By Sheila Anthony

Brio filters are incredibly efficient at catching impurities and pollutants before they find their way into your drinking water. But the filters can only catch so much before they can’t catch anymore. And, unfortunately, as great as the filters are, they can’t tell you when they need to be replaced. Either you have to remind yourself to replace them or be reminded by an external mechanism...but more on that later.

Should you always follow Brio guidelines for replacing filters?

Brio offers general guidelines as to how often filters should be replaced. The emphasis here is on the word “general.” How often you should change your filters has a lot to do with the quality of your source water and how often you and your family dispense filtered water.

Most Americans who live in urban and suburban areas get their water from municipal water systems, which are typically well maintained and free from major, health-impacting contaminants.

People who live in rural areas tend to be use private wells for their water source. Upkeep and cleanliness of private wells are the responsibility of the well’s owner.

The size of the household and amount of filtered water dispensed also impacts how often filters need to be replaced. The more often the cooler or filtration system is used, the more the filters are doing their thing. And as mentioned above, filters can only block so much before they cease to function properly.

How to tell if you need to change your filters

If you experience a slowdown in the dispensing of your filtered water, that’s a telltale sign that your filters need to be replaced. Either the polypropylene, activated carbon, or semipermeable membrane (or all three) have reached or are reaching their maximum saturation levels.

When that happens, the entire filtration system becomes inefficient and must work harder, which may drive up energy bills depending upon your filtration system or cooler. Even worse, your system will be unable to remove pollutants, and they’ll wind up in your water.

To avoid a guessing game when it comes to filter replacement, Brio offers both coolers and filtration systems that conveniently alert you as to when your filters need to be replaced. No more guessing!

You can also join our Subscribe & Save program. Not only will you receive up to 20% off replacement filters with a subscription, but you’ll also enjoy filters automatically delivered on your schedule. And there’s no obligation. You can modify or cancel at any time.

As for when our filters will actually be able to physically replace themselves? We’re working on it ;)