Home Theater Forum › Home Theater Forum › Other Diversions › After Hours Lounge › Is changing icemaker water filters a scam?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Is changing icemaker water filters a scam?

post #1 of 46
2/17/08 at 10:34am
Thread Starter 
I have one of those nice Whirlpool side-by-side refrigerator/freezers with ice and water in the door. The connection to house water goes through an integral water filter cartridge. Now there's an LED on the front panel that turns red every so often which indicates that you should swap out the filter cartridge with a new one.

Is this really necessary, or is this just a scam to make you cough-up $35 every six months for a not-really-needed fresh cartridge?
Reply
post #2 of 46
2/17/08 at 10:58am

Re: Is changing icemaker water filters a scam?

I think it is a little of both. I have an Amana side by side and I change my filter every year or so. We really notice a drop in the flow of water through the door so the filter is trapping something but I would hate to think there are that many impurities in city water.
In our old house we had a well which had a whole house filter that I changed once every two months that there was no question that it was filtering settlement, add to that it was horrible to drink so we spent more on bottle water than we are spending on the filter, so we're going to pay one way or the other but $39 at one time does seem kind of steep.
Reply
post #3 of 46
2/17/08 at 11:48am
Thread Starter 

Re: Is changing icemaker water filters a scam?

I'm wondering whether the red light comes on at a pre-set date from a simple timer, or whether it comes on based on a flow-restriction sensor. I'd put money on the former.....
Reply
post #4 of 46
2/17/08 at 12:38pm

Re: Is changing icemaker water filters a scam?

Quote:
I'm wondering whether the red light comes on at a pre-set date from a simple timer, or whether it comes on based on a flow-restriction sensor.

You could check that next time the LED light comes on. When it does, take out the old filter, put it back in and wait a few hours or so to see if it comes back on. If it just comes on after a preset length of time, since you have city water you could probably ignore the light and maybe just change it once a year or whenever.
Reply
post #5 of 46
2/17/08 at 12:44pm

Re: Is changing icemaker water filters a scam?

I'm betting on flow sensor since I didn't have to change mine the last time for a year and a half and it did seem the water was trickling into the glass. It is just my wife and I so maybe we use less ice or water.
Try resetting the red light and see if it comes back on soon, if not you'll get the answer. On mine you press two buttons at the same time to reset.
Reply
post #6 of 46
2/17/08 at 12:46pm

Re: Is changing icemaker water filters a scam?

Quote:
I think it is a little of both.

I agree. We're supposed to change ours every six months, but it's like $40 a pop, so we do it maybe once a year. I'm certain the price is jacked up beyond reason; whenever I change it, I get that same feeling in my gut as when I spring for a new ink cartridge for the printer.

Once the new filter is in, though, the flow of water increases noticably. Also, in eyeballing the old cartridge, it's pretty obvious it's been trapping something nasty in there.

Jon
Reply
post #7 of 46
2/17/08 at 3:35pm

Re: Is changing icemaker water filters a scam?

city water is not perfect. My brother in law gets sand in his water every time there is a new house under construction nearby.
Reply
post #8 of 46
2/17/08 at 4:28pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Is changing icemaker water filters a scam?

I think I'll use my power mitre box and slice open the old filter tomorrow. We'll see how much junk is inside it.
Reply
post #9 of 46
2/17/08 at 5:22pm

Re: Is changing icemaker water filters a scam?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dennis Nicholls
I think I'll use my power mitre box and slice open the old filter tomorrow. We'll see how much junk is inside it.

Are you qualified/licensed to perform such procedures?

Reply
post #10 of 46
2/17/08 at 6:01pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Is changing icemaker water filters a scam?

Believe me, I'm an expert in rapidly taking apart cartridges.
Reply
post #11 of 46
2/17/08 at 6:24pm

Re: Is changing icemaker water filters a scam?

Quote:
I think I'll use my power mitre box and slice open the old filter tomorrow. We'll see how much junk is inside it.
Let me know what you find out. It sounds like we have the same frig and my light just turned yellow. 10 months, with a family of 4 who drink a lot of water.
Reply
post #12 of 46
2/17/08 at 6:31pm

Re: Is changing icemaker water filters a scam?

You have to take into account where the water is sourced from. If it is taken directly from a river there is good chance that it will contain more impurities than if it was taken from an underground aquifer.
Reply
post #13 of 46
2/17/08 at 7:05pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Is changing icemaker water filters a scam?

I have a Whirlpool "Gold" model purchased in 2006. I'm a single guy who doesn't use that much ice/water but the darned thing goes red about twice a year. This time I used a Sharpie permanent marker and wrote the install date on the filter element so I can track it by install date.

The green light turns yellow, and then about 10 days later turns red.

Those filters can be purchased for about $28 each online with free shipping if you buy four at a time.
Reply
post #14 of 46
2/17/08 at 8:21pm

Re: Is changing icemaker water filters a scam?

I just happen to own an appliance store so I have a little bit of experience with these filters.

Basically they are an annuity for the manufacturers, but if you have a model that has the filter inside the refrigerator compartment, you would be best served not to leave them in there for too long.

