How To Replace Ge Rpwfe Water Filter

Tired of paying $54 every six months for a GE brand filter? Here's how to get generic filters to piece of work.

About six months ago, I got a brand new GE Buffet refrigerator from Lowes. It was the CFE28TSHSS model with French doors and a freezer drawer and a completely unnecessary touchscreen on the front end. Phone call me erstwhile-fashioned, but I don't really need my fridge to be smarter than me. I inappreciably ever utilise the touchscreen, except for the once I uploaded some photos onto information technology from a USB drive. I came to the decision that the fridge's smartness was of no benefit to me.

And so I got a funny email from GE. And I realized that the high-tech nature of my refrigerator was never meant to benefit me.

Here's the electronic mail:

Yes, that's a piddling pushy there GE. And oddly menacing?

You have 8 days to buy one of our fine filters. It'd be a shame if in that location were an accident with your old filter. And then, I'll make you an offering you can't refuse.

For real, it's an offer you CAN'T pass up. The offer: purchase i of their RWPFE filters for $l every six months, or they shut off your water.

In situations similar these, I planned to practice what I did with my old refrigerator. That is, say to heck with these overpriced name brand filters and get a generic 1 for one-half the price.

But then I got to googling for a inexpensive knockoff, and I found something troubling.

You see, GE made a recent change to their water filters. GE fridges used to use RPWF filters. But my fridge requires RPWFE.

Um Jack…. What does the Eastward stand for?

Great question reader. I'thousand glad y'all asked!

Information technology'southward EVIL. The E stands for evil.

RWPF vs. RPWFE GE Water Filters

The deviation betwixt RWPF and RPWFE is that the RPWFE has a freaking RFID chip on it. The fridge reads the RFID flake off your filter, and if your filter is either older than half dozen months or not a genuine GE RPWFE filter, it's all "I'm sorry, Dave, I'thou afraid I can't dispense any h2o for y'all right at present."

At present, to be off-white, GE does give you a featherbed cartridge that lets y'all get unfiltered h2o for costless (you didn't throw that affair abroad, did you?).

Only come on.

In that location has to be a style to hack this thing. Right? Right.

Yous can hack your GE fridge to either let you keep using your old filter (non recommended, they go real glommed up after a while which defeats the entire purpose of a water filter) or apply an off-make filter.

Not only can you lot hack your GE fridge, I think you should. And you should tell your friends. Because GE forcing y'all to purchase a $54 filter iswrong.

How to Employ Generic Filters in a GE Cafe Fridge

The cloak-and-dagger lies in the RFID chip on your bypass filter. That's the piffling white torpedo-looking thing that was installed in your fridge when yous first got it. I really promise you didn't throw it away. You can probably order some other one from the Mob GE if you lost it.

The filter bypass and the RPWFE filter are very adamant that you lot orient the filter correctly. They are prominently labeled Dorsum and FRONT.

Why does it matter so much? Because the "back" is where the RFID scrap is hiding.

Peekaboo!

Slip a flathead screwdriver nether that sucker on your filter bypass, and information technology'll come fluttering off like a rose petal.

Now, yous can do three things here. If you lot tin can tolerate some trial and fault, you tin attempt taping the affair straight into your fridge where it would normally encounter up when the filter is installed. You take to get in but the right spot, and then the fridge picks it up. If you do that, yous're set for life.

Or, you can tape it onto the front of an expired RPWFE GE h2o filter, install it backward, and and so keep using it (again, not recommended for too much longer than 6 months). This too may take some trial and error. Make sure you orient it correctly. There'due south an up and a down to the RFID chip. Take a picture of it before you remove it from the bypass, and then y'all don't forget how it goes. There was a little clear crash-land on mine that helped.

This too may accept some trial and fault. Make certain you lot orient it correctly. There's an up and a down to the RFID fleck. Take a picture of information technology before you remove it from the bypass, so you don't forget how it goes. There was a little clear bump on mine that helped.

Or, you can tape it to the corresponding spot on a generic filter and reinstall it.

When you do this successfully, your refrigerator will detect that the featherbed is installed and volition tell yous that you are drinking unfiltered water.

If you lot get the RFID bit taped to the wrong spot, or you try it without an RFID flake, it'll say that there's a possible "leak detected" considering the filter may be installed incorrectly. Yeah, I get it, GE. You're doing it for our own expert and totally not property our water ransom for $54.

Where to Buy Generic GE Refrigerator Filters

So, you've got your GE fridge successfully hacked? Good. Now, get give your money to someone other than GE. You can get RWPF compatible filters off of Amazon for a fraction of the price.

Amazon.com Toll updated on 2022-04-06 - Nosotros may earn a commission for purchases using our links: more info

Nope, scratch that, I found some for even less. These Waterdrop WD-RPWF filters were fifty-fifty less expensive when I bought them.

Waterdrop Plus RPWFE (with CHIP) Fridge Water Filter, Replacement for GE® RPWFE, RPWF, DWF-36, WSG-4, WF277, R-3600, MPF15350, OPFG3-RF300, RWF1063, RWF3600A

This Waterdrop refrigerator filter, despite its affordable price, offers the best - a mix of prior filtration...
If you have been looking for a style to reduce harmful impurities from your drinking water, the solution is here.
Here, y'all are getting a significant comeback to the less-efficient charcoal filter that relies on coal, woods, walnut...

Amazon.com Price updated on 2022-04-06 - Nosotros may earn a commission for purchases using our links: more than info

I'm so mad.

Determination and Disclaimer

Expect, I was just kidding near all this. I don't think you should try to defeat proprietary technology that GE installed to keep us safe and leak-gratuitous and our h2o tasting clean and fresh. And GE has every correct to accuse whatever they desire for a part that they brand. I really don't recollect you should alter your filters or try to trick your fridge. That may void the warranty and lead to sub-par water. Even if it saves yous tons of coin. Tons of money.

Really.