aware of that being a possible solution. There is a gear-like mechanism in the filter that forces up a pin that restricts water flow after 500 gallons of water pass through, or something like that. The presta valve cap works!
I had to do same thing.. hold the cap in place and slolwy raise the cartriage. I will change it either way in 18 months.. Its safe.. ignore post up top.
Genius. Worked for me. I had to thread the presta valve on more than shown in the video, almost as much as I could. That was the only way I could engage the filter cartridges on the mounting brackets. Mildly frustrating but it worked. Thank you!
Super- I knew there had to be a way! Since I did not have a narrow valve stem, I cut a circle out of a jar lid and then trimmed the edges so that 6 of the eight little holes in the cartridge were open and we are off to the races. This should work for five more lives of the used cartridge I saved when the 6 lives of the present new filter are used up.
Thank you, you just saved our family a lot of money!
I just did this to my K5 system. This worked fantastic. Your hack is a life saver.
there is no way to cut the bottom of old Kinetico filters to reuse them with other brands or something else like an adapter?
i found that buy shaving down the tire cap a little makes the install much easier for the filter to seat. i took off 3/8 " for my filter to seat.
SUPER HELPFUL!!!!! Mine just hit 1 years of use and I couldn't even see the black screw pin inside the threads of the filter any longer. So I stuck a skinny rod down there to PUSH whatever was left down into the cartridge. Also, my blue gauge pin does NOT have any screw thread on there so the presta valve wasn't able to adhere on it. All I did was stuff a very tiny piece of teflon tape inside the presta valve opening and then wedged it onto the blue pin. It held there long enough for me to pop the orange filter back on and BAM!!!! It worked like a charm. Be buying a new filter in 4 more years instead. Thank you!!!
there in no way to cut the bottom of old Kinetico filters to reuse them with other brands or something else like an adapter?
moved into an apartment that had this system got to work but dripped slowly i used a wall anchor as well this works awesome thank you! not sure how much life is left but i can definitely taste a difference from the tap water
I just stuck a hex screw down into the top of the filter so that the head pushes the blue plunger up out of the way. Works great. Thank you.
Thanks, that work like a charm. I didn't have a valve stem cover and didn't want to go get one, so I cut the new tip off of a caulking tube, stuck it on and we are good to go. thanks again for the info.
Clever! Glad it worked for you.
Nice, i just used a small screw and put it in the filter
there in no way to cut the bottom of old Kinetico filters to reuse them with other brands or something else like an adapter?
Thanks a lot but did anyone taste decline in quality and taste of water?
Thanks for going thru all the trouble to document and share this information. We purchased this RO in 2011. I record the date of cartridge replacement on the inside cover every two years when the water stops flowing and the blue pin disappears. We have well water and it goes thru a Kenetico softener and ph system for iron. By the time it gets to the RO there is NO sediment to remove. I cut the sediment cartridge open and it was bone white like new after 2 years of use. Considering this and your information about the charcoal filter we could go on 10 year intervals! However, I will change them at 5 years instead of every 2 years. I ordered the valve stems. Thanks again!
That’s great! You definitely have a situation that is perfect for this hack. We have a whole house filter as well, so the filters in the RO unit are also pristine after 500 gallons.
there in no way to cut the bottom of old Kinetico filters to reuse them with other brands or something else like an adapter?
Thank you!!!! I’ve been trying to figure this out for years. I used a valve stem cover and a filter with the tab all the way down already. Had to push some Teflon tape into the cap to make it stick.
Nice way to get some more life out of your “spent” filter! Awesome. Happy to help. Took me a few years of brainstorming until this finally hit me after spending $45 on another filter.
there in no way to cut the bottom of old Kinetico filters to reuse them with other brands or something else like an adapter?
This worked really well. I used a cut down wall plug instead of the tyre valve. Thank you for the information. 👍🏻
there in no way to cut the bottom of old Kinetico filters to reuse them with other brands or something else like an adapter?
