How Much Water Should I Run Through a New Filter?

Tap water often makes its way into our homes after flowing through several lakes and seas, contaminating unsafe chemicals, bacteria, and unwanted particles. Water filters remove these unsafe components and make your water potable. 

To effectively clean and filter the water, the water filter needs to be clean as well. Therefore, it becomes crucial to clean or replace your water filters at regular intervals to ensure that you consume clean and safe drinking water at all times. 

You should run 3-5 gallons of water through your filter while cleaning it. This guide will take you through the importance of water filters, why you should change them, and all the other necessary details revolving around the topic. 

Why do You Need a Water Filter?

Water is one of the basic necessities of life. As humans, our body consists of 70% water. The water we consume is used by our body to stay hydrated and to perform various functions by the organs and cells. Therefore, you need to make sure that you consume healthy water. 

On the contrary, tap water usually comes filled with unwanted particles harmful to your health. Your tap water may contain hazardous components such as mercury, E. coli, and lead that can cause serious health concerns. 

This is the reason why water filters are required. Water filters get rid of chemical compounds such as lead, mercury, copper, chlorine, zinc, and cadmium. These filters also eliminate harmful bacteria, pathogens, and viruses found in tap water. 

Another reason why water filters are important is the fact that you don’t just use water for consumption. Rather, water is used for all sorts of everyday chores such as cooking, cleaning, and watering plants. Each of these tasks calls for clean and healthy water, and you shouldn’t be using harmful tap water for performing them. 

How Much Water Should I Run Through a New Filter? 

To ensure that the water filter works efficiently, it needs to be clean and clear from any dust particles or anything else that could hamper the filtering process.

Whenever you buy a new filter, you should run 3-5 gallons of water through it to flush it and get it ready for daily use.  

Why Should You Change the Water Filter? 

A water filter stops all the harmful particles and gunk from flowing and allows only clean and healthy water to pass through it. 

A water filter sucks all the hazardous components and pollutants from the water to ensure you only get pure and clean water for use. However, if you don’t change the water filter regularly, it may get clogged and stop working effectively. Therefore, changing the water filter or cleaning it appropriately becomes essential. 

If you don’t take the cleaning or replacing process seriously, it could damage your water filter and hamper its smooth functioning. 

How Often Should You Change/Clean the Water Filter?

To make it easier to calculate the right time to clean or change your water filter, you should be following the rule of thumb. As per the rule of thumb, you should clean or replace your water filter once every two months or after it has filtered 40 gallons of water. 

Moreover, your decision of cleaning or replacing the filter also depends upon the following factors: 

• The hardness of the water. 
• The number of particles that need to be filtered. 
• The brand of your water filter. 
• The water consumption of your household. 

The water filter should be changed or cleaned once every 2-6 weeks if your household has larger water consumption or if you get hard water in your area. 

Usually, water filters come with an electronic indicator or a cling calendar which allows you to know when is the right time to clean or replace it. 

Using a cling calendar will help you track when you should be cleaning or replacing the filter, depending on when you did it the last time. On the other hand, an electronic indicator will measure the effectiveness of your water filter, and it will blink to indicate that it needs to be cleaned or changed. 

Moreover, it is advised to read the instructions given on your water filter’s user manual that comes with it at the time of purchase. 

Some Water Filter Tips

Here are a few tips you can use to properly manage your water filters…

• You shouldn’t filter over 2 gallons of water in a day. 
• The water pitcher should always be stored in a cool and dry place. 
• Bacteria and algae can grow on the water filter if kept under sunlight. 
• The water should be changed once every two days. 
• The water pitcher shouldn’t be filled with water that exceeds 80 degrees F. 
• You should invest in BPA-free pitchers. 

Conclusion

A water filter allows us to access healthy and clean water for consumption. It becomes necessary to change the water filter every now and then so that the filtration system works effectively. You should also consider replacing the filter if required. 

It would be best if you also kept our tips in mind as they’ll help you make smart decisions. 

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