For this post, we’ve put together a collection of the 5 best refrigerator water filters that are currently available on the market. Check them out below to find out more.
Refrigerator water filters (fridge water filters) provide the best way to get safe and cold drinking water at the same time as most refrigerators nowadays come with a water dispenser plus a filter option.
These filters help reduce or eliminate unwanted elements in your water, such as heavy metals, microorganisms, chemicals, and chlorine taste and odor.
Frigidaire ULTRAWF PureSource Ultra Water Filter
The ULTRAWF is an efficient water filter and actually one of the bestsellers on the market. It’s equally one of the few Frigidaire’s refrigerator water filters that work correctly with most of their French-door fridges as well as some of their side-by-side models.
Filtration Process
This filter is NSF/ANSI standards 42, 53, and 401 certified. This means it’s guaranteed to handle a wide range of contaminants. The unit utilizes an extruded carbon filter media that are certified to effectively reduce chlorine, unpleasant taste, and odor from the water. It’s also able to get rid of volatile organic chemicals and heavy metals like lead and asbestos.
Emerging chemical contaminants like pesticides and pharmaceuticals are significantly reduced too by this filter. We couldn’t find the exact reduction rates, but most users attested that it performs as expected plus the 3 certifications indicate that it’s indeed reliable.
However, there are several claims that the water comes out cloudy and chalky during the first use. It will need some purging (around 15 minutes of flushing water through it) to clear the carbon particles that may be present and the haze.
The water flow is a little slow (0.5 GPM). It can take a while to fill a tall glass and some even mentioned that it becomes slower and slower over time.
Installation
Installing and changing it is easy. You just push it into place once you’ve removed the old filter. The downside is that it can only filter up to 200 gallons of water, so you have to change it every 6 months or less and that means more frequent replacements are needed which adds to the cost.
We as well noted lots of claims that there are flimsy versions of the filter being shipped which don’t last long or work at all. But if you can get it from an authorized seller, it’s an effective water filter you can rely on. It will probably work in other refrigerator brands but only with an adaptor.
EveryDrop by Whirlpool EDR1RXD1 Refrigerator Water Filter
The EveryDrop EDR1RXD1 is another refrigerator water filter that does a pretty decent job at cleaning water. It’s NSF 42, 53, and 401 certified, capable of reducing more than 24 different contaminants, including waterborne parasites, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and up to 99% of lead present in the water.
Filtration Process
The unit utilizes a triple filtration technology which consists of three different layers of filtration. There’s a top layer that blocks larger particles, a middle micro-filtration layer that captures medium-sized contaminants, and an inner adsorption filtration layer that absorbs the microscopic contaminants.
It’s an effective system that will get rid of most of the contaminants, but it seems not to perform so well in reducing taste. Many users pointed out that the water still retains a chlorine taste and even sometimes tends to have a weird tangy sour taste.
The water flow is, however, relatively fast (0.75 GPM) but some reported that it gets slow after a couple of months. Installation is easy, but you have to flush about 4 gallons of water through before using it.
Installation
Like the Frigidaire ULTRAWF filter above, this one too needs frequent replacement because it can efficiently only for 4 to 6 months. It equally faces the same counterfeit problem as a few users reported getting a defective or used filter.
Overall, if you buy a legitimate one, it will really do its job well plus this is one of the few filters that offer the widest range of compatibility. It’s certified by Whirlpool Corporation to work with their refrigerator models, but it’s also compatible with other brands like KitchenAid, Maytag, JennAir, and Amana.
GlacialPure 3Pl Filter 1, EDR1RXD1, W10295370A
This GlacialPure three-pack filter is a good option if you are looking for a replacement refrigerator water filter that works with a wide range of refrigerators from different brands. It’s compatible with most of the models from brands like Amana, Kenmore, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, Whirlpool, and Maytag.
Filtration Process
The GlacialPure EDR1RXD1, W10295370A filters are NSF/ANSI standard 42 certified and utilize a coconut shell activated carbon filter media. It can reduce chlorine taste and odor, as well as 97% of lead and other contaminants including copper, zinc, and mercury. The flow rate is slow though at only 0.5 GPM.
