Refrigerator Filter

[sport]

We have a Whirlpool refrigerator that uses a No. 4 filter. They recommend changing the filter every 6 months (of course they want to sell filters). We have had the unit for about 4 years and it still has the original filter, so it seems that it is due for replacement. Looking at what is available, there is a wide range of prices. The Whirlpool brand filter would certainly be fine, but it is kind of expensive. Should I get that filter, or is there another brand that would be just as good for less money.

[Luke Duke]

Looks like Amazon sells one OEM for $50 or 3 aftermarket for $25. Given that you change them every 4 years, I don't think it matters. The aftermarkes ones have good reviews.

[brennok]

One warning with Amazon is I have received used filters before. You usually don’t get the pop when removing the cap and one even had water in it.

I just buy the Everydrop 1 at Lowes. My Whirlpool alerts me, but I can usually tell since my pressure drops and the dispenser takes forever.

If you haven’t noticed a change some fridges you can even just get a plug for the filter.

[sport]

One warning with Amazon is I have received used filters before. You usually don’t get the pop when removing the cap and one even had water in it.

I would not trust Amazon for that. I would expect to buy one at Home Depot or Lowes.

[Dufus]

I highly recommend buying the OEM filters and not the knock-offs. I bought a knock-off and it damaged my refrigerator. When I looked at the 1 star reviews (which were WAY outnumbered by 5 star reviews) I saw that others had the same problem.

[mw1739]

One thing I’ve noticed with aftermarket filters for my Bosch fridge is that they seem to be louder than the OEM filter.

[Ccthealias]

Honestly for a filter $50 that is changed every 6 months is not a lot of money, I wouldn’t trust non branded random filters sold online . Make sure it’s NSF certified safe for drinking . After all this is water that you drink, why take a chance?

[Cletus Davenport]

I’ve used both OEM and after market filters. One thing I’ve noticed with a lot of the after market filters is that they really reduced the flow rate from the indoor water dispenser. I.e. it takes a lot longer to get a glass of water.

I’m like the OP though. I don’t change them whenever the fridge asks me too. So I tend to buy the OEM ones now……

[Padlin]

Different brand fridge, but I’ve been using Maxblue filters from Amazon for a good while without issues, might have ones for yours.

[enad]

In our case the water supply to the fridge comes from the island where the sink is at and also where there is a multistage Reverse Osmosis system and we just removed the filter and are satisfied with R.O. water. Not sure if you have that kind of setup but it could save you the cost of a filter.

[Al Dente]

Our $50 plus Everydrop filters for the Whirlpool fridge were only lasting four months so we bought a Brita pitcher. Not as lazy as getting water from the door but a whole lot more affordable.

[aquaman]

Make sure it’s NSF certified safe for drinking .

There is no such thing as "NSF certified safe for drinking."

Generic filters tend to only be NSF 42 and 372 filters, which means that they are lead-free and filter aesthetic impurities. OEM filters are also NSF 53 filters, which means that they also remove/reduce a number of contaminants with health effects.

How much this difference means to you is going to be answered differently by different people.

Some generic filters do have both NSF 42 and 53 certifications. They're generally more expensive than just the NSF 42 only generic filters and, of course, you still have to figure out whether these certification claims are trustworthy.

[Zdex]

Watch some videos on these fridge filters. They cut them open after one year (and longer) of use. Filters looked perfectly fine. Six months is way too short a time to use the full life of the filter. Just like when one gets their oil changed at a shop, and they give you the sticker to change the oil in 3,000 miles (yet the manufacturer's manual says oil change interval is 7,500 to 10,000 miles).

[Afty]

I've been using Amazon Basics replacement filters in a Samsung refrigerator for years with no issues. They are NSF 42, 53, 372, and 401 certified.

[tetractys]

We have a Whirlpool refrigerator that uses a No. 4 filter. They recommend changing the filter every 6 months (of course they want to sell filters). We have had the unit for about 4 years and it still has the original filter, so it seems that it is due for replacement. Looking at what is available, there is a wide range of prices. The Whirlpool brand filter would certainly be fine, but it is kind of expensive. Should I get that filter, or is there another brand that would be just as good for less money.

Get what’s available cheaper.

[valleyrock]

Watch some videos on these fridge filters. They cut them open after one year (and longer) of use. Filters looked perfectly fine. Six months is way too short a time to use the full life of the filter. Just like when one gets their oil changed at a shop, and they give you the sticker to change the oil in 3,000 miles (yet the manufacturer's manual says oil change interval is 7,500 to 10,000 miles).

I'm not sure about this. Adsorbed compounds won't necessarily show on the surface of activated carbon.

[AS7911]

If youve got decent water, why not just remove the filter?

[Carl53]

Our $50 plus Everydrop filters for the Whirlpool fridge were only lasting four months so we bought a Brita pitcher. Not as lazy as getting water from the door but a whole lot more affordable.

My current Everydrop filter from Lowes lasted but 5 months as indicated by refrigerator monitor. Prior ones nearly a year. The air filter indicates that it needs changing again too. I'm the only user and have used it less, certainly not more. Wondering if filter makers have changed something to reduce lifespan.

Edit: Just ordered a 4 pack of filters from this site, https://waterpwr.com/product/everydrop- ... dr1rxd1-2/.
Site offered a coupon code of HOLIDAY for 25% off. 4 filters for $97.43 with free delivery.

