Updated at: 08-12-2022 - By: Sienna Lewis

When was the last time you asked yourself, “How frequently should I change the water filter in my refrigerator?” You’re not the only one going through this. It’s easy to forget that the filter in your refrigerator is responsible for providing you with an unlimited supply of fresh, clean water.

In order to be healthy, you must have access to a clean supply of water. On its way to your pipes, the water you use at home picks up heavy minerals, bacteria, and other impurities. When you use your refrigerator’s water dispenser, the filter’s purpose is to remove all of the impurities.

The Ultimate Guide: How Often Should I Change My Refrigerator Water Filter?

Let us take care of your water filter maintenance needs so that you don’t have to worry about it. Since refrigerator water filters are so important, we’ve put together this detailed guide.

Why You Should Change Your Refrigerator Water Filter

The health benefits of changing your refrigerator water filter are crucial, but there are numerous more reasons to do so. If you use the same filter for a long period of time, it will not be able to remove pollutants and other particles.

How Often To Replace Your Refrigerator Water Filter – Fresh Water Systems

Your refrigerator water will taste nasty and your ice will smell bad if bacteria and minerals are able to get through the filter. Having a clogged water filter can cause your refrigerator to produce less ice and have a lower water pressure from the dispenser.

How Often to Change Your Water Filter

In most cases, refrigerator water filters should be replaced every six months. The frequency with which water filters need to be replaced is influenced by a wide range of factors.

Filter capacity can be affected by factors such as water hardness, water quality and how frequently you use water and ice dispensers. It’s possible to utilize test strips to see if there are any toxins in the water in your home.

Signs You Need to Change the Filter

It’s time to replace your refrigerator water filter if you can’t recall when the last time it was done. There are a few symptoms to look out for:

  • There is an unpleasant odor to the water and/or ice in the refrigerator.
  • Refrigerator water and ice have a terrible taste in your mouth.
  • Low pressure in the water supply
  • Ice maker is slow making ice or makes no ice at all

Slow or no ice production from the ice maker

How to Change a Refrigerator Water Filter

Right after learning why it’s important to replace filters, you may be wondering how to do it. As far as I can tell, it all depends on the model and make of your fridge. Manufacturers make it simple to access and replace them; the basic techniques are nearly identical.

  1. Replace the old filter with a new one. Look up your refrigerator model number online or in the owner’s manual for the correct filter replacement.
  2. The Water Filter should be found. Locate the water filter in your appliance once again by consulting the handbook or searching online.
  3. Shut off the water source. Turn off the water supply to your refrigerator by removing it from the wall and using the water supply valve.
  4. Removing the filter You can either twist the filter a quarter turn and take it out, or press the release button on the model and brand you are using.
  5. Remove the old filter and replace it with the newly purchased one. Push or twist the new filter into place. This all relies on the water filter housing.
  6. Re-start the water supply to the home or business. Activate the refrigerator’s thermostat by turning it to the ON position.

If the question, “How often should I change my refrigerator water filter?” remains unanswered, keep reading. Schedule an appointment with Dependable Appliance Repair to have your refrigerator repaired right away if you’re having any of these or other problems.

How a refrigerator water filter works

Sediment and carbon filtering are typically used in refrigerator filters to eliminate off flavors and aromas. The carbon block core of refrigerator filters is encased in a polypropylene shell. In order to remove trash and particles, water travels mechanically through the outside material. The carbon block’s surface is covered in more foreign matter.

Adsorption is the mechanism by which contaminants in water cling to the carbon in a refrigerator filter. To avoid absorption, they cling to a specific portion of the carbon’s huge surface area (adsorption).

How to locate and change your refrigerator water filter - YouTube

What a refrigerator water filter removes

It takes miles of subterranean pipelines for water to reach your home or business. Water may pick up lead from aging pipes, agricultural runoff, and other hazardous chemicals as it travels.

Lead, chlorine, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are the three most common contaminants removed by most refrigerator filters (VOCs). Cysts and chloramine can be removed by some of these products.

Lead

As recently as the early twentieth century, lead was widely accepted as safe and beneficial in the creation of paints, pottery, and plumbing pipes. Prior to 1986, plumbing solder carried up to 50% lead content. Due to the water’s ability to dissolve, lead can be found in old pipes. There’s a good chance that a building built before the Safe Water Drinking Act has lead pipes, soldered copper, and other fixtures.

The EPA has set the maximum contamination level for lead in drinking water at zero since lead is hazardous.” It is known that lead poisoning can cause birth defects, fetal demise, and permanent damage to the organs of the nervous and musculoskeletal systems. The EPA has a comprehensive summary of lead’s negative impacts on health.