BRILLIANT! A friend of mine familiar with the system has always maintained the polishing filter (orange) can be used for way more than 500 gallons! 😉
I have a newer k5 model?? (black housing. a year and a half now) and just replaced filters for the first time but didnt pay attention to whether the blue pressure valve had threads or not. Some apparently dont. I too dont want to introduce other materials inside my water due to the grinding action on the blue valve. Another option is take a flat head after the blue valve drops completely and rewind it but i dont remember seeing a notch for that. Only a solid flat black stem that covers the hole opening. This method introduces another step in the draining process unless i could easily turn the water supply line and tank off without making too much of a mess. Preferred method over presta valve or anything connected that doesnt enter the water filter hole. Another method is to grind down the tabs?? on the filter but having a hard time visualizing what that looks like or located. The best method however based on comments is to remove the gears that turns the blue valve and remove the spring. Trying to visualize this but without one physically to look at its hard to see how the mechanisms work. Could someone who has tried this successfully explain clearly what components need to be removed so I could picture this in my head? On another note which someone commented on would make all these hacks useless which is an embedded timer. Is there really a timer and if so is there a fix or workaround? I couldnt imagine there being a timer without some sort of battery so if someone could confirm that would help myself as well as others thx!
"Another option is take a flat head after the blue valve drops completely and rewind it " - You cannot rewind it back up as there is black spring inside the filter will prevent you to unscrew back, watch the video again.. He showed that..
the first time I needed to replace my filters, I noticed the threaded rod in my orange filter. I didn't think it was supposed to be there, as the other 2 filters had nothing. So, I took a nail punch and punched it through!!! After realizing what I had done, I replaced the plug with a rounded head stainless steel screw. I'll just have to replace it next time I put in a new filter, but it will still last longer than the 500 gallon limit
there is no way to cut the bottom of old Kinetico filters to reuse them with other brands or something else like an adapter?
Thank you for this video. I was able to achieve the same results by using a small plastic wall anchor that I’d typically use to hang something.
Does this hack still allow the taste filter to fully be operational?
I wouldn’t not recommend putting any foreign material in your drinking water. I used to work at a Kinetico dealer and to modify the k5 filters for Cafe’s and coffee shops all you need to do is grind down the two tabs the blue meter engages with. I always did it with a Dremel. I suppose if you planned on doing this with every filter you could just grind the blue tab instead
Reggie, wouldn't grinding down the two tabs put you at high risk for introducing foreign materials into your drinking water? I am going to try Alex's presta valve trick this morning and will let y'all know how it goes. Of course, I will put a little bleach on the valve first.
@@jlocke13844 If you follow the proper filter changing procedure you will run any material to the drain
To be sure you could even drain down the tank another time.
@@HostKasey Reggie, how do you remove the pin in the filter -- clockwise or counter?
What 2 tabs are you referring to? Do you have to unbolt the clear top to get to it
Thanks, that's a much better solution.
Saw this just after I replaced my filter!
Hey, now you’ve got a fresh one to use for the next few years!
I purchased the same unit in April of this year by August my filter had to be replaced, he said it may be a defective filter. I've had the filter replaced twice this year now averaging 4 months per filter ( my city water TDS is 465.6) I know im not using 500 gallons so your tip is definitely helpful. I didn't even know we can change our own filters
That’s interesting it is shutting off prematurely. As far as I know the unit only spins the filter shutoff based on gallons used. Based on the TDS do you think your filters are actually clogging up prior to the 500gal limit?
Maybe a basic cotton pre-filter on your main line is in order!
@@fiehlsport I don't think the water is clogging up the filter, The blue indicator does go down. The guy that came to replace the filter said he has the same unit and based off my usage I should be getting a lot more out of it, at the very least 9 months.
there in no way to cut the bottom of old Kinetico filters to reuse them with other brands or something else like an adapter?
Great tip. I just used a round punch and put part of an old laundry detergent jug in the whole. works a charm. what an extortion racket. I have a 50u prefilter, Kinetico2060s softener before the K5 and they still want me to swap the post filter after 500 gallons. it's extortion of the ignorant I suppose. Thanks again.
there in no way to cut the bottom of old Kinetico filters to reuse them with other brands or something else like an adapter?
I wouldn’t recommend this solution.
Better to watch the blue indicator, when it gets quite low, remove the taste and odour filter and use a screwdriver to wind back the little screw in the top of the filter (effectively resetting it to new), that way you at least know that you used maybe 400 gallons, reset it, then maybe used another 400 gallons and reset it again.
