Tools You’ll Need to Install an Under-Sink Water Filter Yourself

Many under-sink water filters are designed for straightforward DIY installation, but having the right tools ready before you start makes the job considerably smoother.

Basic Hand Tools

An adjustable wrench, a set of pliers, a bucket to catch residual water, and a torch for working in tight cabinet spaces cover most of what is needed for a standard installation.

Plumbing-Specific Items

Plumber’s tape (also called thread seal tape) helps prevent leaks at threaded connections, and having spare O-rings on hand can save a trip to the hardware store if one is damaged during fitting.

A Drill, If You’re Adding a Dedicated Tap

If your system includes its own dedicated filtered water tap, you will usually need a drill fitted with a hole saw sized to your benchtop or sink, sized according to the tap manufacturer’s instructions.

Before You Begin

Turn off the cold water supply under the sink first, and keep towels handy for any residual drips. Taking ten minutes to lay everything out before starting usually saves much longer troubleshooting later.

Installation Considerations: Tools You’ll Need to Install an Under-Sink Water Filter Yourself

Getting tools you’ll need to install an under-sink water filter yourself right starts before any tools come out — with confirming your incoming water pressure, the location of your water meter and mains isolation valve, and whether your plumbing configuration (copper, PEX, or poly) suits a push-fit or compression connection. In Victoria, any permanent alteration to household plumbing, including whole house filtration installed after the meter, must be carried out or signed off by a licensed plumber to comply with local regulations and to keep your home insurance and warranty valid.

All fittings and housings we supply and install are WaterMark certified, meaning they’ve been independently tested and approved for use in Australian plumbing systems under the Plumbing Code of Australia. This isn’t just a compliance checkbox — WaterMark certification is your assurance that a fitting won’t fail under normal household pressure and won’t contaminate your water supply.

Verified Standards & Further Reading

For homeowners who want to verify the certification claims made in this article, we encourage you to check the primary sources directly rather than taking any supplier’s word for it (including ours):

• Search any plumbing product’s WaterMark certification status directly on the Australian Building Codes Board’s official WaterMark product database.
• Verify NSF/ANSI certified water treatment products and the specific standard they are tested against via the official NSF certified product listings.
• Read the current Australian Drinking Water Guidelines published by the National Health and Medical Research Council for the official national standards on drinking water quality.

All AquaCo filtration systems supplied and installed by Vic Water Filters carry WaterMark Licence No. 23448 and are independently tested to the relevant NSF/ANSI standards for their stated contaminant reduction claims, including PFAS/PFOA and PFOS reduction where specified on the individual product datasheet.