How often should you replace a fridge water filter?

Various factors influence your water’s purity and the cleanliness of your fridge’s filter sits atop that list.  

Consuming bacteria-free water has a myriad of benefits, including minimizing the risk of water-borne diseases, eliminating toxins from our bodies, and many more. However, to enjoy these perks, the importance of replacing fridge filter cannot be over-emphasized.

So, how long does a refrigerator filter last?

A majority of appliance manufacturers state that you need to replace the fridge water filter every six months, but this also depends on various other elements.

For instance, if your home’s usage is high, the cartridge may reach its maximal working capacity before the stipulated six months. For this reason, it is often advised to change it after half a year or after dispensing approximately 300 or 400 gallons.

Additionally, you might also need to consider the pollutants that flow into your home and the water’s hardness to ensure you change your water filters for fridges in a timely fashion. Using test strips from time to time helps you identify harmful substances in your cup, allowing you to know when to change water filter for fridge.  

Why should you change your refrigerator filter?

Various reasons exist as to why you need to replace the water filter in refrigerator. They include:

• Toxin-free contents: A new cartridge is efficient and will successfully eliminate toxins. Hence you can rest easy knowing that whatever you pour into your cup is decontaminated.  
• Keep water-borne illnesses at bay: the cartridges will trap particles and harmful microorganisms that are not visible to the naked eye. Over time, they will pile up, and bacteria will dislodge from it and seep into your glass, making you susceptible to illnesses such as cholera and e.coli.
• Enjoy better taste: bacteria causes foul-tasting water. Additionally, some people just do not appreciate chlorinated water. By changing refrigerator filter regularly, you ensure that the cartridge is in optimal working conditions and will eliminate the chlorine as well as the impurities. Thus, you continually enjoy better taste, allowing you to hydrate even better. 

Can old refrigerator water make you sick?

Yes! An unchanged cartridge holds illness-causing pollutants. For example, E.coli is one of the most common water-borne diseases you might catch from consuming water sieved through an old filter. Other diseases you might contract include cholera, typhoid, amoebiasis, and diarrhoea. 

Signs you need to change the filter

The tell-tale signs that you need another cartridge are:

• Presence of particles: if you observe a significant number of particles in your cup, you should get a new cartridge and exchange it with the old one immediately.

• Coloured water: whatever you dispense should be crystal clear. If you notice any discolouration or cloudiness in your cup, you need to switch the cartridge.

• Appalling taste: Water that tastes bad indicates the presence of dirt and pathogens

• Horrible odour: water that smells like rotten eggs is proof that it contains sulphur bacteria or hydrogen sulphide.
• You haven’t done a cartridge replacement in over six months: Fridge manufacturers insist that carbon cartridges should be changed semi-annually. Therefore, if you have had a fridge for more than half a year and never replaced its cartridge, it's time to do so.
• The indicator comes on: Many fridges with dispensers have light indicators that prompt you to swap an existing cartridge with a new one.

So, how does refrigerator know when to change the water filter? 

Your appliance leverages advanced technology and automatically calculates when the carbon is due for replacement. It does this by analyzing the impurities present and the cartridge’s working life.  

Steps to replace a water filter

Follow these guidelines to swap a bad water filter for fridge.

1. Buy a water filter from Filterway: Note that each fridge has its well-suited carbon cartridge. Knowing your appliance’s model number is the first step to finding a compatible one. You can find this information on a sticker on the appliance or by looking at the user instructions.  
2. Locate the cartridge: Carbon cartridges are either on the interior (mainly on the top left corner) or exterior (at the base below the freezer).
3. Shut the dispenser off: press the , preventing spillage during the replacement procedure.
4. Remove the cartridge: dislodge it from its compartment by either twisting it towards your left or pressing a button.
5. Mount the new cartridge: place the cartridge in its compartment by twisting it towards your right or pushing it into the compartment.
6. Turn on the dispenser and clear the system by dispensing three or four gallons.

For more information on how to replace your cartridge, read your refrigerator’s user manual or contact your seller.