Do you have to turn water off to change samsung refrigerator filter

Changing a Refrigerator Water Filter

Most newer refrigerators have a small plumbing line that feeds the ice maker and cold water dispenser. To keep the water and ice tasting pure, there is a replaceable water filter that should be changed regularly. How often you need to change the filter depends on the quality of your water supply and how much you use the water and ice dispensers. Most manufacturers recommend changing the filters every six months. In any case, if you feel that your water or ice does not taste as pure as it should, replacing the filter will likely solve the problem.

Water Filter Basics

Changing a refrigerator water filter is a quick and easy job. The best part about most of the refrigerator water filters used today is that once you unscrew the filter, it shuts off the water supply automatically. This means you don't need to worry about finding a shutoff valve to turn off the water supply to the fridge.

Unless you know the brand and the precise model of your refrigerator, it is often easier to just take the filter to the local hardware or home improvement store to find a suitable replacement filter. You can also buy filters online and usually can save money by buying them in packs of two or three filters. 

Twist-On Filters

Twist-on refrigerator water filters typically are located in the front of the refrigerator (usually behind the bottom grill) or inside the fridge near the bottom or in the upper right corner of the refrigerator compartment.

To change a twist-on water filter:

1. Turn the filter 1/4 turn counterclockwise and pull the filter straight out of the housing.

   The Spruce / Sarah Lee

2. Remove the cover from the old filter and place it onto the new filter.

   The Spruce / Sarah Lee

3. Push the new filter straight into the housing and turn it 1/4 turn clockwise to lock it into position.
   

   The Spruce / Sarah Lee

Push-In Filters

To locate a push-in-type refrigerator water filter, look behind the bottom grill in the front of the refrigerator or inside the refrigerator in one of the drawers, or in the top of the compartment toward the back.

To change a push-in filter:

1. Push the button to release the filter and pull the filter out of its housing. If there is no button, push on the filter to release the spring latch holding it in place.

2. Remove the cap from the old filter and place it onto the new filter.

3. Insert the new filter into the filter housing, pushing it all the way in until it locks into position.

   Flush the New Filter

   Most refrigerator water filters are simple carbon filters that are filled with black carbon granules. When water first flows through a new filter, it flushes out some of the carbon, and the water have some black specks in it or an overall gray color. This is not harmful to drink, but you probably don't want a glass of gray water or ice with black spots.

   To flush a new filter, run a gallon or two from the water dispenser, collecting the water in a pitcher. Discard the water or use it to water your plants. If you only have an ice maker in the refrigerator, you may have to throw away the first few batches of ice if they are discolored.
   

   The Spruce / Sarah Lee

We purchased the Samsung RF4287HARS 4 door french door refrigerator in March of this year. It had been fine so far, except the ice maker is a bit loud when it drops the ice. However, yesterday my husband was fiddling with the water filter and took it out. Water started to shoot out of the filter hole at pressure and he shoved the filter back in. But quite a bit of water made its way into the bottom of the freezer section and now we have to defrost the fridge to melt all the ice buildup. He looked up what happened, and it turns out, you have to TURN OFF THE WATER to the fridge before you can change the filter. I am absolutely flabbergasted by this. Is this common? I've never had to do this before for other filters. Is a person supposed to pull out the fridge and turn off the water behind it every time they need to change the filter? Or turn off the water to the whole house?

To defrost the fridge we had to unplug it. Well, for this model, you just can't pull it out. You have to unscrew the front cover and then rotate the leveling legs to raise them out of the way, and THEN you can pull out the fridge. Luckily DH is tall with long arms and could get a good grip on the 36" fridge. I could barely budge it.

We looked on support websites and the stupid videos have a guy standing in front of the fridge saying, first turn off the water to the refrigerator, then just pull out the old filter and put the new one in! Easy peasy. A friend of ours has this model from a couple years ago, and they said they could change the filter without turning off the water. I'm not sure if this is a new change for Samsung or what, but I am just disgusted about this design flaw.

Can you change Samsung water filter without turning off water?

Do I have to turn off water supply to change refrigerator water filter?