How often should you change your fridge water filter?

For most fridges the answer is about every six months. Manufacturers generally recommend that interval, and many fridges have an indicator light that comes on when it is due. Your own filter may need changing sooner or later, depending on how you use it.

Why six months?

A fridge filter usually relies on carbon to improve taste and reduce chlorine and some other impurities. Carbon has a limited capacity. Once it has done as much as it can, it stops making much difference, and water sitting in an old filter is not something you want to keep drinking.

Filters are also rated for a volume of water. A busy household that drinks a lot from the dispenser can reach that limit before six months. A fridge that is rarely used should still have its filter changed on time, because water sits in it for longer.

Signs it is time

• The filter light has come on.
• The water or ice tastes or smells different.
• The dispenser has slowed down.
• Ice cubes have started to look cloudy or come out small.
• You cannot remember when you last changed it.

What if you leave it?

The fridge will usually keep working, but you lose the benefit of the filter, and flow can drop as it clogs. In some fridges a heavily blocked filter can also affect the ice maker. A new filter costs far less than a callout.

How to change it

Check your manual for your model, but the process usually goes like this:

• Find the filter. It is commonly inside the fridge at the top or back, or behind the grille at the base.
• Twist the old filter anticlockwise, or press the release button, and pull it out. Keep a towel handy for drips.
• Take any protective caps off the new filter and push it in until it locks.
• Run a few litres through the dispenser and throw this water away. The first water can look cloudy or contain harmless carbon dust.
• Reset the filter indicator. This is often done by holding a button for a few seconds.

Make it easy to remember

Write the date on the new filter, or set a reminder on your phone. If you have to find your part number first, our guide to finding your fridge filter part number will help. Buying two at a time means the next one is ready when the light comes on.

You can find replacements in our fridge filters section.