If the municipal water supply is ok, why use a water filter in the
fridge? It's just guesswork to figure out how often to change it -
would water from a non-working filter be worse than unfiltered water?

Also, does it filter the water going into the icemaker?

Thanks!


--

It was a book to kill time for those who like it better dead.

....Dame Rose Macaulay

"Steve" wrote...
If the municipal water supply is ok, why use a water filter in the
fridge? It's just guesswork to figure out how often to change it -
would water from a non-working filter be worse than unfiltered water?

Also, does it filter the water going into the icemaker?

If you usually drink water from the tap, there's little reason to put a filter
on the refrigerator line. The exception might be if there's sediment in the
water that doesn't bother you normally, but might settle in the smaller hoses in
the fridge and eventually clog them. Also, some people prefer a charcoal filter
on the water that they use for ice cubes.

If the filter is on the line going into the fridge, the icemaker will also be
filtered.

"JR Weiss" wrote:
If the municipal water supply is ok, why use a water filter in the
fridge? It's just guesswork to figure out how often to change it -
would water from a non-working filter be worse than unfiltered water?
Also, does it filter the water going into the icemaker?

If you usually drink water from the tap, there's little reason to put a filter
on the refrigerator line. The exception might be if there's sediment in the
water that doesn't bother you normally, but might settle in the smaller hoses in
the fridge and eventually clog them. Also, some people prefer a charcoal filter
on the water that they use for ice cubes.
If the filter is on the line going into the fridge, the icemaker will also be
filtered.

Thanks JR. The filter is a PuriClean II, it's part of the fridge,
located at the top of the food compartment.


--

For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life,
please press three.

....Alice Kahn

In article ,
Steve wrote:

If the municipal water supply is ok, why use a water filter in the
fridge? It's just guesswork to figure out how often to change it -
would water from a non-working filter be worse than unfiltered water?

Also, does it filter the water going into the icemaker?

Thanks!

You want a water filter in you refrigerator because you want to
filter the water that comes into your house. Water pipes can
have all kinds sediment in it. Scale from older pipes can get
into your water. Water in some locations has stuff like iron
and calcium in it. The second reason is for taste. A good
carbon filter can clean up the off taste that many city water
supplies have, and cover up the chemicals.

Yes, the filter takes care of the icemaker. Yes, a non-working
filter can be dangerous. A filter can block benzene from
passing, and if that filter would to break due to pressure
building up from being full of debris, you can get a slug of
benzene and really do some damage. That is what happened to
Perrier when they had their recall.

An even better solution is to get a reverse osmosis system
for under your sink, and then a 3 stage filter. This way, you
get rid of much of the bad stuff, and you have water at the
sink that is filtered. Using larger filters under your sink
means that they last longer, and you don't needlessly use
your expensive filters in the refrigerator. You may also
want a U/V filter to kill off any biologicals that come down
the water line. People die every year across the US from
biologicals in the water.

Even if you have a bigger filter under the sink, you still want
to keep a filter in your refrigerator. That becomes a polishing
filter that the final job on your water, resulting in good tasting
and very clean water. If your ice cubes are not clear, remember
that the junk that keeps your ice from being clear ends up in
your body if you don't filter it out.

-john-

--
================================================== ====================
John A. Weeks III 612-720-2854
Newave Communications http://www.johnweeks.com
================================================== ====================

Thanks John, appreciate the info.

"John A. Weeks III" wrote:
If the municipal water supply is ok, why use a water filter in the
fridge? It's just guesswork to figure out how often to change it -
would water from a non-working filter be worse than unfiltered water?
Also, does it filter the water going into the icemaker?


You want a water filter in you refrigerator because you want to
filter the water that comes into your house. Water pipes can
have all kinds sediment in it. Scale from older pipes can get
into your water. Water in some locations has stuff like iron
and calcium in it. The second reason is for taste. A good
carbon filter can clean up the off taste that many city water
supplies have, and cover up the chemicals.

Yes, the filter takes care of the icemaker. Yes, a non-working
filter can be dangerous. A filter can block benzene from
passing, and if that filter would to break due to pressure
building up from being full of debris, you can get a slug of
benzene and really do some damage. That is what happened to
Perrier when they had their recall.

