The significance of refrigerator filters is very much. If you consider that the refrigerator will stay fine for around thirteen years, you will need around 25 filters to buy because it is recommended to change the filter after around six months. Each filter is going to cost around $50. You will need to pay around $1250 to replace filters for the entire period you use a particular fridge. Hence, it is required to understand whether it will be worthwhile.
History of the refrigerator filters:
It is found with the ancient Romans that they started using filters to provide their people with purified water. They used a mixture of charcoal, gravel and sand in a vessel which is cylindrical in structure. It was just the beginning. However, with time more technological brains came into play, and more sophisticated solutions came into the market for filtering.
In 1996 the disposable refrigerator filter came into the market by Omnipure. As a result, the refrigerator filter industry grew, and now almost $35 million is invested yearly. This became popular as people became more aware of taking the most purified water daily.
How refrigerator filter works:
The chemical reaction technology between chlorine and activated carbon works for the functioning of the fridge filters. The contaminations and chemicals of the water will get absorbed by the activated carbon as it will work like a sponge. It also helps in neutralizing herbicides, pesticides and chemicals.
However, it is not true that the fridge filters will remove all the harmful water elements. It can only remove bigger debris and sediment. By making the chemical reaction between chlorine and carbon and thus it neutralizes the chlorine.
The contact time for which the filter will be with the water is going to be a crucial factor. If you want the best result from the fridge filter, the water must remain in touch with the filter. The longer the water is in touch with the fridge filter, the more chemical reaction will work; as a result, the chlorine will be removed from the water more. Along with that, the temperature and size are also some considerable factors. As a significant amount of chlorine is removed from the water, the users may experience the water’s taste better.
What refrigerator filter will remove:
The refrigerator filter will remove 90% of the overall chlorine present in the water. Some of the bi-products of the chlorine will also get removed. Some of the fridge filters also remove lead.
However, it is said that the fridge filters will not be able to remove arsenic, inorganic sediments, fluoride, pharmaceuticals, lead and completely dissolved solids. Hence, you will need some additional devices in the market to get purified water from these elements.
For getting completely purified water, fridge filters may not be the only thing you can go with. There are some other devices which you can take help of. New technologies are coming up to purify the fridge’s water. You will get the required idea later in this article about those methods.
Why you need fridge filters:
You can compare the fridge filters with the sponge you use for the dishwashers. Being a filter, it cleans the water by collecting all grime and dirt. The excess chemical in the water will also get absorbed by the filter. Once you see that the filter is full of grime and dirt and absorbed chlorine, you should immediately replace the same with the new filter. Otherwise, it will not remain hygienic.
As there is a requirement to replace the filter and purchase a new one, it always gets neglected. As a result, it becomes overused, automatically getting more bacteria and other contaminations. When you don’t change the filters within the correct time, it will make the water dispenser dirty. Even if you find that the filter is new, but you are getting more dissolved solids, it is high time to replace your fridge filter, or you may use the best filters like Kinetico K5. If you install this system with your refrigerator, it will vanish all the headaches with the fridge filters.
Kinetico K5 and Bypass plug:
You can consider the bypass plug as a holder of the slots that will allow the water to bypass the previous filter slot, which is coming straight from the tap. You will not need to replace the bypass plug. It means it is a one-time cost, and you will need to bear around $30 for purchasing the same. A bypass plug sometimes works much better than the fridge filters because those are not required to be changed every six months. Secondly, it will also save you cost, as you will purchase it for one time only.
If you have already installed a system providing water purification at a great level, then there is no requirement to spend for a fridge filter. With this latest technology, 99% of water contamination will be cleared from your fridge. Hence, the requirement of using the fridge filter will not be there. If you are worried about excess chlorine and other chemical contaminations in fridge water, then only you should go for the fridge filters. These filters will not be able to purify the water completely.
How to find out a bypass plug:
Now, you have surely become interested in purchasing the bypass plug. You need to go through the manufacturer’s website and the owner’s manual to determine whether the bypass plug is necessary when considering replacing the filter. For continuing the operation, certain systems will require having the bypass plug. There are plenty of models from Samsung and LG for the refrigerator for which you can use this device for purifying the fridge water.
If you want to have healthy water, then fridge filters will be a good option you can go for. If you match the actual benefits of these filters with the claims the manufacturers do, then there is a big difference. Hence, you can surely go for the smarter options that are easily available nowadays and provide you with the most authentic option for having the best, cleanest water.