Frigidaire Refrigerator Water Filter Guide (2026): EPTWFU01 vs ULTRAWF vs WF3CB Decoded

Quick Answer: Many Frigidaire and Electrolux French-door and side-by-side refrigerators built after 2015 take the PureSource Ultra II (EPTWFU01), a twist-in cartridge in the upper right corner of the fresh-food compartment. Older models take the push-in PureSource Ultra (ULTRAWF) or PureSource 3 (WF3CB), and older side-by-sides use the PureSource 2 (WF2CB) behind the base grille. The codes are not interchangeable, so match the one on your old cartridge. Frigidaire rates the EPTWFU01, ULTRAWF and WF3CB at 200 gallons or six months, and genuine cartridges cost $54.95 to $69.95 for one, or $51 to $64 each in a 3-pack at DiscountFilters.com (checked October 31, 2026). The catch: every NSF-listed aftermarket ULTRAWF and WF3CB replacement we found is certified for taste and odor only, not lead.

Almost everyone who searches for a Frigidaire refrigerator water filter has a filter light glowing red and an old cartridge in hand. Frigidaire, which is owned by Electrolux, has used at least six cartridge families since the original PureSource, each with a string of service part numbers and Kenmore cross-references, so a “fits Frigidaire” listing tells you very little. Below we decode each one against Frigidaire’s own performance data sheets, NSF’s certified-product database and the Water Quality Association’s directory, all checked on October 31, 2026, and price them at DiscountFilters.com on the same day.

This is the Frigidaire companion to our best refrigerator water filter rankings, in the same format as our Samsung refrigerator water filter and LG refrigerator water filter guides.

Frigidaire refrigerator water filters compared at a glance

Capacities and claims for the first three rows come from Frigidaire’s own performance data sheets. Rows marked “dealer spec” come from DiscountFilters.com’s product tables, because we could not load Frigidaire’s own pages for those cartridges on October 31, 2026.

Frigidaire fridge filters by the numbers

• 200 gallons or six months is Frigidaire’s rating for the EPTWFU01, ULTRAWF and WF3CB in their performance data sheets. That is about 1.1 gallons a day over six months, the same budget as LG’s LT1000P and a third less than the 300 to 316 gallons NSF lists for Samsung’s current cartridges.
• More than 99.3% lead reduction and 99.99% cyst reduction are what the 2014 EPTWFU01 data sheet filed with California’s State Water Resources Control Board reports, along with 97.5% chlorine reduction at a service flow of 0.65 gallons per minute. It also lists seven NSF/ANSI 401 compounds, including bisphenol A, estrone and naproxen.
• 80.4% mercury reduction is the weakest number on the PureSource 3 (WF3CB) data sheet, against 99.1% for lead and 97.4% for chlorine. The older PureSource Ultra (ULTRAWF) sheet reports 89.9% for mercury and 92% for MTBE.
• 0 NSF entries came up for Frigidaire or Electrolux when we searched NSF’s database by brand, company name and filter code on October 31, 2026. The same search returned 19 EPTWFU01-compatible products from 3 manufacturers and 27 replacement listings each for the ULTRAWF and the WF3CB.
• 6 Frigidaire cartridges appear in the Water Quality Association’s directory under Electrolux Home Products (PureSource 2, PureSource 3, PureSource Ultra, PureSource Ultra II, PurePour PWF-1 and PurePour WFPT), but only to WQA/ASPE/ANSI S-803, a sustainability standard with no contaminant-reduction claims attached.
• Only 2 of 18 counterfeit fridge filters removed lead for a full six-month life in testing published by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) in 2018, and 7 of 8 counterfeits failed to remove 90% of cysts.

1. Frigidaire PureSource Ultra II (EPTWFU01) — the filter most post-2015 Frigidaire fridges take

The EPTWFU01 is the Frigidaire filter most owners of post-2015 models need, and the one with the broadest claims. DiscountFilters.com describes it as the cartridge for Frigidaire and Electrolux French-door and side-by-side refrigerators produced after 2015, installed in the upper right corner of the fresh-food compartment with a quarter turn. Frigidaire’s own data sheet is unusually detailed: 28 rows of reduction data, most with an NSF test report number beside them. What you cannot do in 2026 is find that certification in NSF’s public database, which returned no Frigidaire or Electrolux listing when we searched on October 31. Certifications can lapse, move to another certifier or sit under a supplier’s name, so treat this as documented by the maker, not independently checkable today, rather than as a false claim. On price, never buy singles: DiscountFilters.com’s 3-pack works out to $63.00 a cartridge against $69.95 for one.

2. Frigidaire PureSource Ultra (ULTRAWF) — the push-in predecessor

The ULTRAWF was Frigidaire’s top cartridge before the Ultra II, and it remains a common search because so many refrigerators that take it are still running. It pushes straight in until it clicks rather than twisting, which is the quickest way to tell it apart from an EPTWFU01 in your hand. Its data sheet is the most thorough Frigidaire published for any cartridge on organic chemicals, but it has no NSF/ANSI 401 claims. Genuine pricing is the same $69.95 as the Ultra II at DiscountFilters.com, and the aftermarket is cheaper but narrower: all 27 ULTRAWF replacements we found in NSF’s database are certified only for chlorine taste and odor.