An even better solution is to get a reverse osmosis system
for under your sink, and then a 3 stage filter. This way, you
get rid of much of the bad stuff, and you have water at the
sink that is filtered. Using larger filters under your sink
means that they last longer, and you don't needlessly use
your expensive filters in the refrigerator. You may also
want a U/V filter to kill off any biologicals that come down
the water line. People die every year across the US from
biologicals in the water.

Even if you have a bigger filter under the sink, you still want
to keep a filter in your refrigerator. That becomes a polishing
filter that the final job on your water, resulting in good tasting
and very clean water. If your ice cubes are not clear, remember
that the junk that keeps your ice from being clear ends up in
your body if you don't filter it out.

-john-


--

For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life,
please press three.

....Alice Kahn

"John A. Weeks III" wrote:
If the municipal water supply is ok, why use a water filter in the
fridge? It's just guesswork to figure out how often to change it -
would water from a non-working filter be worse than unfiltered water?


Yes, a non-working filter can be dangerous.

Is there any way to tell whether it's actually working? Some manuals
recommend changing every 6 months, others once a year, depending on
use and water quality. That's why I thought removing the filter might
actually be safer in some circumstances...



--

For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life,
please press three.

....Alice Kahn

The filters which install into the refrigerator cost a small fortune and
only "their" filter will fit!

So what I did was install a large regular water filter on the line going to
the refrigerator (installed in nearby closet as this filter is about 12
inches high), then the water going through the refrigerator water filter is
already free of particles and never gets contaminated. Thus I never need to
replace it.

And by using a large water filter, this will last years before I need to
replace the filter due to the low water use of a refrigerator. The large
water filter I purchased had the least expensive replacement filters as
well.

Also in the lawn sprinkler section of home improvement stores are "screen
filters" which just have a screen inside them. You can unscrew the bottom
container and clean all the sediment out, then good as new without having to
buy a new filter. So you could place this before the large filter and almost
never need to replace any filters!

Here is a picture of the screen filter...
https://shop.access-irrigation.co.uk/acatalog/efp.jpg

I'm told plumbing supplies have screen filters for water boilers, but I have
not found one yet. I would prefer a screen filter without the angled
connections for a "garden hose"!



"Steve" wrote in message
If the municipal water supply is ok, why use a water filter in the
fridge? It's just guesswork to figure out how often to change it -
would water from a non-working filter be worse than unfiltered water?

Also, does it filter the water going into the icemaker?

Thanks!

In article , "Bill" wrote:
The filters which install into the refrigerator cost a small fortune and
only "their" filter will fit!

So what I did was install a large regular water filter on the line going to
the refrigerator (installed in nearby closet as this filter is about 12
inches high), then the water going through the refrigerator water filter is
already free of particles and never gets contaminated. Thus I never need to
replace it.

And by using a large water filter, this will last years before I need to
replace the filter due to the low water use of a refrigerator. The large
water filter I purchased had the least expensive replacement filters as
well.

I think many filters nowdays have extended life. But, it was common
for filters to introduce bacteria if not change regularly and your worse off.
I use to watch some water filters around here with clear housings. Algae would
grow, then turn nasty colors..

greg

"Steve" wrote:

Yes, a non-working filter can be dangerous.

Is there any way to tell whether it's actually working? Some manuals
recommend changing every 6 months, others once a year, depending on
use and water quality. That's why I thought removing the filter might
actually be safer in some circumstances...

A sediment filter will simply clog, and the water pressure/volume will be
reduced.

A charcoal filter will actually clog more quickly if the water has sediment in
it, so a sediment filter in front of it would be a good idea with such water.
Otherwise, you'll have to estimate the water usage from the fridge, and the
stated capacity of the filter. If you use a moderate amount of water, a yearly
change should be fine, if it doesn't clog before that.

I installed a whole house filter once when I was on a well. I wound up with 3
filters in line -- coarse and fine sediment filters followed by charcoal. The
coarse filter often lasted only a couple weeks before the pressure in the house
dropped noticeably.

Steve wrote:
If the municipal water supply is ok, why use a water filter in the
fridge? It's just guesswork to figure out how often to change it -
would water from a non-working filter be worse than unfiltered water?

