Culligan IC-EZ-1 EZ-Change Icemaker/Drinking Water Filter, 3,000 Gallons

My refrigerator has an ice maker, but no built-in filter. For years, I had been buying the snap in in-line type, but the prices have been creeping up and the availability has been diminishing.

This Culligan model has them beat. The price is good, it's easy to install, and very easy to replace cartridges. If you have an existing plastic water line, installation is trivial. This also works with copper lines, and is not much more difficult to use with them, except the instructions are not clear. The outside box says you can use either copper or plastic, but the included instructions don't mention the copper, or the additional tools needed to file the edge as the outside box mentions. Despite this, installation is trivial enough that it's not likely to be an issue.

If you do have copper, and need to fit things in a tight space, you might need to replace one end of the tube with plastic since short lengths of copper are relatively inflexible.

I also got one for my instant hot water tap on my kitchen sink. It's not "specially designed" for it as are the ones that are recommended for those, but they all take the same size tubes and have cold water coming in and going out. This one is far cheaper, does everything I want to make the water taste good, and there are enough Culligan options for anybody who wants a different level of filtration that you can pick what you need.

UPDATE:

Two years later, I removed it. It was not that there was any problem, but I installed a whole house filtration system and it was no longer needed. That showed me two things: First, the taste of the water did not change, meaning the Culligan worked just as well for me as the far more expensive system, at least with respect to taste. Second, it had been slowing down the flow of water on my instant hot water dispenser. The flow was noticeably faster without it, but I would not consider the slow down an inconvenience at least with respect to filling glasses or cups. Filling a pot of water is a different story, but the difference is understandable and what should be expected with this type of filter.

My fridge had an ice maker in it for nearly a year before I used it because I kept forgetting to buy a filter, I had to have someway to support it and have it not behind, but beside the fridge (the fridge sticks out too far as it is) This filter is the perfect answer. It was insanely easy to install, hasn't leaked a bit, is easy to replace the filters (just twist out the old and twist in the new) and the water tastes GREAT! I filter all my drinking water so putting unfiltered (ie disgusting) ice in my water or tea was out of the question! I love this filter and I love my ice maker! (the price on this is great, too!)

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The co. needs to provide much better connections to water supply and refrigerator; too easy for connections to fail. After installation, with no sign of any leakage, the ref. connection failed (came apart) during the night causing considerable water damage to the dining room/kitchen floor and basement. Do not recommend this product.

Read Best Reviews of Culligan IC-EZ-1 EZ-Change Icemaker/Drinking Water Filter, 3,000 Gallons Here

I chose this filter because it has been connected to the refrigerator at work for over two years and we have never had any issues with it.

A couple notes:

1. It takes up a lot of space behind the refrigerator, so I mounted it in a cabinet next to the fridge. This resulted in several advantages including easy access to the filters (don't have to pull out the fridge to change the filter), and an easy way to watch for leaks (so far, there aren't any). The attached photos show my installation.

2. I opted for the expensive LDR 509 5175 Pex 25-Foot Ice Maker Connector tubing. The tubing is flanged on both ends, so the connections are secure and leak free. The tubing can be cut in the middle since the straight ends fit into the filter. Inserting the tubing into the filter required a significant push, but resulted in a very secure connection. I didn't need 25' but the extra cost was worth the worry free installation.

3. The water in our town is quite good, but has a strong chlorine taste and smell. This filter did an excellent job removing the chlorine, significantly improving the taste.

4. The instructions recommend securing the filter to the wall using a block of wood (see attached picture). This worked out very well since I was able to secure the block to a stud and then mount the filter to the block; however, attaching the filter using mollies would probably be just as secure.

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I was very hopeful about this product, but I had a very hard time with the install. It is a relatively 'easy' install, but the problem is that it leaks once connected. I tried to install with plastic ice maker connection tubing but once I turned the water back on, strong leaks developed at the point where the tubing connected with the filter. So then I tried with my original copper tubing, cutting it to try the install. No dice, same leaks at connection points.

Attempting to install this product ended up costing me $26.

I replaced the copper tubing with a stainless steel connection like this, for a much more secure connection:

http://www.amazon.com/Watts-WTS-SPCC120-44PB-Stainless-Icemaker-10-Foot/dp/B00439HNF4/ref=pd_cp_hi_0

UPDATE 5/31/12: I found an ice maker filter that I am very happy with: Installs easily with 1/4" threaded connections no danger of leaks!

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