Not every filter lasts a full six months. Here are five warning signs that your sediment or carbon cartridge is due ahead of schedule — and what to do about it.
The standard advice is to swap sediment and carbon filters every six months. That works for open-roof homes with clean gutters, but in the Hill Country — where cedar pollen, live-oak tassels, and long dry spells between storms are the norm — cartridges can load up faster than the calendar suggests.
If the flow at your fixtures feels weaker than usual, the sediment filter is the first place to look. A clogged cartridge restricts flow before the pressure gauge moves enough to notice. Run a tap and compare it to what you're used to.
Carbon removes chlorine taste, organic compounds, and the earthy flavor that tannins from leaves can add. When the carbon bed saturates, those flavors come back. If the water tastes or smells different, the carbon cartridge has likely reached capacity.
Pull the sediment filter housing and look at the cartridge. A uniform tan or brown coating is normal wear. If the cartridge is dark brown or orange and it's only been two or three months, your system is catching more debris than average — likely from tree cover or a gutter issue.
Cedar pollen season (December through February) and live-oak pollen season (March through April) can halve a sediment filter's effective life. The same goes for the first big storm after a long dry spell — months of accumulated dust and debris wash off the roof in one event.
If your system has pressure gauges before and after the filter housing, track the difference. A new cartridge might show 2–3 psi across the housing; when that gap climbs above 8–10 psi, the cartridge is restricting flow and it's time to swap regardless of the calendar.
Keep a spare set of cartridges on hand so you can change them the day you notice a problem. Write the install date on the housing with a marker. If you're going through cartridges every 3 months, mention it at your next service visit — a larger housing (20-inch big-blue vs. standard 10-inch) or a gutter-screen upgrade may solve the root cause.
Questions? Call Dripping Rainwater at (512) 829-5800 or request service online.
Questions about your system? Call Dripping Rainwater at (512) 829-5800.
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