Having a good water filter in your home is crucial nowadays. With the growing number of water contamination cases being reported across the U.S., who doesn’t want to be on the safe side when those toxic water pollutants come to create chaos?
Installing a water filter in your home can be a smart move. However, it won’t always protect you against potential contaminants in your drinking water. If you don’t replace the filter cartridges as needed, the system could stop functioning correctly and can even become a huge source of bacteria, mold, and other dangerous pollutants.
Think of your filter cartridge as a sponge that collects potential contaminants in your drinking water. If you do not replace it on time, pollutants such as bacteria, pesticides, lead, fluoride, and many others, can build up inside the filter. As the filters clog, it becomes harder for the water to pass through the system. This decrease in flow can have a dramatic impact on the water pressure inside your pipes.
On the other hand, the water may pass through the system unfiltered. Once the contaminated water reaches your faucets, the unwanted chemicals, particles, and bacteria may enter your body when you drink the water or eat foods prepared with it. Ingesting these contaminants can cause a host of adverse health issues.
The best way to prevent the effects of contaminants on your water filtration system is to:
- Find out what kind of filtration system and what model use
- Know when to change your filter cartridge
- Know how to change the filter cartridge
- Find out where to get the right filter cartridge for your particular system
In this article, we’ll cover all of those topics so you can replace your filters easily and on time.
Why Are Water Filters Important?
No matter how clean and refreshing your drinking water appears, it might contain some level of contaminants. Generally, you cannot detect those contaminants with your naked eye. However, you can get your water tested to determine if it is contaminated for sure and what specific pollutants are present.
If your water tests positive for contamination, installing a reliable, good-quality water filter can provide the following benefits, depending on the type of contaminants present:
- Water filters can remove impurities in tap water, such as chlorine, zinc, lead, copper, cadmium, mercury, lead, bacteria, fluoride, and many more.
- Some water filters eliminate hardness-causing minerals from your water, improving its taste and smell and reducing its damaging effects on your hair and skin, pipes, plumbing, fixtures, and water-using appliances.
- Advanced water filters like activated carbon filters, reverse osmosis filters, alkaline water ionizers, infrared filters, and UV filters are highly effective at blocking out those stubborn pollutants that can wreak havoc on your health and your home.
- Water filters also help to provide better-tasting and better-smelling drinking water for your home by removing chlorine, chemicals, pesticides, heavy metals, and bacterial contaminants.
- They can also significantly reduce the risk of gastrointestinal disease and certain cancers, including colon cancer, bladder cancer, rectal cancer by removing chlorine and chlorine byproducts like Trihalomethanes (THMs) from drinking water.
- A more common benefit of water filters is that they provide clean, healthy water for cooking and drinking.
How Will I Know When to Replace My Water Filters?
If your water takes on an unpleasant taste, or if you detect an odor in the water, it’s most likely time to replace your water filter. Also, you might notice a gradual decrease in water pressure, which could indicate the need for a new filter. Besides, if your filters have clear containers, you could visually inspect them to see if they are dirty and need to change. Always check our water usage guidelines to make sure that you haven’t exceeded them.
Knowing exactly when to change your filter depends on the model of your filtration system and the amount of water it has already filtered. If you aren’t sure what filtration system you’re currently using, you can look at the installation guide to see your model and the replacement schedule for that particular system. If you cannot find the installation guide, you can narrow down the choice by selecting a filter type.
Springwell offers three main types of filters, including whole house filters, countertop filters, and under-sink filters. Their whole house filters include all the conventional whole house systems, the whole house well water systems, and the whole house lead & cyst removal systems. Therefore, you must check the main water line where they’re installed (usually in the garage or basement) to see what solution you’re using. If you don’t have a whole house system, you can check under your kitchen counter or above your sink to find out what countertop or under-sink filter you are using. You should see the blue Springwell logo close to the top of the filter.
As soon as you determine which specific units need replacement filters, make a note of the model number and the cartridge number on the data plate located on the filter unit. You might have to replace more than one component in the system, such as pre- and post-filter cartridges in whole house systems. And remember to keep track of when you change each filter!
If you have any questions or need any assistance, please contact our friendly and super-savvy customer support team.
How Do I Choose the Right Replacement Cartridge for My Filter?
Filter cartridges aren’t one-size-fits-all. Even though some generic cartridges may look similar in size and appear to fit inside the housing of a water treatment system, even the smallest difference in size could allow unfiltered water to go around the cartridge rather than go through it.
Furthermore, those non-certified filter cartridges may not offer the same quality performance as the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) replacement cartridges. While the generic units cost about 30% less than the originals, using the non-certified cartridges can cause the water not to be filtered adequately. The generic models increase the possibility of impurities entering the water from materials that aren’t acceptable for drinking water contact.
Now, you should have already determined your manufacturer, model number, and cartridge number from the label on the filter, as we instructed above. For example, the tag identifies a filter as a Reverse Osmosis System manufactured by Springwell Water Systems. A line on the label identifies the filter as SWRO-Nickel. Afterward, access our site and hover your cursor over “All Products” in the main menu then click “Replacement Filters” in the drop-down menu. The product titles are displayed in the format “Replacement Filter – [Your Filter Type],” so look for your filter type in the titles and select the specific replacement filter that you like.
How to Replace Your Water Filter
Replacing Springwell’s water filter cartridge is super easy. All of our replacement filters come with a comprehensive step-by-step instruction guide with clear images to simplify the swapping out process. For additional help, we offer phone customer support on Mondays through Fridays from 9 AM to 7 PM EST.
Where Can I Get Replacement Water Filters?
You can order all of the filter replacements for your Springwell filtration system directly on our website. Browse all of the options available for our reverse osmosis systems, whole house systems, countertop systems, and under-sink systems. When you purchase a replacement filter, you get free shipping with FedEx’s fast and reliable service, as well as an industry-leading warranty on the replacement parts. If you still have questions about your water filter or a replacement filter you’re interested in, talk to one of our customer service team members about anything you need to know.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know the repercussions of not replacing your filters on time, we hope that you’ll do your best to change your filters as needed to keep your water filtration system functioning correctly. Otherwise, you risk damaging your filtration system and ingesting toxic contaminants. Replacing the filters is easy and can be done by following the easy-to-read instructions guide. Soon, your system will be back in full swing, providing clean, filtered water for you and your family.
