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The water filter in Cuisinart's coffee maker helps to filter out impurities from water such as chlorine and calcium, as well as bad tastes and odor before it touches the coffee grounds according to Cuisinart. Filtered cold water can help improve the taste of brewed coffee, and the charcoal-based water filter handles the filtering of the water. It's important to replace the filters on a regular basis to ensure the highest quality of filtered water in the coffee maker.

Significance

Replacing the coffee water filter is important because the charcoal inside the filter traps the impurities and, over time, the filter can become clogged with everything it has collected. This leads to the filter being less effective at filtering the water that is run through it.

Benefits

Use a new water filter in the coffee maker to get water that tastes better and has little or no odor. A new filter also eases the harshness of hard tap water. The filtering out of impurities such as chlorine can be a healthy improvement to the water.

Misconceptions

Replacing the coffee filter is not the same as replacing the water filter. The coffee filter is located in the front of the coffee maker and prevents coffee grounds from getting into the coffee pot itself.

The water filter is located in the back of the coffee maker where the water is poured into the coffee maker. The filter is generally located in the top portion so that water poured into the coffee maker must first pass through the water filter before being brewed.

Time Frame

Replace the Cuisinart water filter every 60 days or, if you have hard water, every 60 uses. Cuisinart recommends that 60 days is ideal, but indicates that heavy use may require the user to replace the filter more often.

Considerations

Purchase single or packs of water filters (see Resources below). You can also sign up for Cuisinart's water-filter subscription program, in which Cuisinart will automatically send you four water filters for less than $20 every three months. Also consider keeping some water filters on hand to replace a filter that may become torn or damaged.