Though you can’t see them, dozens of contaminants pollute the country’s water, causing the potential for widespread sickness.
Though your local water company is already treating your water, that doesn’t mean the water is 100% clean.
90% of the drinking water in America meets the EPA’s safety standards. With a high-quality water filter, you can protect yourself and your family from the remaining 10%.
No matter what make or model fridge you own, it’s important to replace your refrigerator water filter regularly. Otherwise, you could leave your family at risk.
Discover how to keep your family safe and healthy with these reasons to change your water filter routinely.
Efficiency
Filters are more important than many people realize. We use them for our cars, our HVAC units, and even our coffee. Without replacing the filter regularly, however, all the contaminants stack up, thereby harming the unit’s efficiency.
The same applies to your refrigerator water filter.
When it’s doing its job, your water filter will collect harmful bacteria, thereby removing contaminants from your water. After a period of time, however, those contaminants will clog the filter. Water won’t get through or the filter won’t have the capacity to clean your water.
To maintain your water filter’s maximum efficiency, it’s important to change the refrigerator water filter every three to six months.
Try to get into the habit of changing your filter. Otherwise, your tastebuds, health, and refrigerator will begin to notice the difference.
Contaminants
Imagine the lead, fecal waste, and chemical by-products that could sneak into your water supply. Yuck.
If you’re not replacing your water filter routinely, those contaminants will sneak into your drinking water. Why leave yourself and your family members at risk?
According to the CDC, the EPA sets standards and regulations to determine over 90 common contaminants in your water. These include E.coli, Salmonella, and Cryptosporidium species. These could cause potential health risks including, nausea, stomach pain, and even developmental problems.
Your refrigerator drinking water travels through miles of pipes before it reaches your water glass. As it travels, the water picks up contaminants before arriving at your refrigerator. The water might also collect lead and other chemicals from aging pipes or agricultural runoff.
A clean water filter can serve as a strong line of defense to capture these contaminants before they reach your glass.
These contaminants include:
- Lead
- Mercury
- Herbicides
- Chlorine
- Benzene
- Water cysts
- Turbidity
- Toxaphene
A clean water filter will remove these contaminants, thereby improving the water’s taste and color. Otherwise, you’re leaving particulates and pesticides floating around in your favorite cup.
Most refrigerator water filters remove three main contaminants: volatile organic compounds, chlorine, and lead.
Lead
Water is a very effective solvent, allowing it to collect lead from old pipes. Unfortunately, lead is toxic and you don’t want it appearing in your drinking water.
The maximum level for lead in your drinking water is 0, according to the EPA.
Drinking lead could cause premature birth and reproductive problems. It can also damage your kidney, heart, brain, and/or hearing.
Chlorine
Chlorine is able to eliminate waterborne diseases such as dysentery. Leaving chlorine in your drinking water, however, can ruin the flavor. Using a carbon filter can clean the chlorine away from fresher tasting water.
Volatile Organic Compounds
Also known as VOCs, these compounds are harmful chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides. VOCs runoff into our drinking water from air pollution, paints, preservatives, agricultural runoff, and industrial waste.
These compounds can cause kidney, liver, and reproductive issues.
Small Savings Add Up
A Samsung refrigerator water filter isn’t nearly as expensive as paying for a brand new refrigerator unit.
When you fail to replace a water filter, you’re forcing your refrigerator to work double-time. Water will try to travel through the dirty filter, which can cause the refrigerator to stall or run slowly.
By replacing your refrigerator water filter on a schedule, you can avoid small problems from stacking up into big ones.
Paying for a replacement water filter can also help you save money on bottled water. If your refrigerator water dispenser breaks, you’ll likely need to look elsewhere for water. Over time, however, buying water bottles becomes a pricey expense.
It’s cheaper in the long-run to simply replace your water filter. Plus, it’s better for the environment without all of those empty bottles cluttering landfills.
Instead, you can replace the filter on-schedule to keep your refrigerator running at its best. Then, grab a refillable water bottle. Using the clean water from your refrigerator will help you go green, go clean, save money, and protect the environment.
Preventative Maintenance
If you fail to replace your refrigerator water filter on time, problems will start to stack up. When the filter isn’t working efficiently, you’ll notice:
- The refrigerator dispenses water a lot slower than usual
- There are floaters in your drinking water
- The water appears murky and gross
- Your ice maker doesn’t function properly
- The water has a strange odor or taste to it
Common refrigerator filters are designed to remove the bad tastes and odors contaminants cause within the water. A combination of carbon filtration and sediment can remove these contaminants to keep the water clean.
These filters also contain a carbon block core wrapped in polypropylene material.
When the water travels through the outer layer, the filter removes debris, solids, and other contaminants. The particulates you don’t want to see in your drinking water cling to the carbon block’s surface.
By replacing your filter regularly, you can ensure your filter is working properly to collect these particulates. Otherwise, the particulates will build up and potentially damage your refrigerator unit.
A Healthy Habit: The Benefits of Changing Your Refrigerator Water Filter
Improve your health and experience life without the stress of harmful water contaminants. By changing your refrigerator water filter regularly, you can keep your drinking water clean for the entire family.
Noticing any of the issues we mentioned above, such as slow water dispensing? Contact us today to find the filter you need with attention to high quality!