Just capping off the usage screw means you end up using an unknown quantity of water and run the risk of not changing a cartridge in-time
That is a pretty good idea if you can catch it in time. The only problem I see is that the top of the threaded pin is molded like a “security” fastener - you can’t use a flathead screwdriver to turn it the opposite direction.
@@fiehlsport I’ve had no issue unscrewing with a flat blade screwdriver, many times actually
there in no way to cut the bottom of old Kinetico filters to reuse them with other brands or something else like an adapter?
@@GABI59042no no no. Stop asking this question 20 times
Anyone know what is in the center cylinder?
I have changed both filter, but still have low pressure.
Could the center cylinder get full of something?
That is likely the RO membrane you’re referring to. Is it low pressure, or a trickle? If it’s a super slow trickle, it’s probably the blue stem not being pressed up far enough to enable full flow. (Old filter scenario)
Otherwise it’s possible the RO membrane is clogged but I don’t know enough about it to say if that’s even feasible. They usually last many years.
I have the K5 system and with a yucky well we use sediment, mineral, taste and arsenic filters, these four filters cost us 300$ a year, changing them is easy enough but obviously we lose pressure within about 12 months and was told at that point is when it's time to also replace the sediment, arsenic and mineral filters as well, so if i modify the taste one with the stem to extend the flow and use won't the other filters be ineffective at that point (if i extend it say another 6 months and change at 18 months vs 12 months when the flow stops), won't I also be risking the arsenic filter may be used up too possibly causing harm by extending past the point of their expiration? I dig the K5 and all but these filters are killing me...
This is strange. I'm currently watching "Ray and Zach" live stream and these comments are under it. These comments are clearly not from their channel. :D
there in no way to cut the bottom of old Kinetico filters to reuse them with other brands or something else like an adapter?
Bought the same valves on Amazon but no way would it fit secure onto blue valve/plunger so had to add a bit of modeling clay inside the valve to make it stick long enough to install filter. Once done, it worked fine.
Previous owner of my home had this system installed, I'm not calling his dealer once I saw what he was paying for service visits. The water has been restricted lately bc we never changed it, but we just let it take its time filling a pitcher. Still better than a tap.
However I think we've gotten far enough that I want to restore the taste- where is the best place to get replacement filters? The few I'm seeing online are insane, almost the price of a different system. Is there really no third party making filter changes? Or a way to get them cheaper through a supplier?
i have A200 system kinecto said change your filter after 200 gallons of use, but i changed mine after 1.5 years of use without having any bad taste i bought the filters orange and purple and changed it myself and saw on both the original and new filters it says change it after 500 gallons basically same filters like k5 so they lied to us changing it after 200 gallons while the filter itself says change it after 500 gallons
I have this same problem. Couldn’t we just snip the very end off the tip of the blue piece so it no longer acts as a “flat head” into the filter? So when it turns, it doesn’t actually turn the screw ?
Absolutely. If you’re comfortable with modifying the unit, that’s exactly how I’d do it.
i did this today, thanks for the tip. Now i keep hearing the hissing like it is pressurizing and will only get a short burst of water. This has been going for 3 hours. Is it possible i pushed the blue sensor too high up?
I would remove it and exercise the blue stem up and down fully to make sure it's not stuck on anything internally. Then re-seat the filter and try again. It's a clumsy & wet process but hopefully works the second time.
Nice video!! will this work with a cartridge that has already went all the way down or do you need a new cartridge?
Thanks for watching! Yup, you should be able to trick it even with a “fully used” filter cartridge.
Awesome! Thanks Alex! Just purchased my first house and the K5 slowed down to just about nothing two days ago. I just took it apart tonight looking at the filters. I noticed the float was all clear and then after watching some videos before coming across yours! I see it meant it was time for a change NOT! Thanks for the great video. Tomorrow I’ll go get the part and modify it and get my
Money’s worth! THANKS!!
@@relicme4103 happy to help!
there in no way to cut the bottom of old Kinetico filters to reuse them with other brands or something else like an adapter?
@@GABI59042 no
I tried several times following instructions. Could not get filter to reinstall, think the presta cover prevented filter from reseating. Trimmed the top of presta and tried again but still would not allow filter to seat. Note- i was trying this on a well used T&O filter. It is on the end of its life. So maybe starting with a new filter would be the trick?
