Tap water can contain several impurities, and if you take water purity seriously, using Brita Filters is a good decision. But you can’t see microscopic impurities with plain eyes, so identifying whether your Brita filter is working can be challenging at first.
As a general rule, if the Brita Filter indicator light is blinking green, it’s a good sign to know your Brita Filter is in working condition. However, you can also identify if your filter is working by observing the smell and taste of the filtered water and checking the water flow rate.
Keep reading to find out more about the signs your Brita Filter is working or not and how often you need to replace it.
Table of Contents
Signs That Tell Your Brita Filter Is Working:
- A green light is blinking on the top of the Brita Filter.
- The water tastes good, like filtered water.
- No unusual odors are coming off from the filtered water.
- The water flows at a regular rate in the Brita Filter system (a slow flow rate is a concern).
Now let’s dive in deeper and understand each of these points in detail.
#1. Light Indication Check
You can know when it’s time to replace your Brita filter by looking at the indicator light, which is included with every Brita filter. This eliminates the need for trial and error to discover if its filtering capabilities have been reached.
Typically, on the top of the Brita Filter, you’ll notice the place where indicator lights are present. The indicator system gets activated every time you use the Brita filter and keep its lid open for around 5-8 seconds. And then, it records the usage based on how many times you filled the reservoir.
Ideally, when you first get your Brita filter, you must do the necessary settings and activate the indicator system. So that every time you use the filter, it keeps the record and notifies you when it’s time to replace it.
And Brita filter generally uses three color codes to represent the status of the filter:
| Indicator Light | Status |
| Green | The filter is in working condition. |
| Yellow | The filter should be changed soon. |
| Red | It’s time to replace the filter. |
In the case of the Standard Brita Filter (white), the indicator light blinks whenever you fill the Brita pitcher’s reservoir and close the lid. In general, a green light is a healthy indication that your Brita filter is working and doesn’t need replacement yet.
Also, checking the filter status at any given moment is quite simple. You have to press and hold the status button on the Brita filter for around one second and then release it.
And as a result of it, the Brita filter indicator light will blink for a moment, giving you an idea of the current status of your Brita filter.
Usually, after you replace the filter with a new one, it is also good to reset the indicator system so that it can record the usage correctly.
Read my article on how the Brita filter indicator works.
#2. Water Taste Check
If you have been drinking water from your Brita filter, you will likely already know how peculiar filtered water tastes.
So the moment you notice a slight difference in the taste of your Brita-filtered water, it is a good indication that something is wrong with the filter.
Any strong chemical or metallic taste should put you off. Why? Because it’s a good indication that some elements have passed through Brita without being filtered, thus giving an odd taste.
But if the taste of the Brita-filtered water is typical, then it is one of the signs to tell your Brita is doing its job quite well. But remember, relying only on one sign is not always best.
Brita-filtered water may taste bad due to other factors like changes in pH or TDS levels. So assessing all the signs before coming to the final conclusion is crucial.
Read my article on whether Brita filters improve the taste of water.
#3. Smell Check
The next thing on our checklist involves assessing the smell of the water. In general, clean and pure water should have no odors. So if your Brita filter gives you purified water without any awkward smell, everything is good, and you can be sure your filter is working.
However, when the Brita Filter’s Cartridge reaches the end of its lifespan, you’ll start observing bad smells from the filtered water. This is because when water passes through an old Brita filter, an unwanted odor can add up.
Moreover, cracks in the filter can sometimes cause the mixing of unwanted components with filtered water.
In short, if you notice a bad odor from the filtered water, it’s one of the signs that something is wrong with the filter and needs replacement.
#4. Water Flow-Rate Check
Another way to know whether your Brita filter is working is to check the flow rate.
The filtering process occurs when the tap water flows through the filter cartridge of your Brita filter, and the water eventually collects in the bottom reservoir of the Brita Pitcher.
Now the rate at which the water passes through the filter is one of the essential things to consider. If the filter has been used for a considerable time, it will likely become clogged with particles and dirt. And that ultimately leads to a slow water flow rate.
But if you notice a standard flow rate, then no worries because your Brita Filter is likely working well.
Read my article that answers the question Do Brita filters expire.
How Often Does Brita Filter Need to Be Changed?
The time when it’s essential to change your Brita Filter depends on different factors as follows:
- How much water has been filtered through Brita?
- What type of Brita filter do you use?
- What is the quality of water that is filtered through Brita?
So to give you a rough guideline, here’s a chart showing how often you need to replace a Brita filter.
| Brita Filter Type | Time To Replace: |
| Brita Standard Filter | Every 40 gallons / 2 months |
| Brita Stream Filter | Every 40 gallons / 2 months |
| Brita Elite Filter | Every 120 gallons / 6 months |
Time estimates are based on the average household’s usage of 11 glasses of water a day.
Final Take
Checking the indicator light is one of the first ways to ensure that your Brita Filter is in a well-functioning condition. But you can also observe the taste, smell, and flow-rate.
Whenever you notice something odd, it’s good to take note of it and make overall assessments before you finally decide to replace the filter.
And please note that the timelines of how often Brita filters need to be changed are only estimates. The actual time to replace the filter could be sooner than that.
Although Brita filters are suggested to work for at least 2-6 months based on the models you chose, you may have to replace it even after 1.5 months.
On the other hand, if your water usage is less, then a Brita filter (that is usually considered to last two months) can also go on till four months of use.