Nowadays most refrigerators completely equipped with a water filter. These water filters are designed to remove any kind of impurity and bad taste from the water add by processing the water through a combination of carbon filtration and sedimentation process. The water filter in most of the refrigerators contains a black carbon block that is wrapped in a material such as polypropylene.

The water is allowed to flow through these filters mechanically and as the water flows the material removes any debris and suspended particles from the water. The remaining particles that can’t be separated by sedimentation just cling onto the surface of the carbon block.

This process where the impure particles attach to the carbon block is known as adsorption. Unlike absorption where the particles get soaked into the surface, in adsorption, the particles just stick on to the surface instead of going in.

If you haven’t changed your water filter in the refrigerator in a while you should consider changing it as soon as possible. On an average for a family of four, a water filter can last about six to eight months and need to be replaced after that period.I

f you don’t taste any difference in the water quality even after not replacing the water filter for a longer period of time it is because many of the contaminants are tasteless. It is always advised to change the water filters on a regular basis at least every six months if not earlier.

How does a refrigerator water filter work?

The refrigerator water filter makes the use of a carbon block wrapped inside out material such as polypropylene which absorbs any contaminants and removes the rest by the process of sedimentation. A good quality refrigerator water filter can remove harmful elements such as lead chlorine and other volatile organic compounds such as herbicides pesticides and insecticides.

Since the water supplied by your municipal corporation is chlorine-treated, water filtration also helps in improving the taste of the water which has been treated with chlorine prior to distribution. Chemicals such as chloramine that consists of the combination of chlorine and ammonia are used by municipalities to reduce the formation of harmful products such as trihalomethane.

Volatile organic compounds pollute water mostly by the means of air, paints, and preservatives. In certain cases, they can also enter the drinking water by means of industrial waste. Some of these volatile organic compounds are carcinogenic in nature that can cause liver, kidney and reproductive organ problems.

A refrigerator water filter helps to remove any of these chemical and reduce the number of contaminants present in the water. It also helps to reduce the production of bacteria in water and also improve the taste of the water.

What happens if we don’t change your refrigerator water filters regularly?

During the filtration process, the water is separated from the contaminants by the means of carbon which is limited in capacity. And time passes and carbon continues to filter more and more water daily it also slowly wears off. This directly means that the longer you wait to replace your filter the worse quality of water you will get.
Not changing the water filter on a regular basis can also lead to some other problems such as –

Clogging of the filters – it is the water filters separate the contaminants from the water they start to get packed with the dust and contaminants which slowly clogs them completely. This results in a complete stoppage in the flow of water./

Bacterial growth – the contaminants collected by the carbon block start acting as a feeding ground for bacterias which can also get mixed with your drinking water polluting it.

Carbon wears off – as the water continued to flow through the carbon block on a regular basis, all the available surface area of the carbon gets covered in contaminants and debris leaving no space for any new contaminants. This results in water flowing through the carbon block without getting filtered. This will either block the flow of water completely or will just deliver you contaminated water without filtration.

How often should you replace your water filter?

Typically any refrigerator water filter wars out off its effect within 6 months of regular usage for a family of 4 members. The longer you wait to replace the carbon filter after its expiry period the more harmful your water will become.

Nowadays most of the refrigerators come with the water filter indicator that shows the status of the water filter. These water filter indicators typically show a red light when the water filter needs to be replaced.

How to replace the water filter?

Water filters in refrigerators are pretty easy to replace. Though the process might differ for different models of the refrigerator by different manufacturer’s, but the general procedure remains the same. To replace the water filter of your refrigerator just follow the below-given steps –

1.Turn off your refrigerator and pull out the plug. Shut off the water supply for the refrigerator.

2.Locate the water filter. If you don’t know the location of your refrigerator’s water filter you can refer to the manual provided with the refrigerator.

3.Once the water filter is located, turn it anti-clockwise until it gets detached from the container. Now just pull out the water filter rod.

4.Sometimes you may eid need to apply a lot of pressure while pulling the filter rod out from the container as it tends to get jammed because of the excessive dirt collected by it.

5.Now insert the new water filter rod and turn it clockwise to lock it in its place.

6.Now reset the water filter button. This step might differ for different refrigerators, refer your refrigerator’s manual for more information.

7.Once all the above steps are done run water through the new filter for 5 minutes to flush the filter of any unwanted subtances.