From what I understood of the video, you would need relatively new filters as by the time it’s nearing the end of its life the internal pin in the filter is already pressed down into the filter itself
The biggest thing that people are forgetting here, is that for every 500 gallons of water that come out of the post filter. Is that about 2000 gallons of water go through the pre filter. Seeing that these systems preform based all on water pressure you are hurting your membrane in the long run. So I would not advise this ill-advised video.
I'm on septic. I assume I should change the prefilter once annually. With this hack, how would one know when to change the postfilter?
I keep a log inside the unit and set a yearly reminder on my phone. Based on your water quality you may want to keep tabs on it more often. But I manually log the dates I change everything now so I don’t forget and leave the filter in for 3-4 years. :-) I will try 1.5-2 years and see if the water pressure or quality changes drastically on mine. We have pretty clean city water to start with.
Good day new question: the stem cap seemed to have blocked the water from entering the orange chamber and we aren’t sure if we are doing something wrong?
Is the blue stem fully "deployed" downwards? I would push it up and down to ensure that it is fully sprung down. If it is stuck in the "up" position it will limit flow. Mine needed to be jiggled initially for it to pop down 100%.
Okay. I’ll give that a try. From what I can tell from mine, they make it so small that the presta Valve can’t slip through… but I’ll give it a giggle anyways to see. Maybe they figured out how to hack the hack. ;) nicely done btw
there is no way to cut the bottom of old Kinetico filters to reuse them with other brands or something else like an adapter?
Question I tried this on an expired filter and no water appears to flow through it, does this have hack have to be done on a working filter???
Correct. Once the filter is done, this won’t work.
there in no way to cut the bottom of old Kinetico filters to reuse them with other brands or something else like an adapter?
I have a VX Plus, and it was a completely old filter with the screw turned all the way down. It worked fine for me on the VX Plus. Maybe the K5 filters are built differently though.
Any reason not too just snip the last 1/8” off the blue stick and eliminate the gear teeth all together? Or better, just remove the gears that turn the blue rod. Think either of those ideas would work?
The blue stick needs the upward pressure from the filter in order to open the valve for full flow. Good idea though! I think I’ve read of a hack where someone modified the gears, but it was a lot more complicated for the same end-result.
So this is for the charcoal filter are you supposed to change the pre filter every 500 gallons? I called the dealer and they want $198 plus tax for the filters, can I just by the pre filter somewhere cause they won't just sell it to me?
Wow, my dealer sells the filters for $45 each. You can likely get more than 500 gallons out of the pre filter as well, but it depends on your water quality. I already have a whole house filter I replace every 6 months on city water, so the Kinetico pre filter isn’t as crucial. I’ll do it once a year probably, instead of twice a year.
Not sure where you can buy the pre filter though unless you find them on eBay.
@@fiehlsport thanks so much going to try it today
there in no way to cut the bottom of old Kinetico filters to reuse them with other brands or something else like an adapter?
Are you able to explain how you take part the cartridges?
I used a Milwaukee electric saw - easy! :-)
Ah- I thought I might have missed the step somehow lol
there is no way to cut the bottom of old Kinetico filters to reuse them with other brands or something else like an adapter?
Interesting video ! Do you know if there is any "compatible/universal" cartridge we can use with this system instead of the original ones ? Thank you
I've never come across one, it surprises me that there aren't any Chinese Kinetico clone cartridges out there. Or, maybe I haven't looked hard enough on the dark web. :-)
@@fiehlsport ah ah maybe... I've been looking everywhere for days, they seem to not exist... time to start a business ??
there in no way to cut the bottom of old Kinetico filters to reuse them with other brands or something else like an adapter?
Can't you just back the screw out or just snip the blue thing off?
No and no, unfortunately. The blue thing needs to be pressed upward to allow water flow. The screw has a non reversible head on it, so you can’t grab it with any tool. One way only.
@@fiehlsport Damn. Thanks for the response. Off to order those caps!
Hi Alex. I have a slightly different question. I have unit installed couple months ago and still far away from filter changing but Ive read that every time filter are being replaced , system has to be sanitized. Is it tue? Have You ever done that before? Thanks
I've tried to read as much about this system as I can (Kinetico info is sparse) and have not read anything about sanitizing it, but that doesn't mean it isn't true. :-) I wouldn't even know where to begin. But, for what it's worth, my dealer has never mentioned this when I bought filters from them in the past.
