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Comment by b112 | Hacker News Reader

Old filters can become breeding grounds for bacteria, as they can build up biological contaminants over time. The more biological contamination, the more for bacteria to feed on.

So there is a health danger, perhaps? Not sure how likely.

(Some municipalities use a lot of UV, and less chlorine and other chemicals to kill bacteria. And people on wells generally have no chlorine. In such cases, there is nothing to slow standing water bacterial growth.)

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That is a great risk that I, a conscious, responsible human being with agency, should be in charge of managing. Not my fridge

No. In the same way you shouldn't be in charge of managing whether your electrical devices can electrocute you.

When it comes to actual safety issues, it's better that things not work when unsafe.

Not too long ago there was a story on HN about hospital patients getting sick from bacterial growth in ice machines.

And water filters are breeding grounds for bacteria. That's actually the main reason for replacing your Brita filter every 3 months, not its filtering efficacy.

> No. In the same way you shouldn't be in charge of managing whether your electrical devices can electrocute you.

You think electrical devices should have DRM that detects if you opened them, and bricks the device until you bring it to an "authorized" repair shop? Because if that's not what you had in mind, then we are in charge of managing electrocution. Banning sale of dangerously defective devices (what you were probably alluding to) is completely different to devices disobeying their owner.

I agree. But we have members of our society which will sue, even if they are told upon purchase to be careful.

So I suspect they are concerned about liability.

Same.

Just like the cliché about (safety) regulations are written in blood, I assume all these "commonsense" measures are because someone pulled a stupid, got people hurt, and then won a lawsuit.

Then, per the settlement/judgement, mfg has to add another baby bumper.

"WARNING: This plastic bag is not a toy. Do not sufficate yourself!"

Okay, now I won't. Thanks for the head's up.

How do you as a responsible human with agency manage thi?

Tenner says they don't deal with it at all

You're at a friends house. They offer you a glass of water. Do you drink it? Do you inspect the filter for biological debris first, and then accept it? If you don't, and you get sick, who compensates you for lost wages? Who compensates your insurance company for the doctor's visit? I think this is, realistically, a complex situation.

Having said that, I'm not sure why a filter is needed. Is your tap water not already filtered enough?

That's a great excuse, but the motivation is for GE to be able to sell high margin filters due to DRM lock-in. Their filters with RFID tags cost 2x to 3x what compatible filters cost on the open markget.

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