finn
Member
A few years ago, we replaced our conventional water heater with a tankless system. Because the water quality where we live is very poor, we also had a Falsken Water Systems filter kit (“The Heater Treater”) installed at the same time. The unit is connected to the feed water line and basically consists of a housing that a hard plastic cylindrical casing (which contains the filter) is screwed into. The water then passes through the cylinder and filter before being redirected to the heater.
So every year for the last five years or so, I’ve purchased a new filter from the company, unscrewed the hard plastic cylindrical casing and replaced the filter. There is a small rubber o-ring that comes with the filter that gets lightly lubed and inserted into the threads of the casing before re-attaching it. The unit also comes with a hard plastic “wrench” that fits snugly around the ridges on the outside of the casing, and is used to unscrew the casing.
But this year when I went to repeat the procedure, I found that I could not unscrew the casing. There is a pressure relief button on top of the tank that I’ve found helpful in the past, but this time it did not work. I contacted the company and they told me that it sounded like the casing was put on too tight the last time the filter was changed. As the o-ring hardened, it created a “super seal.” They said the only thing that would work now was brute force.
The problem is that there is only so much force I can generate with the supplied plastic wrench. And realistically, too much force might actually rip the unit off from where it is attached to the wall. Does anyone have any ideas about how I can generate enough leverage to break a “super seal”? Someone at the company mentioned a strap wrench – do you think that might work? Or is there some way I can somehow get some kind of lubricant onto the threads of the casing to help loosen it? Or is there some other way to relieve the pressure created by the “super seal” – maybe similar to when you’re trying to open a sealed jar, and you slip a knife's edge underneath the lid and it helps pop the vacuum seal and reduces the pressure on the lid? I’m really at a loss here and open to any suggestions. Thanks!
So every year for the last five years or so, I’ve purchased a new filter from the company, unscrewed the hard plastic cylindrical casing and replaced the filter. There is a small rubber o-ring that comes with the filter that gets lightly lubed and inserted into the threads of the casing before re-attaching it. The unit also comes with a hard plastic “wrench” that fits snugly around the ridges on the outside of the casing, and is used to unscrew the casing.
But this year when I went to repeat the procedure, I found that I could not unscrew the casing. There is a pressure relief button on top of the tank that I’ve found helpful in the past, but this time it did not work. I contacted the company and they told me that it sounded like the casing was put on too tight the last time the filter was changed. As the o-ring hardened, it created a “super seal.” They said the only thing that would work now was brute force.
The problem is that there is only so much force I can generate with the supplied plastic wrench. And realistically, too much force might actually rip the unit off from where it is attached to the wall. Does anyone have any ideas about how I can generate enough leverage to break a “super seal”? Someone at the company mentioned a strap wrench – do you think that might work? Or is there some way I can somehow get some kind of lubricant onto the threads of the casing to help loosen it? Or is there some other way to relieve the pressure created by the “super seal” – maybe similar to when you’re trying to open a sealed jar, and you slip a knife's edge underneath the lid and it helps pop the vacuum seal and reduces the pressure on the lid? I’m really at a loss here and open to any suggestions. Thanks!
