This is one my pet peeves with integrated filter change systems. Almost every one for some reason sticks to the old heuristic of “about 6 months” or “about 3 months”. These devices should know exactly how much air or water has been filtered. They’re built into the system that controls the motors and valves that move the water or air over the filter element. They should have a very good idea of exactly how much has been filtered and when the replacement is due. They shouldn’t have to make the same old wild ass guess that people had to because they weren’t watching their ice maker every day and counting cubes.
My furnace has exactly the same problem. There’s a built-in filter alert that tells you it is time to change the filter after exactly 3 months, regardless of how much it has been used. 3 months of being idle in the spring is exactly the same a 3 months of 50% duty cycle in the winter. It’s so annoying to be so close and yet completely fuck it up.
