Life Hacks for Healthy Drinking | Why You Should Often Change Your Refrigerator Water Filter

There is multiple access to clean and safe drinking water in our daily lives. Installing a water filter in the fridge is a common and convenient method for fresh water and ice cubes. A refrigerator filter has a high water filtration capacity to keep water purified, but it has a limited service life. So, experts suggest that the filter should be replaced at least every six months to ensure its high performance. But, replacing a refrigerator water filter regularly is often ignored by people.

Why Refrigerator Filter Should Be Often Replaced?

Six months is often the average time for replacing depending on usage frequency and flow rate. Failure to change your filter timely will result in a buildup of waterborne pollutants, heavy metals, chlorine byproducts, dust, bacteria even bad taste and smell to saturate the filter. You can set an alarm on your phone or make a mark on your calendar to remind yourself to replace it. Also, If you're not sure how long it is since you have changed the fridge water filter, several signs that it needs to be replaced include:

Unpleasant or funky water taste or odor. This may be the best indication. When your water does not taste or smell the same as before, it is time to change the filter to enjoy the tasty and refreshing water again.

Decreased water flow. Your filter will be clogged up with debris or minerals after a long time of use, particularly if you live in a hard water area. Once you figure out that you have a lower flow or pressure of water, replace your filter without hesitation.

The working indicator light. Many fridges are built with indicator lights to alert you as soon as your filter needs to be changed. So if the light is on, change the filter.

How to Pick Up A Refrigerator Filter Replacement

When it comes to choosing a water filter for your refrigerator, it may be confusing and challenging because a great number of replacement products are available on the market. Generally speaking, the following factors are needed to be considered.

1. OEM VS Off-Brand

If you have a GE refrigerator, forking the money over to a genuine replacement filter from GE is prone to be the easiest and most convenient approach. However, you don't have to. You can pick up a replacement made by an off-brand manufacturer. An imitation filter is much more cost-effective than a genuine filter without compromising flow rate, filtration performance and build quality. But you must recognize that some cheap off-brand filters may not work as well as the good off-brand filters and cannot help eliminate contaminants as expected. Thus you should be cautious when you decide to buy an off-brand fridge filter.

2. Compatibility

If a water filter is not compatible with your fridge, it won't fit at all or at least properly. It will cause leaks or slow water flow. Hence, before you purchase a refrigerator filter, you should check the model number of your fridge. The number can often be found in the user manual or on the label inside or at the back of the fridge. Then you can match the model number to the list of fridges that a certain filter supports. Also, you can contact the customer service team of the manufacturer or visit their website to check which filter is right for your refrigerator.

3. Filtration Capacity and Filter Media

Fridge filters' capacity is rated by gallons, which means how many gallons of purified water a filter can create before replacing. The standard filtration volume of a fridge filter is 300 gallons, while some may reach no more than 200 gallons and some can provide 400 gallons. A lower filtration capacity is not necessarily bad but certainly adds to your cost because you have to change filters more frequently. When it comes to filter media, the coconut activated carbon is regarded as the best material for fridge filters. A coconut carbon filter is eco-friendly, safe, and non-toxic, most importantly, effective in removing organic chemicals, pesticides, disinfection byproducts, herbicides, and other unwanted contaminants.

4. Authority and certification

Filters certified by NSF/ANSI Standards 42 and IAPMO R&T have been tested through material safety, structural integrity, and filtration performance. They are capable of eliminating pollutants and harmful impurities in the water. If you want to buy a good refrigerator filter, keep this point in mind.

Where To Buy The Best Refrigerator Filter Replacement

The best refrigerator filters are advantageous in terms of high effectiveness, great value, and ease of use. The filters available at Watens, built with coconut shell charcoal filter media, provide the superior ability of contaminant removal and water filtration. All our filters have passed through professional tests and achieved authorized certification.

Various types of filters are compatible with different fridge models. Before buying a refrigerator water filter replacement, please make sure the filter fits your current refrigerator. Contact us for more information about our refrigerator water filters.