A Step-by-Step Guide to Changing Your Frigidaire's Water Filter

Download Article

The sooner you install a new filter, the better your water tastes

Co-authored by Trevor Storey and Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: January 6, 2025 Fact Checked

Download Article

Replacing the Filter

|

How often should I replace the filter?

|

What happens if I don't replace the filter?

|

Video

If the water or ice from your Frigidaire fridge tastes funny, it might be time to replace the water filter. Generally, you want to replace the filter every 6 months, but that can change depending on whether or not your water has a lot of minerals that make the filter dirtier faster. Read on for step-by-step instructions for replacing a water filter in a Frigidaire refrigerator as well as some popular questions from others about water filters.

Quick Steps

Turn off the ice maker.
Remove the old filter.
Take the protective caps off the new filter.
Insert the new filter.
Run water to clear the new filter.
Turn the ice maker back on.
Reset the water filter light.

Section 1 of 3:

Replacing the Filter

Download Article

1
Turn off the ice maker. You don't want the ice maker pulling water from the water line while you're changing the filter!
- To turn off the ice maker, press and hold the "Ice Maker" button until you see "Ice Maker Off."
- Follow the steps in this guide to replace the water filter on any Frigidaire refrigerator model including a gallery fridge and side-by-side model.
- If you're not sure what filter to buy, you can use this tool from Frigidaire or check your manual.
2
Remove the current filter. The filter is located in one of two places:
- in the grill at the base of the fridge
- or in the back upper-right corner of the interior.
- Push in on the filter and you'll hear a click, meaning it's unseated from the mount, and you can slide it out from the filter housing.
Advertisement
Notice that there are two valves at the top of your filter and a ridge along one side; the filter housing has a notch marking for reinserting the filter.
4
Insert the new water filter. Turn the filter so the valves are vertically aligned and the ridge is at the bottom.
- Push it in like you did to remove the original filter. You will hear it click into place.
5
Run water to clear the new filter. You want to make sure that there aren't any impurities in your drinking water, so run some water through the new filter first before you drink anything from it.
- This is the same idea for the ice maker; dump the first load of ice since it might be contaminated with impurities from the new filter.^{[1]
  X
  Research source}
- Also, after replacing the filter, check to make sure there aren't any water leaks when you use the water.
Don't forget to turn the ice maker back on after we've turned it off! Follow the same steps that you took to turn off the ice maker to turn it on again, like pressing and holding the "Ice Maker" button until the "Ice Maker Off" icon goes away.
Press and hold the "Reset Water Filter" button until you hear a chime. That noise means the light is reset.

Section 2 of 3:

How often should I replace the filter?

Download Article

You can go longer without changing the filter if you use the water in your fridge less or if your tap water is clear of excess minerals; however, you may need to change the filter more often if you're using the water more or if you have particularly hard or excessive minerals in your tap water.^{[2]
X
Research source}

Section 3 of 3:

What happens if I don't replace the filter?

Download Article

The water in your fridge will eventually stop being filtered. This isn't an immediate response to not changing the filter and you'll notice the quality of your water decrease as time passes.
- Besides the filtered water returning to tap water, you might also notice these symptoms:
  - There's low to no ice.
  - Slow water flow.
  - Bad-tasting ice and water.
  - Water or ice smells different.