Water filter change light
The water filter for the ice maker and water dispenser is due to be changed — both makers cited count about six months.
What to do when it lights up
Fit a new filter, then reset the light: LG — press and hold FILTER for three seconds; Samsung — press Ice Type and Child Lock together for 3 seconds. Samsung says to throw away the first six glasses of water after a new filter.
What it does not mean
It is not a measurement of your water: the light counts time, and the reset only restarts the count. It is not the air or odour filter that some fridges also have.
Makes differ, check your fridge’s manual: the same drawing can mean different things on different brands, and only your model’s manual says exactly what a button does, what temperature it sets and when it switches itself off.
- What it looks like
- A water drop inside a filter cartridge or the word “Filter”, lit or changing colour.
- Names used
- Filter Indicator (Samsung); Change Filter / water filter indicator (LG); Replace filter
Where makers differ
Samsung’s light turns orange (purple on some models) with one month left and red when change is due; LG uses one indicator. Samsung says its dispenser cannot be used without a filter cartridge fitted.
Other symbols with the same shapes
Sources
No public standard defines this panel symbol, so its meaning is taken from the manuals of 2 different maker groups (Samsung, LG), each fetched and read on the date shown:
- Samsung: Samsung — Owner’s manual and installation, side-by-side refrigerator RS263 / RS265 / RS267 / RS269 (DA99-01278A rev 0.4, 2007, PDF hosted by Encompass) — “Filter Indicator — Change filter every 6 months. If indicator is orange, or purple on some models the filter has 1 month left. If indicator is red, quick replacement is strongly recommended … reset the indicator by pressing the Ice Type button and the Child Lock buttons simultaneously for 3 seconds.” Checked 2026-09-27.
- LG: LG — Owner’s manual, bottom-freezer refrigerator, P/No MFL62184515 (PDF) — “When the water filter indicator turns on, you have to change the water filter. After changing the water filter, press and hold the FILTER button for three seconds to turn the indicator light off. You need to change the water filter approximately every six months.” Checked 2026-09-27.
Written in our own words; quotations are the regulation’s or the makers’ wording.