Greg Mc. for Model Number Sears Kenmore Elite 106.57863801 I bought some cheap water filters for this fridge (SwiftGreen SGF-W84) but I'm sure they don't last as long as the Whirlpool OEM 4396841 filters I was buying, the cheap ones last 3-4 months and the OEMs last about 5-6 months and I'm not imagining this, the cheap ones don't last as long before the "replace" indicator comes on the front panel, my question is: may I assume that the "replace" indicator is driven by something other than just a timer, does Whirlpool use some kind of flow device or DP cell? My assumption is I'm not saving any money if the cheap ones don't last as long ...
Answer Greg, you're pretty close to target, No there is no timer to register usage. The main control has a "counting circuit" and a flow device inside the fill valve. Whenever power (120 VAC) is applied to either of the fill valve solenoids (dispenser or ice maker) the eeprom on the main control board registers a "hit", after so many "hits" the "change filter" light is illuminated. In a lot of cases, if you're on well water or have a problem with water quality the filters(especially after market filters) can take less time and usage to filter and cause the light to illuminate. Read More... Answered by AppliancePartsPros.com | Thursday, June 16, 2016