Is changing icemaker water filters a scam? (1 Viewer)

[Jim_F]

...or an expresso machine for that matter. It's obvious I was nearing the end of my work week.

 

[Philip Hamm]

The filter's job is not to make water potable, the job is to take tap water and make it taste better by removing additaves such as chlorine. In my house the water from the tap tastes a little funny, the water from the filter tastes better. In some areas where tap water is good tasting the fridge filter is not necessary.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Philip,

So filters don't remove hard-water minerals? What good are they then?

Boise city water comes from the Boise river upstream from town. The water is hard here but the water is softer than it would be drawn from wells.

 

[mylan]

I can say they remove (or at least reduce) taste and smells. I use tap to brush my teeth and the water always tastes like the PVC pipe and when showering, I can smell the chlorine and whatever else is in my city's water supply.

 

[Mike OConnell]

Filtration, as provided in a refrigerator cartridge, will not remove hard-water minerals. However, the hard water minerals may cling to the particulate matter in the water and when you remove the matter it may look like lime scale (or lime slime) when you open the filter. The amount removed in the filter will not change the "hardness" of the water.

Water softening is done in one of three main ways:
1. It takes raising the pH of the water and precipitating out the hardness chemicals (mainly magnesium and calcium carbonates and hydroxides) which undergo chemical changes at high pH. The water plant then lowers then pH to stabilize the water.
2. Exchaning of the calcium and magnesium for sodium or potassium using an ion exchange resin (house water softener) that you regenerate.
3. Reverse osmosis - which is basically a type of "high-pressure filtering" that can remove the minerals.

You can also use eloctrodialysis or boil the water and collect and recondense the steam, but these are extremely high energy or impractical ways.

A refrigerator water filter will remove large particulate matter, and if charcoal based, may remove disinfection chemicals (chlorine and chloramines).

If you have a charcoal based filter that removes the disinfection chemicals you should never fill a pitcher and leave it settting around for a long time as you have now removed the chemicals that inactivate organisms that could make you sick.

Sorry about the long response - I am a water supply engineer with 22 years experience who designs municipal treatment, pumping, and distribution systems.

PS - even though tap water is very good in my home community and just as "safe" as bottled water, I prefer the filtered water from my refrigerator over straight tap water. The filter does remove some particulates and chemicals that make the water taste not quite as good.

 

[Philip Hamm]

Thanks for that nugget. That means I'll never fill my dogs' water dish from the filter tap onthe front of the fridge. Tap is what they will get.

 

[David Norman]

9 years isn't a record, but it;s always suspicious esp given the User Name and 1st Post

 

[Brent Reid]

MOD EDIT: CONTENT REMOVED.

Mods: you got some account deletin' to do!

 

[Sam Posten]

Mods: you got some account deletin' to do!

PLEASE report this stuff, don't quote it. It makes our job easier. I'm going to edit your post accordingly and we don't like to do that to true users.

 

[Sam Posten]

9 years isn't a record, but it;s always suspicious esp given the User Name and 1st Post

True story: If a new user with 1 post has a signature with spam links in it, it's safe to report. Please don't quote them.

 

[David Norman]

True story: If a new user with 1 post has a signature with spam links in it, it's safe to report. Please don't quote them.

Did I quote them originally? I don't remember if I did, but I usually don't quote supected spammers. I think I have signatures turned off so I never see them anyway.

 

[Sam Posten]

Did I quote them originally? I don't remember if I did, but I usually don't quote supected spammers. I think I have signatures turned off so I never see them anyway.

You didn't quote em (others did!) but you did reply without reporting it from what I can see. PLEASE report first!

 

[David Norman]

You didn't quote em (others did!) but you did reply without reporting it from what I can see. PLEASE report first!

Probably would have if I had seen the signature, but I have signature function turned off in the options. I only saw the post itself which wasn't anything totally obvious though the user name and necropost was suspicious so I probably should have known. I was waiting for them to post a link, but it sounds like it was buried.

Unlike the Twilight Ceiling or Star Projection Poster (Nightsky) in one of the other sections. The Star Ceiling with the obvious "new user plant reviews and questions" is just baffling how they're still allowed to still be around unless they're a sponsor here which I don't think they are. At least they have stayed in their own little thread for 8 years and only show up once a year or so with another group of 'questions' to answer