I checked with a couple of fridge manufacturers -

From:

If you have "good" water from your municipal water supply, there would
be no reason to add a filter to the refrigerator line. If you notice a
bad taste or odor in the water, you may consider it then.


From:

Generally speaking, you do not have to use the water filter on your
refrigerator if the water coming into your house is ok.


--

For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life,
please press three.

....Alice Kahn

In article ,
Steve wrote:

Generally speaking, you do not have to use the water filter on your
refrigerator if the water coming into your house is ok.

And what percent of America does that apply to? 3%. Didn't
New York City win an award for their water quality, in the
category of "chunky style"?

-john-

--
================================================== ====================
John A. Weeks III 612-720-2854
Newave Communications http://www.johnweeks.com
================================================== ====================

On Mon, 25 May 2009 04:16:26 -0500, "John A. Weeks III"
wrote:

In article ,
Steve wrote:

Generally speaking, you do not have to use the water filter on your
refrigerator if the water coming into your house is ok.

And what percent of America does that apply to? 3%. Didn't
New York City win an award for their water quality, in the
category of "chunky style"?

Dumbass. Awards, yes. Many. "Chunky", hardly. NYC water is some of
the best in the country. It's piped down from the Catskills.

"John A. Weeks III" wrote:
Generally speaking, you do not have to use the water filter on your
refrigerator if the water coming into your house is ok.

And what percent of America does that apply to? 3%

Last time I looked, it was over 90%, often better than bottled water.

Many people do not filter water coming from the tap, yet they'll pay
$30-50 for a refrigerator filter that gives no indication of whether
it's working or when it needs to be replaced (other than time, which
can be meaningless, depending on how often it's used)


http://www.cdc.gov/nasd/docs/d000001...9/d000009.html

Public water systems generally are disinfected with chlorine. Bottled
water is commonly disinfected by ozone treatment. Ozone is a
high-strength oxygen that quickly reverts to normal oxygen. It is a
strong oxidant, like chlorine, but does not add taste like chlorine
does. The length of time chlorine and ozone remain active in water
depends on many factors, including temperature. Chlorine usually
provides residual disinfection throughout the public-water
distribution system. Ozone provides a residual disinfection for a
limited time. However, bottled water may be in distribution for
several weeks and storage conditions, especially temperature, may
adversely affect quality. In terms of bacterial content, it is
questionable as to whether bottled water is better than most municipal
tap water.

Bottled water often is purchased for its good taste. However, taste
does not always indicate safeness. At the concentrations present in
drinking water, most harmful substances (including some
disease-causing microorganisms, nitrates, trace amounts of lead and
mercury, and some pesticides and organic materials) have no taste.
Differences in taste among bottled waters generally are due to
differing amounts of carbon dioxide, calcium, iron compounds, sodium,
and other minerals and mineral salts. Differences also may be due to
the amount and type of processing.


--

For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life,
please press three.

....Alice Kahn

In article ,
Steve wrote:

Public water systems generally are disinfected with chlorine. Bottled
water is commonly disinfected by ozone treatment. Ozone is a
high-strength oxygen that quickly reverts to normal oxygen. It is a
strong oxidant, like chlorine, but does not add taste like chlorine
does. The length of time chlorine and ozone remain active in water
depends on many factors, including temperature. Chlorine usually
provides residual disinfection throughout the public-water
distribution system. Ozone provides a residual disinfection for a
limited time. However, bottled water may be in distribution for
several weeks and storage conditions, especially temperature, may
adversely affect quality. In terms of bacterial content, it is
questionable as to whether bottled water is better than most municipal
tap water.

If that were true, then why do so many people die drinking
city water? In 1993, over 100 people died in Milwaukee from
the city water. I bet they said the same thing in Milwaukee
the day before all the people started to die. The fact is
that the distribution system has old pipes, sometimes wooden
pipes, leaks that allow contamination into the system,
debris in the pipes, scale, rust, and other nasty stuff.
You can see this in action when the city goes around and
flushes the fire hydrants--you should see the icky stuff
that comes out when they do flushing. You don't want to
drink that stuff.

-john-

--
================================================== ====================
John A. Weeks III 612-720-2854
Newave Communications http://www.johnweeks.com
================================================== ====================