The Environmental Protection Agency reports that more than 4 out of 10 Americans use a home water treatment unit.

Refrigerator Water Filters

Water is one of the most crucial elements in order to sustain human life, but is your water safe to drink? The threat of drinking contaminated tap water is monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency. There are strict codes and guidelines the public water system is required to meet  before your tap water fills your glass.  For Americans who invest in home water filtration systems, such as reverse osmosis, they're adding an extra layer of protection, but do they replace their water filters as often as they should?

One of the most common home water filter is located right in your refrigerator. If your refrigerator has an ice machine or a water dispenser, it most likely has a water filter installed. Most manufacturers recommend you should replace your refrigerator's water filter every 6 months. Before you call that bogus, think about the purpose of the refrigerator water filter. The purpose of a refrigerator filter is to remove odors, improve taste, and collect containments that the public water system did not remove.

If you thought changing your refrigerator filter every 6 months could be put off, think again. Your water filter has been working hard for 6 months straight, filtering the water you drink. The filtered containments are held inside that water filter... until it is full.

Replace every 6 months

Once that filter has reach its maximum capacity the containments can start leeching into your drinking water. These contaminants are now at a stronger level in your drinking water then they may have been in the first place.

Water filters help filter contaminants and improve overall water satisfaction, but they do need to be replaced on a schedule in order to function properly.

When was the last time you replaced your filters?