@@fiehlsport Thank You for the reply. My dealer also didnt say anything about sanitizing although I found couple posts saying you need to do this every time filters are being replaced. Kit like this costs around 100$. I guess it tje manufacturer of those kits is the one whi recommends that lol
@@dumnylach kinetico left me a cleaning booklet, showing a few different ways to clean. i.e. chlorine dioxide, household bleach (unscented). A 34 step process.
Sanitisation is a great revenue for the company changing the filters although not necessary. After all the system is providing ultra pure water..... the impurities have been removed. If the system had been unused for a long period, Sanitisation would be required.
@@TheWaterBoyuk Thank You for an answer. As far I remember, the guys who installed the system didnt mention sanitation but I found out on ther videos that I might need it. Now I know that not exactly. Thanks.
there is a reason there is a 500 gallon limit. once carbon becomes expelled you risk bacteria growth and other damage to the unit. not sure if it is worth the money you’re trying to save here.
Most systems are 3,000 gallons and some manufacturers play it safe, TOO SAFE!
yeah loads of studies in the matter left out here. Kinetico cant be trust it much but neither essentially removing that bit where it quantify the lifetime of the filter, filters dont last forever lol.. I would try this bloke method but start measuring my water readings, maybe cond, pH or even TDS.
I have a VX Plus system and tried this. The cap was too big and I couldn't get the filter up all the way. So, I took a plastic push pin, and cut off the top of it so it was a little plastic rod with a flare on the top of it, and dropped it in the hole. Note that this was a filter that was used and the thingy was already screwed all the way down. If you can keep the filter centered when you push it up in there, this works. I don't care about the taste, or really anything else on this system. The previous owners of my house bought it, and it was a ripoff, especially when it makes you buy $150 worth of filters every 500 gallons. Also, RO water tastes terrible, and it's not safe to drink long term. Look up the World Health Organization report on it. It's only safe to drink if you get a remineralizer that you put cal-mag into. I just use it for watering plants, and making hydroponic nutrient solutions. We do NOT drink this water, and if you're drinking RO water, then you need to do some research on the safety of it. It's just like drinking distilled water, not good, and can cause a huge range of health problems, including heart issues.
Anyway, good video. Saved me the expense of going out an buying a new system. A new system from iSpring or one of a number of different companies is less money than replacing the filters in this thing and they don't have the 500 gallon limit that forces you to spend more money.
Thanks for the reply, interesting take on RO I had not heard of before. I’ll take a look into it. For our Kinetico unit we think the water tastes better than anything we’ve ever drank before, but it’s possible we’re still getting some mineral content in it. There is a mineral cartridge available as well to add them back in, but I suppose that’s another ripoff by Kinetico too. :-) Glad the hack worked for you!
We're checking out the Aquasana system to replace our Kinetico unit. :-) $67 for filters every 6mo is a price I'm willing to pay. Even with the hacked Kinetico, the high price of the filters every 1-2 years was still more. And we were considering a Kinetico mineral cartridge, but that's another $90-150 as well. Crazy.
Thanks so much! This just reminds me how much I hate Kinetico.
Couldn't you just remove the blue stem altogether?
Ha! I’m in a love/hate relationship with mine. The water tastes so good I’d still buy the filters if I had to.
Without the blue stem being pushed up into the housing by the filter, it shuts off.
@@fiehlsport
Thanks for the reply, makes sense.
I absolutely love the pressure this system provides, just amazed at how they rigged the filters to basically shut down at such a short interval. I have an old school RO and it's like a few dollars to change the filters, I could go close to 2 years without an issue.
Greta video Alex. I’m going to try this. I did notice that after the initial filter change the 2nd change came much quicker. I wonder if the system uses frequency of using water rather than volume? Meaning if we get water more often but in smaller amounts. Like my little kids constantly using. If that has any affect on life. I got the presets valves and plan to do this fix soon.
I think the unit uses a little plastic wheel to "meter" the amount of water that goes through it. I'm leaning towards thinking it's volume based, but maybe someone else can chime in with more knowledge of the system. Pretty sure it has a 500 gallon limit. Hope this works well for you!
