Inline water filters are designed to connect directly between your water line and home appliance, to offer additional filtration or because of space constraints.  There are many types of inline water filters or point of use water filtration systems, designed to filter and prevent sediment from reaching everything from your ice maker to dishwasher.  Inline filters are also commonly used as a polishing filter in conjunction with a reverse osmosis system, filtering the water after the bladder tank.

Like water filters in general, there are many different models to choose from.  We have gone ahead and listed the best inline water filters on the market today, however there are hundreds of various types and models of inline water filters, so it’s impossible to review each one.  If you are buying an inline water filter to use in conjunction with another system, then you will want to go with their recommendation.

 

Best Inline Water Filters

 

Watts 5 Year Premier Filter Inline Ice Maker Water Filter:

The watts inline water filter is the ideal solution for residential and commercial ice makers, drinking fountains, coffee makers, rv and motor homes.  It’s compact size makes it easy to hide behind appliances and has a filter that is rated up to 20,000 gallons or 5 years.  If you have scale buildup on your coffee pot or if your dishes are coming out not as clean as they should, this inline water filter is an excellent solution. It is also NSF tested and is certified to reduce chlorine and odor tastes to your water.

Users of this filter have been quite pleased with it’s performance, even noting that it is ideal for refrigerators that have built in filters.  Generally the filters in most refrigerators have to be replaced every 3-6 months, with this filter installed you don’t have to worry about changing out the filter for five years.

Culligan EZ-Change Icemaker and Refrigerator Drinking Water System Filter:

The Culligan EZ-Change Icemaker and Refrigerator water filter is a perfect water filter for ice makers and refrigerators.  The easy to change filters, which simply screw on and off, make it convenient and practical.  The filter can remove odors and bad tastes from your water, reduce chlorine, lead, cysts such as cryptosporidium and giardia, turbidity, atrazine, lindane and class 1 particulates from your water.

You can expect it to filter 500 gallons of water or roughly 6 months of use, before needing to replace the cartridge.  The installation of the unit is extremely simple and takes only minutes.  All you have to do is connect your inlet and outlet tubes using the quick connect fittings and you are done.

GE GXRLQ SmartWater Inline Water Filter System:

The GE Smartwater inline water filter is perfect for homeowners that have a refrigerator without a built in water filter or in the event that your refrigerators built in water filter broke.  The system is extremely easy to installed and compact, it can be attached to the back of your refrigerator or to the wall.

Like the Culligan inline water filter, it also has an easy to service twist-lock filtration mechanism, making changing out a filter extremely easy. It can reduce, chlorine, lead cysts and sediment from your water.

With a 750 gallon or 6 month capacity, and it’s compact design, it’s perfect for all homeowners that want better tasting ice and drinking water from their refrigerator.

Whirlpool In-Line Ultra-Ease Plus Refrigerator Water Filter:

The Whirlpool inline ultra ease plus water filter is a great inline water filter for not only Whirlpool refrigerators, but also other brands as well.  The system is designed to be installed in the back of your unit, and has convenient push in fittings.

Filters have an average lifespan of about 6 months, and are easily installed in just a few minutes. It’s tested and certified by NSF to remove chlorine, lead and other contaminants down to 0.5 microns.

Filtrete Under Sink Advanced Water Filtration System:

The Filtrete under sink inline water filtration system is an under the sink inline water filter, that can vastly improve your water quality and taste. The system can connect to your kitchen or bathroom faucet and is incredibly easy to install taking less than 30 minutes. The 3M Filtrete system reduces microbial cysts, chlorine taste & odor and sediment.

If you don’t have a lot of space under your kitchen faucet for a full water filtration system, this is a great alternative.  Especially considering how easy it is to install, and the fact that you only have to change the filter once every 6 months.

Conclusion:

Inline water filters offer the perfect balance of filtration and size, they are ideal for cramped spaces or if you want to protect your appliances and investment.  All of the inline filters that we reviewed here can be installed in well under an hour and the maintenance and service of the units is minimal. However, if you have extremely bad water, you will want to look into a whole house water filtration system, from brands such as Aquasana, Fleck or Waterboss.