Is water from the fridge distilled?
Quick Answer: NO fridge water is NOT distilled! Distilled Water has been boiled, turned to steam and then condensed back into water through the distillation process using a home water distiller machine. You can also pump distilled water from your water distiller to your fridge and icemaker. Fridge water filters produce lower quality/less pure water than distilled water.
What is the difference between distilled water and filtered water then?
That's a great question. Remember the more pure the water you drink the better. Just like the reverse of this is true... the dirtier the water you drink the worse it is for you. Any high quality filter is better than just drinking regular tap water. It should remove at least a few things from your drinking water.
The real difference between distilled water and filtered water is the level of purity. The questions you need to ask your Refrigerator Manufacturer are:
- What is type of filter is your fridge filter? (sediment, carbon, etc)
- What what specifically does it remove from the tap water?
- How much of each pollutant, chemical, toxin, poison, heavy metal, radioactive particle, bacteria, virus etc... do your filter remove?
Unfortunately most of the fridge filters only offer vague information from the manufacturers about what they specifically remove. They all make the claim of "improving the taste of the water" but that is subjective. Who cares if my water tastes slightly better if it is still contaminated with arsenic or ecoli or some other harmful substance. On the lower end of the filter spectrum it may claim to filter out some sediment and rust. On the upper end of the filter spectrum it may claim to filter out more of what you don't want in your water.
I was really disappointed to see the lack of transparency and lack of confidence these refrigerator manufacturers have in their filters. I think the real game is to get your repeat business by just replacing your fridge filter without asking any real questions. Most of the fridge filters seem to range from sediment filters to carbon filters. If you want to have a real water purification system I recommend a water distiller. Check out how much more a water distiller will remove from your drinking water than any other purification method below!
Comparison chart between water filters and water distillation:
How often to change fridge water filter?
Remember that when a fridge water filter is brand new it will filter out the maximum amount but over time as the filter wears out it's filtration quality goes down. All of the major refrigerator manufacturers recommend to replace their filters every 6-months or sooner if the you have had too many gallons of water pass through the filter.
How many gallons of water will the filter before it's life is over?
Most of the fridge filters expire after 200 gallons of water have passed through them. The Samsung filters I saw go up to 300 gallons. The filter can also expire or wear out if it has bio-film growing in it. Look at the label on your particular filter. Here is a list of the most popular fridge filters by brand:
- Samsung
- GE - General Electric
- LG
- Whirlpool
- Frigidaire
- Kenmore
- Kitchenaid
- Bosch
- Amana
- Maytag
- Jennair
- Electrolux
- Thermador
- Adora
- Beko
To become learn more about the Benefits of Distilled Water watch "The Journey of Water Video.