@@fiehlsport volume
there in no way to cut the bottom of old Kinetico filters to reuse them with other brands or something else like an adapter?
@@GABI59042bro wtf lol
My salesman told me that he had upgraded my system so that I wouldn't have to change the filters for 10 years! Reading the book it says; that for a family of 4, it will last 9 to 12 months. Family of 2 and it didn't make it 9 months! We use bottled water! This system is for coffee, tea, and ice maker. I don't think we have used 500 gallons!
Your salesman definitely made that up. I guess it's possible that the RO membrane can last many years, but there's nothing a Kinetico dealer would ever do to extend the life of the pre and post filters. Try modifying the cartridge and replacing the pair every year, that should suffice for you.
The membrane itself will last like ten years, the other filters “”need”” (read: are designed) to be replaced every 9-12 months
Was considering this until learned had a timer that shuts it off no matter what the purchaser wants. That smells skeezy right There. Also they only sell sets? Also over 100 dollars to change it out 'for you'? Skeezy.
Good hack. Not sure how long the water quality will last, though.
there is no way to cut the bottom of old Kinetico filters to reuse them with other brands or something else like an adapter?
@@GABI59042dude wtf are you okay? Lol
You're a crack! Huge thanks!
Wait so your saying never change the filter isn’t that bad
he explains it right at the beginning..
Anyone want to buy my K5? Kinetico priced itself out for me. I'm going back to Brita.
I couldn't get the Presta cap to work. I think there may be some minor variation in sizes that prevented me from getting the filter to twist in. I **did** however have much better luck with a 1-1/4" x 15 soffit and trim nail. Slip the nail down into the filter hole and the head of the nail pushes up on the blue stick. This may not be a long term solution because of the potential for the nail getting rusty! I am looking for some type of plastic piece with the same dimensions as the soffit and trim nail.
I had to push the presta valve up a few times to make sure everything was centered, and also guide the valve to the center port on the filter perfectly before it would attach. It's finicky for sure...
I love the conspiracy that Kineticco are robbing you!
You really should check your facts and “evidence” before making claims. For example, "the indicator screw has the flick on the end to prevent winding it back up" Had you tried, you would have found that to be false. The flick is there to prevent the screw moving during shipping, unduly shortening the filter life. It’s there to ensure you get the volume you are paying for, not "con" you out of money!
You are right about something in your video though, that the filter could last longer. It might give the same volume as the other filter manufactures claim. It all depends on your water quality. Even after the membrane there could still be contaminants (water pressure and inlet ppm dependant) that the filter would remove. As the filters are used internationally, it makes sense to size for worst case scenario. Having the volume set at 500 gallons ensures that the water is always filtered, where ever it is installed. That is unless it is malfunctioning, or has been misused. Tampered with for example.
In the interests of transparency, I will state that I have a connection to Kinetico. However, that aside, I think your advice is dangerous, especially given the horrific water quality some people experience! They rely on filtered water for their health. Whilst we all need to find those extra pennies, it shouldn’t come with increased risk to your health.
Your disclaimer does not admonish you of your recklessness, "Use common sense when determining how long you want to use your filters.", really??!!
The average UA-cam watcher is a water chemist are they? Or accurately measure how much water they use every day?
I hope that people have the common sense to consult a professional independent water expert rather than heed your miss-advice and lack of understanding on what and why the unit has been designed in that way.
"I will state that I have a connection to Kinetico"
lmao no way who would've guessed
no no no, that gross! remove the site glass above and remove the gears. leave the blue stem without the spring. by removing the gears you stop sheading plastic particles into your water also.
Yes, but your entire K5 system is made of plastic.
@@brn141 the moving gears shed plastic particles because they are grinding together and moving whereas the plastic housing is stationary and will not shed plastic easily. i've worked on high purity water systems at IBM and discovered any moving parts in water shed particles more then stationary things.
