how do i know when to replace my brita filter?

Question

its a brita jug

Answer 1

The package says that a family of four needs to change the filter every three months. I don't know whether this really means a single person can change it once a year... but that's what I go by!

Answer 2

I think this is a really good question and it really makes you wonder if the filters might need to be replaced sooner if you have water that has an above average amount of chlorine that has to be removed by the filter and does that shorten the life span of that filter.

There is a little meter on the newer jugs. I think it is not a matter of how many days you use the filter but it is how many times you have filled the jug.

I have noticed that the water went thru at a different rate and the water started to taste a bit off. The water is very hard and it leaves mineral deposits on faucets, sinks and toilet in the worst way, so I think it starts to clog the filter too. I liked the model that had a little device that you put on the top of the filter and it clicked over a notch with each time the water flowed thru and emptied into the jug. The other meter is counting days and if you are using a lot of water your filter is trapping and holding all the nasty stuff at a higher rate in a shorter amount of time.

The other way I knew was one of my dogs would not drink the water unless it was filtered. The city puts a outragous amount of chlorine in the water and it is very hard water. At previous place we had a filter on the whole house and we moved to house without full house filter and dog would not drink a drop. I poured some bottled water in the bowl and she sniffed it and then drank it up. That was when I went to Target to get a Britta Jug.

Maybe an email to Britta would get you better guidance in relation to the jug you have. I had to toss the first jug because the water crusted it up. I always figured that mine were doing double duty as the water on many days smells like a heavily chlorinated pool. The new jug came with the meter and I am certain it just counts days and not the number of times you filled up the jug. I am sure Britta has an idea as to how many jugs full you can get out of a filter.

I change the filter as soon as the water starts to not taste as good. Also, watch to see if the dog walks up to bowl and sniffs and hesitates to drink after I have just filled the bowl. The dogs nose is better than ours so I figure they are a pretty good indicator at least in this household.

Answer 3

I am single and my water comes from a well. I just never figured out when to change the filter! So I pay aattention to how quickly the water goes through -- faster when the filter is new. But I d like to think maybe I do not need to change it as often as I have been doing. The filters are expensive. Is there some gadget that Brita makes that can be attached to the filter top? I never heard of it till today.

Answer 4

there also should be a plastic "meter" on the top of the filter, once it reaches the point where it says replace filter, replace that sombitch

Answer 5

You should replace it every 3 months based on "normal: use.

I for example, am single and don't use it as much, so I replace every 5 months!