Get rid of that hodge-podge of Sharkbite connectors and PVC pipe sections going every which way. You need to switch to PEX plumbing, it's stupid easy for a DIYer. Plan out the routing and location so things look workmanlike. A decent crimping tool can be had for under $100. Cost of fittings and tubing is reasonable at the box stores.

https://www.amazon.com/IWISS-Crimping-1-inch-Removal-Standards/dp/B01FJA96X2/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=39K2LNM8TNK9Y&keywords=pex%2Bcrimping%2Btool&qid=1680695517&sprefix=pex%2B%2Caps%2C121&sr=8-2-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExUk43T0dPNUY3TzhFJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNzI2MDU3Mzc1MkxIWDNLSTBGRiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwOTcyODE1MkNSRUcxTkdXQlY4RSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1

Yeah, this is a mess.

So, it is really crazy to be using sharkbite fittings on CPVC. (It's also crazy, in my mind, to be using CPVC for supply lines). I would use copper or PEX, but not CPVC.

BTW: I can't read the side of the pipe, is there any chance that's PEX already?

Is the pipe it's connecting to near the ceiling PEX? (kinda looks like it).

If you are going to use CPVC - use CPVC fittings. They go together with primer and glue and are cheap (35 cents for an elbow) - and very effective.

The other issue is to mount the filter properly. Pipes are not intended to support things like filters.

Buy the filter mount and mount it to that block wall properly. Also put a ball valve on both sides of the filter housing so you aren't making a big mess every time you change the filter.

While you are at it, since this is a whole house filter, consider a larger filter housing.

Here's a link to the filter housing and the mounting bracket.

Here's my setup with PEX and brass fittings. Note the bracket supporting the filter and the ball valves on both sides of the filter. Everything is mounted and supported and nothing is flopping around.

I pulled out a leftover piece of pipe, it says CPVC 4120 (CTS-00) on it.

The gray piping you see in the pic is the original pipes. I'd have to get into the crawlspace to see what it says, but I know that it's not available locally anymore for whatever reason. It seems like every time I go to replace something, they say that it's not available anymore so I have to make a ton of changes :-/

That was an issue I had with the copper crimp fittings: whatever the new pipe of the day was, it was a slightly different size from the old pipe so nothing was a perfect fit. Sharkbites were the only thing that fit everything.

I'd LOVE to redo the whole thing so that I didn't have to get in the crawlspace to change the filter! The brick wall to the right adjoins to the laundry room (with the water heater), so in my dream world I would change it all to have the filtration in there and easily accessible.

If I did that, I would really like to have an iron filter, a water softener to prevent scale, and calcite filter to neutralize the pH (I'm getting about 6.2 right now).

That turns in to time and money, though, and I don't have a lot of either... so I guess I'll have to just get a second ball valve and a mounting bracket to connect it to the brick wall for now.

Well, you can save a lot of money if you send back the sharkbite and get CPVC fittings. Seriously.

Just an FYI: You can do some of the water softener stuff somewhat inexpensively on Amazon. There are also neutralizing units for about the same amount of money.

Not saying that specific unit - just an example - but I bought one and have been very happy with it.

Again, I don't know your hardness and iron levels, etc. but just be open to the idea that you could get a good softener a lot cheaper than you might think.

One way to think about it is to extend the pipes over that wall for a "water softener loop". You can put the basic filter in that loop for now, and then replace that filter with the rest of it as you have money. If you are working in CPVC or PEX, it's inexpensive to run the pipes - CPVC (including CPVC fittings) would be the easiest and cheapest because it doesn't need any investment in tools other than a hacksaw.

If you install the softener loop, do it with a 3 valve bypass (use brass ball valves, not CPVC). This allows you to shut off water to a filter/softener and bypass it - so you have water. The example of that in my photo is is in the lower left corner of the board. There are 3 red ball valves in an "H" configuration that would allow me to take the water softener off line without shutting off the water to the house.

The gray piping is probably polybutylene piping, which was outlawed by code 20+ years ago.

It's also crazy, in my mind, to be using CPVC for supply lines). I would use copper or PEX, but not CPVC.

@Jake The Wonderdog, why is this?

The gray piping is probably polybutylene piping, which was outlawed by code 20+ years ago.

@HU-867564120, yup, that sounds right. I did some research and found that it was banned in 1995 due to ruptures that caused a lot of property damage. I've had a LOT of ruptures in mine! LOL And the house was built in '93, so the timing is right.

The first time it happened I remember taking a chunk to Lowes for a replacement, and the guy said that they didn't make it anymore.

I have a lot going on right now (overwhelmed, really), but it might be a project for this Autumn to redo all of my intake plumbing. Maybe I can afford the softener and calcite filter by then.

CPVC is cheap and easy to work with. It cuts with a hacksaw and glues together. It requires no special tools. Both fittings and pipe are very inexpensive.

It has a reputation for low quality, in part, because of the quality of the install. Probably because it's so easy and cheap, that there are so many DIY and hack jobs done in CPVC. (Similar issue with sharkbite fittings, btw - which aren't cheap, but you see a lot of DYI / hack jobs using them)

CPVC gets brittle over time. It's not at all tolerant of freezing. And it doesn't have much mechanical strength in 1/2" - 3/4" nominal size. If you use it for supply, support it properly with backing boards and proper straps and don't ask it to support anything like a filter.

Don't use CPVC valves, they are absolute crap. Use threaded brass ball valves with CPVC male adaptors instead.

I'm not suggesting you rip out all CPVC supply lines - but I don't ever use it for supply lines unless the existing is already CPVC and I'm doing an alteration / repair. For drain lines, PVC is great BTW.

If I'm going with plastic supply lines, PEX is the way I go.

Thanks for the info, @Jake The Wonderdog.

Right now I'm looking at a iron filter / water softener combo for about $700, and I'll definitely want to install it in the laundry room where I can easily access it. That means redoing a LOT of the old polybutylene pipes, and since I'm doing it I figured that I might as well do it all the same.

Similar issue with sharkbite fittings, btw - which aren't cheap, but you see a lot of DYI / hack jobs using them

Since you mentioned it... I began using them almost 20 years ago, when I developed my first leak and didn't have the tools to crimp a new connector. I've continued with them in part because I can easily keep 4 on hand at all times (a 3/4 elbow, a 1/2 elbow, a 3/4 coupling, and a 1/2 coupling), and any time a leak happens I can fix it in about 5 minutes instead of driving 30 minutes to Lowes and hoping they have what I need in stock.

And I've never had one crack or start to leak on me like the crimped copper couplings did.

You're right, though, they're definitely not cheap!