Product Design
Water Filter Failure Causes Water Damage
By Dr. Duane Priddy Sr. · Published December 17, 2020
Pictured: Computer stress analysis of a plastic water filter housing, coloured by von Mises stress against a legend from 0 to 2,400 psi, with a red and orange band of high stress ringing the bottom of the housing where three arrows and an on-image note mark the predicted blow-out location
Water filters are pressurized containers that are molded using plastic. Pressure surges inside of water filters, caused by valves suddenly turning on and off, can cause water filters to crack and leak if they are not properly designed and manufactured. When water filters fail when no one is around to shut off the water, costly water damages can occur.
A filter housing is a pressure vessel, so it has to be designed for the peak pressures the system actually sees rather than the steady pressure on the label. Valves closing quickly send surges through the plumbing that rise well above the nominal line pressure. Stress concentrates where the wall meets the base and around any change in section, which is where a housing with too little wall thickness or a sharp internal corner splits first.
Water damage and subrogation investigations
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