A woman doing remodel threw hers out. Free! I can use it to augment my pure water window cleaning buy letting it run to fill water tanks. I do know ROs and have a 2400 gpd. and 1800 gpd. For me I can make the indicator disappear. I am still learning it. So far it runs constantly, waste always runs even though permeate is off, maybe something to do with the tank?. Technically, I can bypass tank altogether since quality isn't a concern, just TDS. Now, not sure of membrane stats yet. Read maybe 400 gpd but anyone know the rejection rate? Ran a while and was getting 4 and 6. Read it may do an auto flush as well? The user manual is useless guess just have to play with it.
there in no way to cut the bottom of old Kinetico filters to reuse them with other brands or something else like an adapter?
This is a terrible idea! Everyone that has a K5 has a Kinetico dealer. You need to call your dealer and ask if this is good advice. ITS NOT!! And Before someone puts a “bicycle stem” in their drinking water system, think about that. (Random materials that are not designed to be in drinking water.) There’s a reason why you have to change it after 500 gallons . without getting into the weeds too far, most filters use media that adsorbs contaminants and once the capacity is reached or a certain time has elapsed the media actually sheds these contaminants INTO YOUR DRINKING WATER. If you believe this guy, i recommend putting stickers over your oil change light so you cant see it. just run the car with the same oil forever!
Yeah, stopping the taste filter from working after only 500 gallons is a scam. They are good well beyond that. Also, you shouldn't be drinking RO water anyway unless it's run through a remineralizer. RO and distilled water are UNSAFE to drink long term as they leech trace minerals from your body, or foods cooked in it. We only use our RO system for watering plants and in appliances that generate steam (steam oven, clothing iron, etc)
Oh, and Kinetico... be careful. They will try to sell you stuff at whatever price they think you'll pay. From what I can tell, there's no MSRP, or it's kept under wraps, and their sales guys will throw out a number based on how rich you look or how dumb you are. My Kinetico rust system and softener system work great, it's good equipment. But the previous owners of my house paid FOUR times the price it would have cost them to get another brand that would have worked just as well. Plus, the other brand was serviceable yourself or from a number of different companies. Kinetico won't sell you parts, and they require a service call for EVERYTHING. I've taken my stuff apart for cleaning, but it's risky because if you mess up one of the seals in a layer in the head or something else, then you need to call them to get a replacement part, and they will require a service call for it, and they won't just sell you the part... they'll insist on installing it, which can cost hundreds of dollars. They also have tight control over territory, so you''ll never have any kind of competition between dealers. If the dealer for your territory is shady and gouges you on pricing, too bad, you're stuck with them and can't go to anyone else.
While you make valid points, I spent a lot of money on this system. However when I bought it, the price was around 1 dollar a gallon. With the new prices I can no longer afford to use this system and my next alternative is just going back to tap water. At least with this I can prolong the system to bring it back in line with that one dollar range. Still better then tap water.
I 100% agree with being unsure of using parts make for a bike system in your water. But I strongly disagree with your logic- You had me until "call your dealer and ask". In college, I used to work for a brand that sold equipment we were specifically told NOT to tell them they could maintain themselves. This water system has a built in unit to force you to change it, whereas other systems have cheaper / smaller filters that can be used for much longer. It is an artificial limit. Kinetico wants you to change it then, it keeps their dealers in business and them in business... essentially it's fueled by business and not quality or safety.
Oil changes, for the record, are similar. Most car manuals will tell you to change it far less often than 3,000 miles (My last car said 5k miles between changes) yet every oil change shop will insist you need to do it every 3 and even put a big sticker to remind you when to come back... not because you need to, but because THEY want you to! And the truth is, you don't need to change it when the manufacturer does either, it's preventative maintenance. You SHOULD in order to avoid problems, but it's not like I haven't skipped oil changes when I was a broke single guy in school. Car never died on me, it was 15 years old when I sold it to someone who then sold it to someone else afterwards so for all I know it never died! I don't recommend people do that, but it's not this doomsday thing people treat it like.
Meanwhile, as is the case with other water filter systems, you can choose to change it when you feel it is time. In my old house, we would change the filter when the water didn't taste as good as it used to. The "contaminants" are essentially what would likely have been in your water if you drank it from the tap. It'll taste bad, and you'll change it anyway. But on your OWN TIME. This is such corporate nonsense and greed.
I'm with you on the bike parts thing. I'd rather go with something more "food grade" to stop the filter from turning.
@@Mike-ts3it truth.
Hmmm, are you a Kinetico rep, dealer, or related to one in someway??