The Dangers of Not Changing Your Refrigerator Water Filter
Can an old refrigerator water filter make you sick? Unfortunately, many people don’t realize the importance of changing their refrigerator water filter. Not only does it ensure that your water tastes clean and fresh, but it also helps to remove contaminants that could potentially make you sick. A clogged water filter can also lead to your refrigerator working less efficiently, which can increase your energy bills.
For these reasons, it’s important to change your refrigerator water filter regularly – most experts recommend every six months. At FilterWay, we stock high-quality water filters for LG refrigerators, Kenmore, and Samsung, among other refrigerator models.
This post sheds some light on the dangers of not changing water filter, the importance of frequently changing your refrigerator water filters, and how often you should do it.
What Happens When You Do Not Change the Water Filters for Refrigerators for a Long Time?
Do you need to replace water filter in refrigerator? Unfortunately, the consequences of not changing refrigerator water systems go beyond just health risks. Over time, the water filter in your refrigerator will become clogged with impurities, affecting the taste and quality of your drinking water. In addition, the filter will become less effective at removing harmful contaminants from the water. As a result, it is important to change your water filter on a regular basis.
That said, here is what happens when you don’t replace water filters for refrigerators.
You can get sick from not changing your water filter. Using the same water refrigerator filters for months without changing them makes them dirty and unhealthy.
Refrigerator water filters should be changed in 3-6 months. Some modern refrigerators will alert their homeowners when the water filters need to be changed. But, since not all fridges will give an alert, manufacturers recommend having them changed after every six months.
Here are other dirty water filter symptoms. If you start experiencing this with your refrigerator water filters, then it’s time to get new ones.
Bad Tasting Water
A good quality water filter should be able to absorb all contaminants and provide clean and safe water for drinking. If you start experiencing foul odor and sulphuric or metallic taste, then you need to get a new high-quality water filter.
Refrigerator Works Less Efficiently
Some modern refrigerators come packed with a water dispenser and ice maker. These additions require filters to supply clean water and ice. If you let your water filters stay for so long, you may start experiencing some issues, such as slow water output in your refrigerator outlet and scaling due to mineral salt build-up.
Health Issues
Can you get sick from not changing the water filter? The answer is yes; staying for long without changing refrigerator water filters makes them dirty and less effective. This means there will be contaminants present, which can cause infections and potential health issues.
Possible Harmful Chemicals
A high-quality water filter prevents harmful chemicals from running into your water. This includes substances such as organic compounds, lead, mercury, and asbestos.
Asbestos
Asbestos in water comes from the decay of asbestos cement remains and the erosion of natural deposits. Asbestos has serious health effects that can be prevented by regularly changing refrigerator water filters.
Mercury
High levels of mercury in water can lead to brain, kidney, and fetus damage in pregnant women, which can be fatal. But having a high-quality water filter eliminates mercury from your drinking water.
Lead
Lead metal can seep its way into water supply systems via old lead pipes, which makes the water harmful for consumption. Lead can cause both neurological and behavioral effects on both adults and children. High-quality water filters ensure your water has minimal or no traces of lead.
Waste
Water travels long distances from your water supplier till it reaches your home supply. In the process, it may mix with other kinds of waste, such as bleach, nitrogen, chemical waste, byproducts, or even radioactive contaminants that pose an even greater risk to humans.
Final Thoughts
Having a water filter in your home is important to your health and that of your family members. But changing it regularly is of equal importance. Now that you understand the dangers of not replacing your refrigerator water filter be sure to change it at least once every 3-6 months.
