Change the refrigerator’s water filter (if it has one)
An old filter slows the dispenser and ice maker.
Who: You can do it yourself.
How often: Every 6 months, or when the flow drops or the light turns red (the light is a timer; an outage can reset it). For: the refrigerator.
What you need
- The exact filter for your model (the label on the old one, or the model number).
- A towel and a cup.
- A container to catch the flush water.
The part, and finding the right one
- Water filter (refrigerator). On models with a water or ice dispenser: about every 6 months, or when the filter light comes on. The part number is on the filter you have now, or in the owner’s manual for your model.
On a home’s record, each piece of equipment’s page links its manual and a search for its parts by brand and model. All filters and parts
How to do it
- Get the right filter.
- Find it: GE side-by-side, at the back upper right of the fresh-food section; GE bottom-freezer, at the back upper right, inside the left door, or upper left.
- The water supply: GE says it needn’t be shut off; LG says close the valve unless your manual says otherwise.
- Towel under it. Turn the old filter counterclockwise about a quarter turn; it can pop out if air is trapped.
- Unpack the new one and remove the cap or foil (GE: fill it with tap water). Mark the month and year on it, and turn it clockwise until it stops; don’t overtighten.
- Flush it: GE, 3 minutes (about 1.5 gallons); LG, 2.5 gallons, 30 seconds on and 60 off, for 5 minutes; Whirlpool, 5 seconds on and 5 off, 1-4 gallons.
- Hold Reset Water Filter for 3 seconds; RFID filters reset themselves.
- Check for leaks; the water takes 24 hours to chill. No filter? Use the bypass plug, or nothing dispenses.
Normal
- Spurting, black carbon specks, or a drop or two after dispensing.
Needs attention
- A leak at the filter: pull it, check it for cracks, and replace it.
- It won’t turn: realign it and push it straight in.
- Cloudy or sputtering water: flush more.
Call an appliance repair technician if
- Still leaking with a new filter: service.
- Don’t feed the ice maker softened water.
Keep track of it
Add your home to My homes: each piece of equipment gets this on its own schedule, with “Mark done” and reminders you can turn on.
Sources
Your owner’s manual comes first: where it says something different for your model, follow it.
Still stuck?
Email us at hello@tradewrench.com. Tell us which page you were on and what you were trying to do.