I have seen these things get full of crap, freeze up, and then split the casing leaving you a nice flood.

One customer had the great fun of having about $40k worth of damage to his kitchen because of this.

So, if you don't feel like messing with it, take it out and put the plug in that came with the unit.

Just sayin'
Reply
post #15 of 46
2/17/08 at 8:57pm

Re: Is changing icemaker water filters a scam?

Quote:
Is this really necessary, or is this just a scam to make you cough-up $35 every six months for a not-really-needed fresh cartridge?

Unless the manufacturers have a monopoly on the filters, I don't think it is a scam. I don't have an icemaker, but I do have an under-sink water filter, and there are generics available that fit it. They also recommend replacing it every six months, and there's a reason for that. As the filter begins to become saturated with captured particulates, bacteria, etc., it will hit a point where it can become a breeding ground for the very stuff it is designed to remove. This usually happens before the point where the water flow is obviously reduced.

Quote:
I would hate to think there are that many impurities in city water.

City water is treated to kill bacteria and other critters, but minerals and other things that aren't dangerous, but can still affect the taste of water, generally aren't removed. That's why water softeners and filters are so popular. And your local water authority can control the quality of the water as it leaves the plant, but after that it all depends on the pipes it passes through, including the ones in your house or apartment.

Regards,

Joe
Reply
post #16 of 46
2/18/08 at 4:42am

Re: Is changing icemaker water filters a scam?

I have an older refridgerater with a water/ice dispenser and it doesn't have an inline filter like the newer ones have but I simply have one connected to the water line in my basement that runs to my refridgerator and that is a basic canister filter and I use basic generic filters from Lowes that is not from the mfgr. I forget the mfgr but it's blue and nothing special, it might be Brita? I don't recall.

In any case, no problem here with water clog, if there is a clog, it'll leak in my basement with the sump pump there...

Jay
Reply
post #17 of 46
2/18/08 at 5:02am

Re: Is changing icemaker water filters a scam?

I bought a Kenmore fridge (Whirlpool ?) last July. The filter indicator went yellow/red after about 6 months. When purchasing a new filter at Sears for $40, the salesperson said that if your water comes from a well, change the filter when the indicator says to. If your water comes from the city/town, then leave the filter in there and reset the indicator, use filter 'till the indicator goes red again. I got all this info AFTER I bought the new filter

One more thing, when I bought the new fridge I got rid of my Brita pitcher, figuring that I now had filtered water. That was a mistake. I think that the Brita pitcher did a much better job of filtering the water than the filter in the fridge. Maybe I am comparing apples and oranges here, but I think that the water from the Brita pitcher tasted much better than the water from the fridge.
Reply
post #18 of 46
2/18/08 at 9:42am

Re: Is changing icemaker water filters a scam?

Wow, "scam" is one of the most misused words in English.

This would only be a scam if the filters did absolutely nothing, or the water was never routed through them, or the like, but it's absolutely not a scam by the meaning of the word.

It's funny- if there were no filters, nobody would call this a scam, but they also wouldn't have the option of cleaning the water.

As for whether it's worth replacing the filters, it depends on how bad your water is. Looking at a used filter is not a valid test, since not everything "bad" in your water is visible.
Reply
post #19 of 46
2/18/08 at 10:30am

Re: Is changing icemaker water filters a scam?

Quote:
This would only be a scam if the filters did absolutely nothing...

I think the scam aspect comes in with the suspicion that consumers are being made to replace the filters more often than necessary. If the filters are really good for a year, and the light says to change them every six months, then people are buying twice as many expensive consumables as they need to. It is akin to the "rinse, repeat" instruction on the back of shampoo bottles, which is only there to get people to use the stuff up twice as fast as they otherwise would.

If most people buy the manufacturer's filters because they don't know generics are available or because they just think they're better, the manufacturer would make some extra money. But since the manufacturers don't actually make the filters (they are made by OEM filter specialists and resold under the brand name at a small mark-up) I doubt they're making enough off the filters to make doing something like this worth the trouble of jiggering the filter thing to generate a false positive.

Regards,

Joe
Reply
post #20 of 46
2/18/08 at 12:30pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Is changing icemaker water filters a scam?

Joe's right about my use of the term "scam". A corresponding scam would be oil change places that tell you to change your oil every 3,000 miles even though modern oils (at least part synthetics) and modern machining has made the auto companies themselves recommend something like 7,500 mile oil changes.
Reply
post #21 of 46
2/18/08 at 1:10pm

Re: Is changing icemaker water filters a scam?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dennis Nicholls
Joe's right about my use of the term "scam". A corresponding scam would be oil change places that tell you to change your oil every 3,000 miles even though modern oils (at least part synthetics) and modern machining has made the auto companies themselves recommend something like 7,500 mile oil changes.

The 7500 mile recommendation was for "normal driving" which is considered to be about 75% highway with relatively few short trips--in other words traveling salesman use. In reality most cars are driven primarily short distances and rarely does the oil get hot enough to burn off moisture condensation. In addition few owners take maintenance requirements seriously enough to actually do them at 7500 miles, usually stretching to 10 or 15k if at all. The result has been class action suits against automakers when engines sludge up.

