Refrigerator Water Filters
We live in a society with the safest municipal water in history. Yes, there are exceptions. But for most of us it's the golden age of water. We have no need to drink bottled water. We have no need to add expensive household water filters. And we definitely have no need for every refrigerator to come with an expensive water filter.
See Reference and Reference2.
Here's why. The primary thing removed by refrigerator charcoal filters
is chlorine. Chlorine is ADDED to your municipal water on purpose.
Chlorine kills bacteria. Bacteria cause all kinds of diseases. Once your refrigerator filter removes the chlorine the water goes on to the ice maker and water dispensor. The problem is the water may sit there for awhile (maybe days or weeks) and now there is nothing to keep bacterial from multiplying. Hence there is likely to be more bacterial downstream from the filter. Indeed, as the above study shows, your refrigerator water filter could very likely have a healthy coating of bacteria growing on it!
The solution is to bypass your refrigerator filter. Most refrigerators come with (or you can purchase) a bypass plug which allows it to run without a filter. This is safer and will save you about $100 a year in replacement filters!
Note, be very careful of GE branded refrigerators. Their water filters come with an RFID chip and may not work with a bypass. See this article.