Summary: We have a Kenmore (Whirlpool) refrigerator with ice and water in the door. This filter is for that water source.
After living in Phoenix and San Jose, places with very bad water, I no longer trust the tap water that feeds this line, and always look for quality filters. We also drink a lot of bottled water.
Cost of mine, from ABT Electronics via Price Grabber, with free shipping (wow!) was $34.00. That works out to 8.5 cents per gallon. At that price, even if I had a whole house water filter, I'd get one of these for the fridge.
Of course, bulk orders offer more discounted pricing.
There is a light at the top of the refrigerator side which monitors the status of the filter. It supposedly monitors water flow, and changes to yellow when its near the end of its life, then red when the allotted 400 or 500 gallons have been filtered. (There is a procedure to switch from 400 to 500 gallon monitoring.)
When the filter is replaced, the monitor must be manually reset. (Push in light switch button 5 times.)
This filter is for such models where the filter is in the grill at the bottom of the freezer side behind a plastic cap. Replacing the filter is simple: Just twist the cap to the left a quarter turn and pull out the filter. The cap from the old filter slides off and is then put on the new filter. (Don't throw away the cap!) Slide in the new filter and turn it to the right to lock it. It was not necessary to turn off the water when I did mine, no spills resulted other than a little dribble out of the old filter. Not sure if that's true for yours.
There is generally a $3.00 price difference between the old deluxe filter, that used to be the best available, and the new ultimate, which is the best now.
For those looking for comparison of deluxe vs. ultimate...
Both filters leave Fluoride in the water.
Contaminant...... Deluxe / Ultimate
Cysts............ --- / 99.99%
Atrazine......... --- / 85.6%
2,4-D............ --- / 93.06%
Asbestos......... --- / 99.93%
Turbidity........ --- / 99.3%
Particulates..... 95.1% / 99.9%
Chlorine......... 99.0% / 97.6%
Lead @ pH 6.5.... 99.35% / 99.35%
Lead @ pH 8.5.... 99.31% / 99.31%
Mercury @ pH 6.5. 96.22% / 96.7%
Mercury @ pH 8.5. 91.57% / 91.2%
Benzene.......... 96.4% / 96.3%
P-Dichlorobenzene 99.77% / 99.7%
Toxaphene........ 92.86% / 92.96%
There is one contaminant, Carbofuran, which the Deluxe is rated to remove, but the Ultimate is not, per the box.
I'm not a contaminant expert, but some research shows me that 2,4-D is a nasty weed killer ingredient which can lead to kidney, liver, and adrenal gland problems (and has shown up in our tests on our water.) Cysts are a big issue as well for us. Atrazine and asbestos are linked with increased risk of benign intestinal polyps, cardivascular system problems and reproductive difficulties. Turbidity has "no health effects", but can interfere with disinfection and provide a medium for microbial growth.
If I didn't have the extra $3.00, or if an Ultimate was out of stock for some reason, I'd have no issue buying a Deluxe. The Ultimate is just a better filter, for less than a penny more per gallon of water.
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