Chlorine

Toxic waterborne infections like typhoid and dysentery have all but been eradicated thanks to chlorine disinfection. But the taste of your water is also ruined. Chlorine-treated water benefits greatly from the use of carbon fridge filters.

To prevent the creation of hazardous disinfection products like trihalomethane, towns utilize chloramines, a combination of chlorine and ammonia. More research is needed into the long-term impact of chloramines on human health. By extracting chlorine from ammonia and then converting it to chloride, catalytic carbon filters in refrigerators reduce chloramines and chlorine odors.

VOCs

An example of a volatile organic compound (VOC) is a toxic substance, such as a pesticide. To a lesser extent, agricultural runoff or industrial waste can introduce VOCs to drinking water. The main sources of exposure include air pollution, paints, and preservatives. Many volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are carcinogenic or have adverse effects on the liver, kidneys, or reproductive system.

Are refrigerator water filters necessary?

A new refrigerator filter provides clean water, reduces pollutants, and prevents bacteria from entering your water supply. Carbon, on the other hand, has a finite amount of storage space. The worse your water gets the longer you put off changing your filter.

Here’s what happens if you don’t change your refrigerator water filter:

  1. Filter clogs up. After a while, it can no longer filter due to the buildup of dirt and particles inside. When the water stops coming out of your filter, it’s time to get a new one.
  2. Carbon has reached its limit. When the filter surface area is full, water still passes through, but pollutants are carried along with it. During the holidays, imagine going to a mall. Because there are no spaces available, you get back on the road and continue on your journey. Particles accumulate or flow through an old carbon filter when all of its slots are filled.
  3. Bacteria grows in your filter. Bacteria thrive in the presence of a carbon filter that is overloaded with living organisms’ food.

Can old refrigerator water make you sick?

To use a refrigerator filter, water must be microbiologically clean. Viruses and germs have previously been chemically removed from the city’s water supply. The toxins that were previously removed from your tap water may reappear if you continue to use the filter for more than a year. If you have an old filter, it’s excellent real estate for microorganisms that could enter your digestive tract and trigger symptoms similar to the flu.

How often should you replace your refrigerator water filter?

After every six months, it is necessary to change the refrigerator filters. A filter should not be left in place for more than a year at a time. A carbon filter can become detrimental to your water if you utilize it past its capacity.

Are refrigerator water filters effective?

It’s no secret that refrigerator filters do what they’re supposed to do. They are good in removing chlorine odor, taste, and sediment. However, they do not soften or remove iron from water or protect you from health problems if you drink untreated water. Water that comes from a well need more than a fridge filter to ensure that it is safe to drink. As a general rule, well water needs to be treated with some kind of microbial treatment in order to be safe for drinking.

FAQ: How Often Should I Change My Refrigerator Water Filter?

We’re all looking forward to a good, cold glass of water to cool us off. A gulp of refrigerator water might be shocking when you discover how terrible it tastes.

How Often to Change Your Water Filter

When your water begins to smell and taste bad, it’s time to change the water filter in your refrigerator. This can be easily fixed, which is a relief.

“How often should I replace my refrigerator water filter?” is a common question. You should take stock of how much water you use in your home.

For average use, refrigerator water filters should be replaced every six months. The filter should be changed more frequently if you have a large family and utilize the refrigerator water for cooking, coffee pots, etc.

Alerts on some refrigerators indicate that the filter needs to be replaced. As soon as the indicator light goes out, you should have a new filter on hand to replace it with.

How Often To Replace Your Refrigerator Water Filter – Fresh Water Systems

Signs You Need to Change the Filter

Refrigerant filters should be replaced every three months or so if you can’t remember when they were last changed.

  • The water has a strange odor.
  • awful or similar to tap water in the refrigerator
  • The taste of ice is unpleasant.
  • A reduction in the output of water pressure
  • The filter change alert notice has been activated.

The presence of any of these symptoms is a clear indication that the filter needs to be changed.

How to Change a Refrigerator Water Filter

The process of changing your water filter is straightforward once you’ve made the decision to do so. In most cases, the process of replacing the filter is straightforward and easy to follow no matter what type of refrigerator you have. Here are the steps you should take:

  1. Locate the filter if you know where to look.
  2. Replacement methods are detailed in the owner’s manual.
  3. If necessary, push the release button to remove the filter and replace it with a new one.
  4. Install a new filter if necessary by turning the old one a quarter turn to release it.

It’s time to replace the water filter in my refrigerator. Keep your water fresh all year long by changing your refrigerator’s filter on a regular basis. Put a reminder in your calendar or agenda to replace the filter when it is due.

A technician should be called if you’ve done everything you can to keep your filters clean and are still having issues with your refrigerator. GFY Appliance Repair has the skills and resources to help. Do not hesitate to get in touch with us right away!