[GoldStar]

Our $50 plus Everydrop filters for the Whirlpool fridge were only lasting four months so we bought a Brita pitcher. Not as lazy as getting water from the door but a whole lot more affordable.

Did the filter fail somehow after four months or was something happening to your water?
What was your indication it needed to be changed after 4 months?
The place where I bought my refrigerator advised to reset the replacement indicator without doing a replacement every other cycle. Manufacturers have increased the rate of change. If the only reason you are replacing it is because your refrigerator is telling you to - you may be replacing it more frequently than necessary.

I buy certified filters from Amazon all the time - never had an issue and they are 25% the price that you would get from the manufacturer.

[zlandar]

I replace my Whirlpool 3 filter about once a year. The filter is on a timer that counts down every 6 months. The fridge doesn’t know the actual condition of the filter. I make a note when I last replaced it and reset the filter timer at 6 months.

I only use the OEM filters. If a non-OEM filter doesn’t have a tight seal you can have a water leak that can cause a lot of damage. I have a water sensor underneath the fridge just in case.

[LikeNumbers]

We have a Whirlpool Gold fridge that is 15 years old and still running fine (yup 15 years).
It is the one with two top doors, one lower freezer, and ice maker.

I change the filter yearly and buy them in qty=3 from Amazon for approx $35.

I think the changing the filter makes sense, thus far I see no reason to buy the more expensive OEM filters.

[michaelingp]

I highly recommend buying the OEM filters and not the knock-offs. I bought a knock-off and it damaged my refrigerator. When I looked at the 1 star reviews (which were WAY outnumbered by 5 star reviews) I saw that others had the same problem.

Same thing happened to me, and it was a huge hassle even though I did the repair myself. I never did figure why the knock-off caused the problem since it looked identical but I'm quite sure it was not a coincidence. That was kind of the last straw, but before that I went back and forth on the whole fridge filter issue, since it does seem to be kind of a racket, particularly since I don't drink a lot of water from the fridge (although I do use a lot of ice). It doesn't take long before the filters cost more than the fridge (similar to the computer printer business model)! But I finally gave in, and like others here, figured $50 every six months was not worth the energy spent thinking about it. I buy Everydrop 5 filters for my Whirlpool, mostly because they specifically list the chemicals they filter (lead being the most important to me). A lot of the knock-offs just talk about how good the water tastes.

But that's just me. I think replacing the filter once a year, or using a device that eliminates the filter (if one is available for your machine) are also rational choices. My guess is that knock-offs damaging the fridge is pretty rare, so it's probably rational to buy them as well if you can find one that's very specific about what it actually filters. You could quickly save enough to repair the fridge in the rare case where the knock-off causes a problem.

[JonFund]

I just had my Whirlpool refrigerator serviced, and the technician said that replacing the filter every six months is total nonsense. He said as long as the water flow from the dispenser is strong, no need to change the filter.

[Dragline]

We have a Whirlpool fridge and use Whirlpool's Everydrop filters. We replace ours every 6 - 7 months when the fridge indicates that it needs replaced.

We order them through Best Buy. They have a subscription service that sends you one every 6 months (you can tailor the length if you'd prefer a longer interval). By having the subscription, they knock about $10 off the cost of the filter.

[Al Dente]

Our $50 plus Everydrop filters for the Whirlpool fridge were only lasting four months so we bought a Brita pitcher. Not as lazy as getting water from the door but a whole lot more affordable.

Did the filter fail somehow after four months or was something happening to your water?
What was your indication it needed to be changed after 4 months?
The place where I bought my refrigerator advised to reset the replacement indicator without doing a replacement every other cycle. Manufacturers have increased the rate of change. If the only reason you are replacing it is because your refrigerator is telling you to - you may be replacing it more frequently than necessary.

I buy certified filters from Amazon all the time - never had an issue and they are 25% the price that you would get from the manufacturer.

Flow rate dropped to almost zero, like ten seconds to fill an 8 oz. glass. Probably speaks more to the quality of our water or more likely the 60 year old pipes.

[GoldStar]

Did the filter fail somehow after four months or was something happening to your water?
What was your indication it needed to be changed after 4 months?
The place where I bought my refrigerator advised to reset the replacement indicator without doing a replacement every other cycle. Manufacturers have increased the rate of change. If the only reason you are replacing it is because your refrigerator is telling you to - you may be replacing it more frequently than necessary.

I buy certified filters from Amazon all the time - never had an issue and they are 25% the price that you would get from the manufacturer.

Flow rate dropped to almost zero, like ten seconds to fill an 8 oz. glass. Probably speaks more to the quality of our water or more likely the 60 year old pipes.

In that case it sounds like frequent changes might be warranted as what is blocking the flow you would be drinking otherwise.

[cheesepep]

I was confused when reading the title of this thread and reading the first few posts. I thought to myself that I didn't even know fridges have filters and I've never changed a filter on my fridge since moving in years ago! But then I found out that it is about water filters for fridges that have such a feature.

[Chuckles960]

I buy the cheapest versions of most things, but generic filters for our Samsung fridge never worked out. The water tasted funny, the flow rate was low, and/or leaks developed. I would even warn against buying 'OEM' filters on Amazon, there are many fakes out there. Buying direct from Samsung cost only a few dollars more.

Of course, we use the filters longer than Samsung recommends. But four years seems excessive. We think we can detect a change in taste after 3 six-month cycles. Could be our imagination, of course.