Are Fridge Filters Necessary?

Are Fridge Filters Necessary?

If your refrigerator has a water dispenser then it also has a water filter, but are fridge filters necessary? In this article, we discuss the different reasons why you likely need a refrigerator filter and which kind of water filtration solutions are optimal for your home.

What does a fridge filter do?

Fridge filters are designed to remove impurities from the water and ice used in the refrigerator. These filters typically use a carbon block media to remove contaminants such as bad taste and odor produced by chlorine and chloramine. Some can filter out as many as 66 different contaminants including pharmaceuticals, waterborne parasites, lead and mercury, pesticides, asbestos, and industrial chemicals.

What Common Contaminants Do Fridge Filters Remove?

Chlorine Taste & Smell

Foul chlorine taste and smell is one of the most common issues that a fridge filter can take care of. A 2017 survey by the American Water Works Association showed that 70% of municipalities use chlorine disinfection in their water system while an additional 20% use chloramine. Tier1 fridge filters are NSF 42 certified to reduce chlorine taste and smell.

Lead in Drinking Water

Lead is a highly toxic metal that can cause a variety of health issues in humans and animals if consumed. Corrosion of plumbing systems can cause lead to contaminate your drinking water, even if you get your water within a city. Fridge filters that can remove lead use NSF 53 and 42 certified carbon to reduce 99% of lead and more. Tier1 Plus refrigerator water filters are NSF certified to reduce lead, mercury, and many more volatile organic compounds.

Sediment

Sediment in drinking water can cause your water to look and taste unpleasant, but it is generally harmless when consumed. In addition to this, sediment can make your ice cubes appear cloudy, which is another reason why you may want a fridge filter that can remove sediment. Basic Tier1 fridge filters are certified to remove sediment in drinking water.

Contamination in Well Water

If you are one of the 13 million households in the United States that uses a private well for drinking water, and you do not have a whole house filtration system, you could be at risk for several dangerous contaminants such as lead, bacteria, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and many others. Some segments of the population are more vulnerable to pollutants. If the following are in your household it may warrant more frequent testing:

• Young Children
• Elderly Adults
• Pregnant or Nursing Women

It is important to test your well water regularly for certain contaminants so that you can choose the water treatment solution that is right for you.

What if I have a water softener or whole house system?

Some homeowners may have a whole house water filtration system at the main point of entry to their home’s water supply, sending filtered water to every point of use (like fridge water dispenser or sink tap water), but before you elect to not use a fridge filter, there are a few things you’ll need to know:

Water Softeners and Chlorine

Unless you have a whole house chlorine reduction system, or you haven’t chosen to add a carbon pre-filter to your water softener, you won’t be filtering out any of the bad chlorine tastes and smells that we discussed earlier. This is a great reason to opt for having a fridge filter, ensuring you have a crisp and delightful taste in every glass of drinking water! 

Whole Home System

Make sure your whole house system has the correct filtration stages set up for the specific contaminants in your water supply. It is important to test your water regularly to determine which contaminants need to be addressed. Even at that, a fridge filter goes a step beyond for ultra-filtration, giving you the best-tasting water, much like how a premium vodka goes through several stages of filtration whereas cheap ones don’t. There is a big difference in taste and quality for every impurity that is filtered.

Conclusion

Having a refrigerator water filter is vital to maintaining healthy and great-tasting drinking water, even if you already have alternative methods of water filtration set up for your home. While unusual tastes and smells caused by chlorine are not necessarily abnormal or harmful, having a fridge filter can do wonders for your drinking water. Need help finding the right filter for your fridge? Try out our fridge filter finder to pick out the correct fitting filter for your refrigerator.