The temp guage on cars indicates coolant temp, oil takes a lot longer to reach optimum temperatures.
So just because your temp guage gets to normal within a few blocks of driving doesn't mean the oil is hot enough to burn off the moisture that accumulates in the oil. The presence of ethanol in so many fuels means even more moisture in the engine.

Anyone interested in actually keeping a car longer than the typical 2 or 3 year lease contract would be better served by following the "severe service" maintenance schedule which usually does recommend oil changes every 3-4k miles.
Reply
post #22 of 46
2/18/08 at 2:01pm

Re: Is changing icemaker water filters a scam?

I always used to follow the 3,000 mile "rule." No more since I got my Honda Odyssey. It tells me when to change the oil based on data the computer gathers about my driving. I've got 26,000 miles on it and have only changed the oil 3 times (I'm about halfway to my 4th change which will probably come around 29k). So at about 30k I'll have 4 changes in versus normally I'd have done 10 changes.

Full disclosure-- I live in a rural area so my driving probably is 75% highway.
Reply
post #23 of 46
2/18/08 at 3:59pm

Re: Is changing icemaker water filters a scam?

Quote:
I'm wondering whether the red light comes on at a pre-set date from a simple timer, or whether it comes on based on a flow-restriction sensor.
I can tell you that there are no flow-restriction sensors used. Such a device would be completely unreliable due to varying and fluctuating water pressure. Even with a pressure transducer (an expensive device) to maintain a specific pressure baseline, a flow-restriction sensor would be useless since the pressure on the output side of the valve is essentially zero.

More likely, if it's not simply timer based, there is a usage meter that measures the volume of water passing through the filter, and the change light is triggered after a set amount of water passes through the filter. Cheap units are strictly schedule-based, but the higher-end refrigerators have a combination of both, where the change-light is triggered on either time in service, or threshold water usage, which ever comes first. You may think that they should make it which ever comes last so you get the most usage out of your filter, but, as joe said, there are good reasons to change filters based solely on time in service.

On our fridge, the filter can be simply removed if you want to bypass its use. Removing it wont filter the water, but it won't stop the flow, either. If your city water is, in your estimation, plenty good enough, or if you're already feeding filtered water to your fridge, then this is the option to use.
Reply
post #24 of 46
2/18/08 at 8:40pm

Re: Is changing icemaker water filters a scam?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dennis Nicholls
I think I'll use my power mitre box and slice open the old filter tomorrow. We'll see how much junk is inside it.

Promises, promises. I've been hoping all day for dramatic, digital photos of the inside of your water filter!

Reply
post #25 of 46
2/19/08 at 6:47am

Re: Is changing icemaker water filters a scam?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Al B. C
I have seen these things get full of crap, freeze up, and then split the casing leaving you a nice flood.

One customer had the great fun of having about $40k worth of damage to his kitchen because of this.

So, if you don't feel like messing with it, take it out and put the plug in that came with the unit.

Just sayin'
This happened to a friend of mine. Completely trashed his finished basement. Massive damages to the house. I'd recommend changing the filter when it calls for it.
Reply
post #26 of 46
2/19/08 at 8:26am

Re: Is changing icemaker water filters a scam?

Sort of depends on the quality of the water coming from the tap
Reply
post #27 of 46
2/11/09 at 9:37am
Thread Starter 

Re: Is changing icemaker water filters a scam?

I think I have my answer. My refer puts on the red light exactly at 6 months intervals.

I've taken to writing the installation date with a sharpie pen on the filter cartridge at the time of installation. Today I changed out the filter since the red light came on last night.

The old cartridge was labeled "11 August 2008".
Reply
post #28 of 46
2/11/09 at 9:58am

Re: Is changing icemaker water filters a scam?

Much like the "idiot lights" on many an automobile.
Reply
post #29 of 46
2/11/09 at 4:47pm

Re: Is changing icemaker water filters a scam?

The filter for my fridge is in the basement. It's rated at at 1500 gallons. Recommended usage is 6 months. Since I use less than a gallon per day, I've been changing mine every 2-3 years w/no problems. The fridge came with the house 10 years ago and water flow is still excellent. BTW, though, thanks for the reminder. It's time! (Found low price and free shipping just now)
Reply
post #30 of 46
2/11/09 at 5:01pm

Re: Is changing icemaker water filters a scam?

Most any filter will grab dirt/sediment. Many of the filters are charcoal-activated, so they actually do improve taste of the water, mainly by taking out the chlorine. Mine (Kenmore- rebadged Frigidaire) lasts about 9-10 months before the flow starts to drop off, but I usually change it before that, since the water gets less "tasty." Our city water isn't too bad, either.

The 6-month light is pretty clever. A smart system for monitoring filter life would be more money, of course. Perhaps there's a $5000 fridge out there that can save you money on $25 filters?
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: After Hours Lounge
Home Theater Forum › Home Theater Forum › Other Diversions › After Hours Lounge › Is changing icemaker water filters a scam?