What are Fridge Filters and how do they work?

Developed in the US Fridges that are able to dispense filtered water are an obvious choice for homeowners who want a simple way to filter out the tastes and odors from their mains water supply. Ironically the main cause of bad taste and odor in our main water is the very thing that makes UK tap water so safe. Chlorine is used in our mains water as a safe disinfectant that is capable of removing the harmful bacteria capable of causing diseases, Chlorine is a very effective disinfectant and has been used for over one hundred years.

Fridge Water Filters most commonly make use of activated carbon cartridges in order to filter out the bad tastes and odors from the water. Activated carbon is a material that has been almost completely carbonated, typically it's produced from raw or recycled materials such as hard coal, lignite, coconut shells etc. Considered to be one of the oldest means of water purification Activated Carbon has been used to filter water for hundreds of years.

Carbon filtering works by removing contaminants and impurities, utilizing chemical absorption. By it's very nature carbon provides a large section of surface area that attracts and holds a wide range of contaminants. Activated Carbon has a positive charge designed to attract even more (negatively charged) contaminants in your water supply. It should be noted that although carbon is effective at removing elements that cause bad taste such as chlorine and sediment it does not generally remove bacteria, minerals, salts, or dissolved inorganic compounds from the water. If you intend to source your water from a private supply, or are in any doubt about your water quality you should stop drinking the water and contact your local water authority.

When does my Fridge Filter need replacing?

Obviously the life of any water filter is dependent upon the number and volume of contaminants in the water as well as the amount of water that is passed through the filter. It is generally accepted that a filter should be changed as specified by the machine manufacturer or at least every six months. Failure to change the water filter may allow unabsorbed contaminants and newly formed bacteria to be leaked back into your water supply, this can be very dangerous and if you suspect that your filter hasn't been changed regularly enough then you should stop using the filter immediately.

What is a Retro Fit Fridge Filter?

Fridge filters are a great idea but problems are experienced by those attempting to source new filters for their fridge freezers. Unfortunately if the filter is internal then the fittings are typically manufacturer specific which sometimes makes it difficult to source an appropriate filter for a given machine.

Retro Fit Filters are now being offered by a small number of companies, these filters are specifically geared towards the fridges that have external filters connected via ¼ inch flexi pipe. many of the systems are a simple DIY retro fit (no plumber required) and will allow customers to forget any future concerns over sourcing new filters for their fridge.

Generally 2 types of system are available the normal carbon filters and carbon filters that contain a scale inhibitor, particularly useful if you live in a hard water area and you want to protect your appliances from scale.