Refrigerator water filters are extremely important for homes that have an under-sink water filter installed as well as those without.
Without a refrigerator water filter, the system will still use reverse osmosis to take out all harmful chemicals and sediment found in the tap water supply.
However, there is no filtration after this process so health-threatening bacteria, viruses, and parasites have the potential to make it into your cup.
Refrigerator water filters are able to stop these harmful particles at their source by removing 99% of them before they ever enter your drinking water.
The filtration cartridges come in either a 2-Pack or 4-Pack and need to be changed every 6 months to every year depending on the quality of your tap water.
Summary
How do Refrigerator Water Filters work?
A refrigerator water filter is an activated carbon water filter that reduces or eliminates chlorine, bad taste, and odors from your drinking water.
They are designed to attach directly to your existing refrigerator’s water supply line and can help you save a considerable amount on your bottled drinking water costs by allowing you to buy cheap filtered tap water from the local grocery store.
It is also very cost-effective because it can be installed in place of the refrigerator’s existing built-in water filter.
The majority of refrigerator water filters work by reducing contaminants as the water flows through a series of tiny carbon granules.
This process occurs inside an activated carbon cartridge, which acts as a porous surface that attracts and captures contaminants.
The contaminants are physically trapped by a thin layer of water that creates a seal over the carbon granules.
The filter process is simple: as water passes through, it travels tiny paths around and between activated carbon granules.
Pipes from the faucet are connected to the bottom of the cartridges that have been preloaded inside their housings. Water is forced to flow through these cartridges under a small pressure.
As it does, contaminants are attracted and trapped by the activated carbon granules inside the cartridge. This process works equally well for both hot and cold water.
Benefits of Refrigerator Water Filters
There are several benefits to owning a refrigerator water filter such as:
- Securing good tasting and clean drinking water directly from the tap.
- Eliminating odor and chlorine tastes and smells from your drinking water.
- Reducing contaminants including asbestos, lead, and disease-causing organisms.
- Reducing the scale build-up in your coffee machine and hot water heater.
- Ice cubes or freshly brewed coffee will have no taste
- Reducing or eliminating the need to purchase bottled water.
- Extending the life of your appliances.
- Fresher-tasting ice.
- Reducing the environmental impact of using bottled water
- Minimizing your carbon footprint.
How Long do they last?
Most refrigerator water filters have a life that lasts from 3 to 6 months. Refrigerator water filters help in reducing contaminants present in the drinking water and also reduce the bad taste and odor of the water.
Refrigerator water filter cartridges have a definite life span depending on the usage conditions, quality or brand of cartridge, system usage, etc.
In general, it is recommended that the refrigerator water filter should be changed every 6 to 12 months depending on the usage conditions.
Refrigerator water filter cartridges should be replaced with a new cartridge, if there is any leakage or drip from the cartridge holder into the refrigerator compartment, or if the flow of drinking water to the dispenser has reduced considerably and a low-pressure symbol appears in the display panel after flushing out the old cartridge and mounting the new cartridge.
Refrigerator water filters have a capacity of holding back sediments from entering into the drinking water dispenser, however over a period if it is not changed then the cartridge may become saturated with impurities and contaminants resulting in reduced life of the refrigerator water filter cartridges.
Do I Need To Replace My Existing Filter?
If you have a refrigerator, then it is most likely that you are using one or several types of water filters along with them.
These filters are installed in order to get rid of any harmful contaminants from the water coming into your home which might affect your health if consumed.
They work on the principle of filtration and also use carbon block filters in order to get the job done.
You should keep a track of your filter’s life and when it needs replacement with a new one because you would not want any sort of bacteria or harmful substance entering your body right?
There are a number of things that can help you out with this, let’s have a look at them:
You should always lookout for the ‘change filter’ light or indicator which is often placed on the control panel of your refrigerator.
This would indicate that it’s time to replace the old one with a brand new one. If there is no such thing, then you can simply fill up a glass of water and pour it into your dishwasher’s empty reservoir.
If it’s working fine, then the water would go down smoothly. But if there is some level of difficulty which is stopping the water from going into your dishwasher, then you should replace your filter right away because it has reached its life span already and might affect other appliances too.
Another method that can help you check the status of your filter is by checking the pressure.
If it has gradually reduced, then you should get a new one installed as soon as possible because this means that there is some problem with your filter and it might either be too dirty to allow the water to pass through or due to any technical faults which might affect other appliances in your house if not attended to.
Final Verdict!
Water filters have become a necessity for almost every home. There are many different types of water filtration systems that can be used to filter water including refrigerator water filters, countertop filters, whole house filters, and more.
Refrigerator Water Filters are usually installed into refrigerators that contain an ice maker or filtered dispenser with the assistance of a filter head that attaches to the water supply of the refrigerator.
Refrigerator Water Filters are not necessary for every household, but they help to keep the refrigerator working correctly and keep the water that is dispensed free of contaminants that may be harmful to the human body.
Looking forward to viewing some interesting opinions and experiences in the comment section of this article.
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Clare Smyth has an attraction towards the kitchen, and that’s clear. She is very passionate about writing reviews on kitchen products and working under Steve to research new advances in the kitchen.