Installation
Installing these filters is a breeze – no tool is required. Each can last up to 6 months or after filtering 200 gallons of water which is short, but the good thing is that you get three filters in one package which makes it a convenient option if you are on a budget.
In general, this is not a highly advanced filter like the rest, so it would be a great option if your water is fairly clean, but you just want to improve its taste and get rid of several common contaminants that might be present in it.
Samsung DA29-00020B PL-200 Refrigerator Water Filter
If you are in search of a water filter replacement for a Samsung refrigerator, then the Samsung DA29-00020B PL-200 filter might be a perfect choice. It’s WQA, IAPMO, and NSF 42 and 53 certified. It has received lots of positive ratings with many users confirming that it functions exactly as expected.
Filtration Process
Samsung has used advanced active coconut carbon blocks in this filter which purify the water through three filtration methods; mechanical filtration, electro-kinetic adsorption, then physical adsorption.
Small to medium-sized particles and sediments are trapped at the mechanical filtration stage as the water passes through the pores of the first carbon block. Physical adsorption then pulls out the large particles and metals in the second carbon block.
From there, the water goes through the electro-kinetic filtration stage where the final carbon block removes the remaining microscopic contaminants.
This triple filtration process is quite efficient and removes up to 99% of mercury and heavy metals, chlorine, odor, VOCs, THM, pesticides, herbicides, and microorganisms present in the water. It as well reduces more than 95% of cadmium, chromium, copper, and lindane. toxaphene, arsenic, and atrazine are removed too during the process.
Generally, there were no taste issues reported apart from a few who claimed to note a plastic-chlorine taste in the water during the initial use which disappeared after rinsing the filter again.
The flow is much faster (1 GPM) than the other filters on the list hence you get to fill tall water glasses very quickly.
Installation
The installation is pretty simple too – you just push the filter in and twist it until it locks into place. Another upside is that the filtration capacity is slightly higher (300 gallons) – you will need to replace it every 6 months, but it can last a bit longer than that.
Now the best part is the fact this filter is compatible with many different models of Samsung fridges both French door and side-by-side models. It seems though not to fit well in some of the models listed like the Samsung RF28HFEDBSR hence leading to leaking which is something a couple of reviewers have to deal with.
GE RPWFE Refrigerator Water Filter
The GE RPWFE is an ideal replacement water filter to consider if you have a GE French-door refrigerator. It adheres to both the NSF 42 and 53 standards, and it’s capable of removing additional contaminants that the other filters don’t like traces of BPA, progesterone, and ibuprofen.
Filtration Process
The RPWFE utilizes a carbon block media that effectively removes 99% of lead present in the water and as well significantly reduces chloramines plus chlorine tastes and odor. It’s also able to remove herbicides, pesticides, and cysts. The filter has a fine mesh system which equally helps to catch small debris lingering in the water.
However, its key specialty is eliminating select pharmaceuticals and chemicals. It reduces up to 99% of bisphenol (BPA), ibuprofen, atenolol, trimethoprim, fluoxetine, and progesterone. It’s able to remove 99% of PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid) and PFOS (Perfluorooctaine Sulfonate)
Most users reported that the water tastes great, but the flow is pretty low (0.5 GPM) and gradually diminishes with time.
Installation
The filter is easy to install and has a 6-month lifespan (or about 300 gallons). Unfortunately, it appears not to last that long as we found many complaints that it only works for around 3 to 5 months, especially if the water is very contaminated which is disappointing considering that it’s a bit pricey.
The other downside is that it’s only compatible with some of the GE French-door refrigerators that use RPWF or RPWFE filters. Moreover, there were a couple of users who mentioned that it didn’t fit into their fridges even though the old filter they had was the same model.
Conclusion
Having clean water is quite essential, and the 5 filters we’ve listed above are very capable of improving the quality of your water if you are looking to replace your current refrigerator filter. As you evaluate which option suits your need best, ensure to check compatibility so that you are certain the one you pick works with the particular model of your refrigerator.