When to change your filter
A filter change is recommended every 6 months or 1000l.
If you use an average of 5 liters per day, that will come to 1000 liters every 6 months. Water quality can also affect the lifespan of the filter, especially if using hard water (bore water) through the filter.
Even with low usage a filter change is advised at least once a year.
To ensure healthy, safe, great tasting water as well as to ensure your machine stays in good working condition, it is important to stick to the recommended service schedule. Our filters have been tested to work optimally for 6 months or 1000 liters. After that the filter slowly starts to decline in it's effectiveness to adsorb chemicals & impurities. For this reason you won't notice a change in taste right away.
As the main process of filtration is chemical adsorption - there is usually not visible signs that your filter needs replacement.
The following signs are indicators that you need to change your filter:
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Flow rate
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Change in colour (particularly on white parts of filter)
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Taste
Taste deteriorates gradually over the life of the filter and subsequently this is a very bad measure of when to change your filter, as you often don’t notice it, until it gets really bad. Your filter may be able to control taste and odours long after it has lost the ability to effectively reduce other toxic contaminants.
The function of the filter is to absorb chemicals and impurities from your water. Once it is saturated it cannot hold onto those chemicals anymore and starts to dump it back into the water. It is therefore worse to drink from an overdue filter, than just drinking water straight from the tap, as you are consuming a concentrated amount of chemicals once the filter has reached saturation levels. Watch the video that explains this.
Although flow rate can indicate it’s time for a new filter it is not always the case. Adsorption of physical impurities will affect the flowrate, but adsorption of chemical impurities does not affect flow rate as much.
As it is a chemical process, you cannot tell by the looks of the filter if it needs replacement or not. A filter might “look” brand new even after years of use.
Time & usage therefor remains your best measure to ensure your water is always healthy and safe.
Regular servicing of the machine also prevents possible problems with its operation in future, and ensures it operates at maximum capacity, and will extent the expected lifespan of your cooler.
Not being serviced often results in the water cooler starting to leak. This does not mean the cooler is broken, it simply needs a clean of the tank, floats & washers. Leaking can however cause water damage to the electronics of the machine that is why servicing is important to avoid leaking from happening in the first place.
Dangers of an overdue water filter
Charcoal and carbon drinking water filters are designed to capture contaminants in several ways. One way is trapping the contaminant because its size cannot pass through the filter. Some contaminants are caught because they adhere or are absorbed into the filter's surface. A noticeably slowing flow rate is an indicator of an "over-trapped" filter meaning the larger contaminants are clogging the filter preventing the water from a more rapid flow.
Contaminants
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Contaminants that are absorbed or adhere to the filter are much harder to track than the larger contaminants. As the filter is used there is a point where it begins to lose its ability to trap and adhere contaminants. It becomes full and cannot do its job. This means contaminants are now flowing into the drinking water. This is why changing the filter as directed by the manufacturer is important. Even if the filter does not have a reduced water flow there are still unseen contaminants in the filter.
Mold In Used Filters
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Water filters that have been overused and those that go unused for weeks (whether overused or not) should be removed and the pitcher should be thoroughly cleaned. Contaminants can rot in the filter. Left unmonitored they can begin to grow mold, especially in a humid location. Not only does the mold make the water taste bad, it is possible to ingest the mold through a moldy water filter. Ingestion can cause headaches, runny nose, sinus problems, skin rash, diarrhea and possible vomiting.
Expired Water Filters
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Water filters are designed to filter a particular amount of water noted in gallons on the filter label. Most manufacturers include a time frame (usually three to six months) for filter use. Continued use after the suggested expiration date could mean ingesting water that is more contaminated than before it is filtered.
Hard Water And Filters
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Locations that have hard water pose a risk to those using filters for drinking water. Hard water causes the filters to expire faster. This is because hard water has far more sediment (impurities) in it than softer water. Hard water sediment clogs the filter faster leaving the filter to allow other impurities to pass through. It may be necessary to change the drinking water filter in hard water locations more often than recommended.