Getting your Star Water Filter® up and running
Whether after installing your water filter or when resuming filtration after a prolonged absence, you need to prime your filters.
Our filters are made up of different complementary media, guaranteeing excellent filtration. You can consult the details of the filter's composition if you need more information.
Among the various components used, activated carbon is made up of thousands of micro-channels through which the water circulates and traps pollutants by adsorption and absorption. If your filter is not immersed for a long time, air will gradually penetrate these tiny pores and become trapped. When you fill your upper tank with water, this trapped air will act like a plug and prevent the water from circulating normally. Remember that your filter works by gravity, and that the natural pressure exerted on the filter is not great enough to ‘push’ the water through properly if the filter is full of air.
This air will therefore have to be evacuated during an operation known as ‘priming’. The aim of this action is to ‘force’ the air out of the filter and replace it with water.
As previously stated, this operation should be carried out when a new filter is installed, but also if your filters have been left unused for a long time, for example during a prolonged absence. You'll also need to do this after cleaning your filters, which you should do from time to time by following our maintenance advice.
Priming your filters
There are two main methods for priming your filters. You can either use the priming washer or the Starter silicone priming nipple, both of which are supplied with your filters.
For simplicity and speed, we recommend using the Starter.
Priming procedure with the Starter
After removing the seals and butterfly nut from your filter, insert the threaded rod into the narrow part of the Starter. Position the wide part around a tap, creating a sufficient seal. The wide part is extensible enough to adapt to multiple tap shapes.
Hold the filter vertically and turn on the water at a very low flow rate to get started. The water will flow through the filter and gradually fill the various layers. When the water starts to flow through the filter, increase the pressure very slightly and allow the water to run through. It should run over the entire surface and height of the filter. If necessary, change the flow rate so that the water flows around the entire perimeter of the filter, without escaping between the tap connector and the Starter. Let the water run for 2 to 3 minutes to ensure that all the layers of the filter are thoroughly soaked.
This operation should be carried out on all the filters in your system.
Place each primed filter in the lower tank, which you have filled with water, and leave them to soak for at least 30 minutes. This will thoroughly moisten the internal membrane.
Then install your primed filters in the upper tank, following the installation instructions.
Priming procedure with the priming washer
If you can't use the Starter, because you don't have enough space under the tap or because you don't have a compatible tap, you can prime with the washer.
Unscrew the wing nut and remove the silicone seals. Screw the wing nut back on until the height of the threaded rod protruding from the nut is slightly greater than or equal to the thickness of the priming washer. Then thread the washer onto the threaded rod.
Position your filter vertically under a suitable tap, applying pressure between the end of the tap and the washer to create a seal. Turn on the water at a very low flow rate to get started. The water will flow into the filter and gradually fill the different layers of the filter. When the water begins to flow through the filter, increase the pressure slightly and allow the water to run through the filter. The water should run over the entire surface and height of the filter. If necessary, change the flow rate so that the water flows around the entire perimeter of the filter, without escaping between the tap connector and the washer. Leave the water running for 2 to 3 minutes to ensure that all the layers of the filter are thoroughly soaked.
This operation should be carried out on all the filters used in your system.
Place each primed filter in the lower tank, which you have filled with water, and leave them to soak for at least 30 minutes. This will thoroughly moisten the internal membrane.
Then install your primed filters in the upper tank, following the installation instructions.
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