Refrigerator filter – useful?

Does a refrigerator filter make sense?

Side-by-side water filters were developed in the USA and first launched there. Drinking water in the USA is generally of poor quality and therefore heavily chlorinated. It is only drinkable once filtered. That is why every SBS refrigerator is equipped with a water filter. But do you actually need one in Germany, given that water here is rarely or never chlorinated?

Our assessment: no, not necessarily. The refrigerator works just as well without an installed filter. It only removes suspended particles, chlorine, and organic impurities. If you still want a water filter in your refrigerator, you should opt for an inexpensive compatible replica that performs the same as the original. Original refrigerator filters are excessively overpriced and offer no equivalent benefit here. While they certainly remove contaminants, it does not justify the enormous price.

We generally recommend using a good reverse osmosis system, which filters out limescale in addition to contaminants. You can then connect both your SBS refrigerator and a high-quality coffee machine to it.

For those who do not have one or do not want one, you can confidently do without the water filter in your refrigerator.