Dangers Of Not Changing Refrigerator Water Filter

Dangers Of Not Changing Refrigerator Water Filter(Yikes!)

There are many components of our refrigerator we take for granted. While we may clean the inside of our fridge every now and again, there are some components we often forget. One of those components is the water filter in the fridge. Evidently, this should be cleaned on a regular basis, but not everyone does. To learn why it is essential to clean your refrigerators water filter, be sure to read on.

Dangers Of Not Changing Refrigerator Water Filter

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What Happens If You Don’t Change A Refrigerator Water Filter?

A dirty refrigerator filter can have numerous consequences. Some of these can be quite obvious, while others you may not have considered. Below, we have listed the most common disadvantages of unclean refrigerator filters.

Taste and odor problems

One of the most obvious problems you will encounter is an unpleasant taste in the water. As your filter no longer filters out impurities such as chemicals, minerals, and microbes, your water will start to get a strange taste.

As impurities start to end up in your water supply, you may notice an unpleasant odor too. Chemicals can give the water a chemical smell, but bacteria can cause an unusual smell in the water too. It is therefore important that your water filter remains clean and pristine.

Unclear Ice

A decent ice cube will be relatively clear, providing it is made with clean water. When you use water filled with chemicals and impurities, it may cause your ice to become cloudy. So, if you are getting cloudy ice cubes from your refrigerator water, it is time to change that water filter asap.

Reduced water flow

When your filter gets clogged up, it is likely that the water flow will slow down greatly. Most filters will remove chalk from the water. As it starts to build up, your water supply may become blocked. To prevent this from happening, it is essential to change the water filter on a regular basis.

High chemical content

If your water filter is not doing its job, dangerous chemicals will end up in your water supply. A dirty filter can expose you to chemicals such as asbestos, arsenic, radium, pesticides, chromium and loads more.

One would assume that your regular water supply is free of all chemicals. After all, the water is purified before it reaches you, does it not? Well, this is not necessarily the case. Chemicals such as fluoride and chloride can be added to a water supply, and this could be harmful to some people.

Is It Necessary To Change A Refrigerator Water Filter?

It is necessary to change your water filter every so often. After all, a water filter is designed to remove bad odors, chemicals, and other impurities. To remove these, your filter uses a combination of sediment and carbon filtration.

When it comes to the water supply at your home, it is important to remember that your water travels for several miles underground before it reaches your house. While it travels, it could pick up all types of impurities. It could be subjected to animal waste, dead animals, medications, sewage, manufacturing waste, and more. To prevent this from entering your water, a refrigerator filter will remove harmful compounds such as chlorine, lead, and VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds).

If you do not change your water filter on a regular basis, one of the following things may happen and influence your water supply negatively:

Filter obstructions

Since there can be numerous contaminants in the water supply, these contaminants can start to clog your filter. It can become visible by a reduced water flow.

Inability to filter out carbon

When the filter reaches its maximum capacity, it will no longer be able to filter out carbon. In these cases, carbon will enter in your water supply.

Increased number of bacteria

As your water filter becomes ineffective, it will no longer be able to filter out those harmful bacteria. Bacteria can actually start to multiply more, especially when your filter becomes a haven for high levels of carbon.

Because of the bacteria piling up in the water supply, dirty water can make you sick. Therefore, it is not uncommon for people to experience flu-like symptoms or gastrointestinal distress after the consumption of dirty refrigerator water.

Is It Really Necessary To Change Your Refrigerator Water Filter Every Six Months?

Most manufacturers recommend changing the water filter every six months. They also warn consumers against using the same water filter for over a year, as the carbon levels inside the water could reach dangerous levels and start to hurt your health.

To further understand why water needs to be purified, here are some of the main contaminants a filter will protect you against:

Lead

This is a toxic substance that could cause problems with your hearing, kidneys, heart and brain. Therefore, your water supply should never contain any traces of lead.

Chlorine

Even though chlorine does disinfect your drinking water and therefore has a purpose in your water supply, high levels of this substance can give your water a chemical taste. For some people, it can even burn a little in their throat. Therefore, chlorine levels in drinking water should always be kept at a minimum.

Volatile organic compounds

This is an umbrella term for compounds such as herbicides, insecticides, and pesticides. As they can enter the drinking water while they travel from the supplier to your home, it is essential to have a proper filter removing these contaminants from your drinking water.

Keeping Your Water Filter Pristine Is The Key To Success

Since you have made it to the end of this article, you have read through all the harmful contaminants that could enter your water supply. To ensure these harmful contaminants do not remain in your drinking water, you must keep your refrigerator?s water filter as clean and pristine as possible. Naturally, the best way to do that is by changing your water filter every six months (or as often as recommended by your refrigerator?s manufacturer).

2 thoughts on “Dangers Of Not Changing Refrigerator Water Filter(Yikes!)”

  1. Avatar

    I thought that just cleaning it regularly would be enough, didn’t think it was necessary to replace it. Thank you for writing this article, very useful information for me.

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