Water Filters

Water Filters collection banner for Sun Brite Supply of Maryland

Water Filters

Pressure Washer Water Filters

Sand never announces itself. It rides in on the supply line and grinds through pump packings until the day your pressure quits for good. A pressure washer water filter costs less than one service call and installs in ten minutes. Sun Brite Supply carries General Pump clear bowl filters plus the screens, bowls, and o-rings to rebuild them, sold from our Gaithersburg, MD counter. Call 301-519-9274 with your inlet size and water source and we will match the right filter before you hang up.

How to Pick the Right Water Filter

Three decisions cover nearly every rig: port size, mesh rating, and filter style. Get those right and the filter fades into the background, which is exactly what a good inlet filter should do.

Port Size and Flow

Match the filter ports to your inlet plumbing. Garden hose fed machines usually take a 1/2" or 3/4" filter. Belt drive rigs and tank fed skids running 5.5 to 10 GPM pumps should step up to 1", 1 1/4", or 1 1/2" bodies, because a small filter chokes flow. Contractors report losing close to 2 GPM through an undersized inlet filter, and starving a triplex pump causes cavitation, which chews up valves faster than sand ever will. When in doubt, buy the bigger body. A larger filter drops less pressure and goes longer between cleanings.

50 Mesh or 80 Mesh

Mesh is the number of screen openings per inch. A 50 mesh stainless screen stops particles down to roughly 300 microns, which is plenty for normal city water. An 80 mesh screen catches grit down to about 180 microns and is the smarter pick for well water, buffer tanks, and job site spigots that have sat unused for months. Finer mesh clogs sooner, so pair 80 mesh with a clear bowl you can see through and glance at it every time you fuel up.

Clear Bowl or Simple Strainer

The clear bowl style earns its keep because you can see the trash without opening anything. Spin the bowl off, rinse the stainless screen, and you are washing again in two minutes. Cap style and inline strainers cost less and do fine on clean city supply, but you have to crack them open to know their condition. On buffer tank setups, put the filter between the tank and the pump. Tanks collect sediment on the bottom and stir it up with every refill, so filtering only at the tank inlet misses half the problem.

General Pump clear bowl water filter with 1 1/2 inch ports and 50 mesh stainless screen for pressure washers

Water Filter Lookup

Filter or Part Port Size Mesh Best Use Price
GP Clear Bowl Filter 1/2" 1/2" 50 Garden hose fed machines on city water $18.15
GP Clear Bowl Filter 1/2" 80 Mesh 1/2" 80 Small machines on well or tank water $21.99
GP Clear Bowl Filter 3/4" 3/4" 50 4 GPM contractor rigs $20.00
GP Clear Bowl Filter 1" 80 Mesh 1" 80 5.5+ GPM rigs on dirty sources $30.00
White Bowl Filter 1 1/4" 1 1/4" 50 High flow tank fed skids $35.25
GP Clear Bowl Filter 1 1/2" 1 1/2" 50 8 to 10 GPM max flow setups $61.00
Blue Cap Filter, FGH x 1/2" MPT Garden hose Screen Screws straight onto the hose, no plumbing $29.71
Replacement 50 Mesh Screen 1/2" and 3/4" 50 Rebuild instead of replace $10.02
Replacement Clear Bowl, 1" to 1 1/2" 1" to 1 1/2" n/a Cracked or clouded bowls $21.69
Bowl O-Ring, 1/2" and 3/4" 1/2" and 3/4" n/a Stops air leaks at the bowl seal $1.65

Prices change, so call to confirm current pricing and availability before you drive over.

From the Field

The parts list in this collection tells you how these filters actually live. We sell replacement screens for $5 to $14 and o-rings for under $3, which means smart owners rebuild filters instead of replacing them. Two counter lessons worth stealing. First, a nicked bowl o-ring pulls air into the suction line, and air in the suction looks exactly like a dying pump. Before you price a new pump for pulsing pressure, pull the filter bowl and check that $2 o-ring. Second, hand tighten the bowl only. Guys who wrench them down crack the polycarbonate, and that is how a $20 filter turns into a mid-job water leak.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do I really need a water filter on city water?

Yes. City water is cleaner than well water but still carries pipe scale, rust flakes, and the occasional chunk of solder. Pump packings and valves cost far more than a $20 filter, so the math is not close.

What is the difference between 50 mesh and 80 mesh?

50 mesh stops particles down to about 300 microns and suits city water. 80 mesh catches finer grit near 180 microns and protects better on wells, tanks, and rural spigots. The tradeoff is that 80 mesh clogs faster and needs more frequent rinsing.

Why did my GPM drop after adding an inlet filter?

The filter body is too small for your pump, or the screen is already loaded with debris. Step up to a 1" or larger body on pumps over 5 GPM and rinse the screen. Restricting the suction side starves the pump and can cause cavitation damage.

How often should I clean the screen?

On city water, check it weekly. On tank or well water, look at it every time you refuel. A clear bowl makes this a five second glance instead of a teardown, which is the main reason pros run them.

My pump is pulsing. Could the filter be the problem?

Very possibly. A clogged screen or a bad bowl o-ring lets the pump suck air, and air in the suction line mimics worn packings. Rinse the screen and inspect the o-ring before you spend money on pump parts.

Can you help me size a filter for my machine?

Call 301-519-9274 with your pump GPM and inlet size and we will pick the filter in one call. Local contractors can swing by our Gaithersburg counter and match parts in person.