3. Frigidaire PureSource 3 (WF3CB) — the cheapest genuine cartridge

The WF3CB is the genuine Frigidaire cartridge with the shortest claim list and the lowest price. That is not a reason to avoid it: for a refrigerator on city water, lead, cysts and chlorine are the claims that matter most, and its data sheet covers all three. The data sheet’s own estimate of “less than $40.00” for a replacement is long out of date; DiscountFilters.com charged $54.95 for one on October 31, 2026, or $51.00 each in a 3-pack. Flush it for 4 minutes after installing, and press the reset button for 3 to 10 seconds, per the same sheet.

4. Frigidaire PureSource 2 (WF2CB) and PureSource (WF1CB) — older side-by-sides

If your filter sits behind the kick plate at the bottom of a side-by-side, it is one of these two. They are easy to tell apart: the WF2CB is a push-in cartridge with a release button, while the WF1CB is a bare cartridge that drops into a filter cup you unscrew. The WF2CB has the highest gallon rating of any Frigidaire cartridge, but we could only confirm that from a dealer’s spec table, not a Frigidaire data sheet. The WF1CB is certified for taste and odor only, so if lead is a concern in an older home, a certified under-sink water filter is a better place to spend money than this fridge.

5. Frigidaire PurePour (FPPWFU01) — newer models

The PurePour is the code to watch, because it shows up on newer Frigidaire refrigerators and its rated capacity is lower than the PureSource cartridges. DiscountFilters.com lists it at 125 gallons, against 200 for the EPTWFU01, which would mean about 0.7 gallons a day before the six-month light comes on. We could not confirm that figure on Frigidaire’s own site, so check the data sheet that comes in the box. No NSF-listed aftermarket PurePour replacement turned up in our search, and DiscountFilters only stocks the genuine one.

6. Waterdrop Plus WDP-EPTWFU01 — the aftermarket you can look up

On a Frigidaire that takes the EPTWFU01, the aftermarket decision comes down to the suffix, exactly as it does on an LG. Waterdrop’s basic WD-EPTWFU01 is certified only to NSF 42, the WDS-EPTWFU01 adds 5 NSF 53 claims including lead, and the WDP-EPTWFU01 adds mercury and the NSF 401 list. Unlike the genuine cartridge, you can find it in NSF’s database by model code today. The trade-off is a shorter claim list than Frigidaire’s data sheet (no asbestos, VOCs or atrazine) and a slower rated flow. For the rest of the brand’s line, see our Waterdrop water filter review.

Three manufacturers, many brands: decoding Frigidaire replacements

NSF’s listings for Frigidaire-compatible cartridges are dominated by Qingdao Ecopure Filter Co. and Ecolife Technologies, which supply the same cartridges under several trade names. What differs is which version each brand certified, and for two of the three main codes, no version carries a health claim at all.

Source: NSF DWTU listings searched by model code on October 31, 2026. Two practical rules follow. On an EPTWFU01, buy only a replacement whose listing shows the -P, -D, WDS or WDP suffix if you want lead reduction. On an ULTRAWF or WF3CB, do not assume a “Plus” or “Pro” name means a lead claim: Waterdrop’s WDP-ULTRAWF and WDP-WF3CB are certified to NSF 42 only. DiscountFilters’ own budget alternatives, sold under the Smart Choice name, are listed at 300 gallons but NSF 42 only, for $44.95 a cartridge.

How to replace and reset a Frigidaire water filter

The steps depend on the cartridge, so identify yours first.

1. Turn off the ice maker. Most Frigidaire installs start here; on older models it is the wire signal arm, on newer ones a power switch.
2. Remove the old cartridge. EPTWFU01: rotate it 90 degrees counterclockwise and slide it out. ULTRAWF, WF3CB and FPPWFU01: push on the face of the filter to release it and slide it straight out. WF2CB: press the release button next to the filter. WF1CB: unscrew the filter cup in the base grille and empty it.
3. Install the new one. EPTWFU01: slide it in with the grip horizontal, push lightly and turn it 90 degrees clockwise until the grip is vertical. Push-in cartridges: slide it along the alignment guide until it clicks once (the WF2CB clicks twice).
4. Flush it. Frigidaire’s data sheets say 3 minutes for the ULTRAWF and 4 minutes for the WF3CB; DiscountFilters’ instructions give 3 minutes for the EPTWFU01 and about 4 minutes for the FPPWFU01. Spurting and sputtering while air clears is normal.
5. Reset the light. Press and hold the Water Filter button on the dispenser panel for about 3 seconds (Frigidaire’s older data sheets say 3 to 10) until the indicator turns from red to green, then turn the ice maker back on.

For a brand-by-brand walkthrough of this job, see our water filter cartridge replacement guide.

What a Frigidaire fridge filter will not do

• PFAS: none of Frigidaire’s data sheets for the EPTWFU01, ULTRAWF or WF3CB lists PFOA or PFOS. If forever chemicals are the worry, see our best water filter for PFAS guide.
• Microbes: every data sheet warns not to use the filter on water that is microbiologically unsafe or of unknown quality. Cyst reduction is not disinfection.
• Dissolved minerals and fluoride: a carbon block does not remove them. A reverse osmosis system does.
• Old pipes beyond the fridge: the filter only treats water at the dispenser and ice maker. If lead is the concern, filter the kitchen tap too; see our best water filter for lead picks.

The bottom line

The right Frigidaire refrigerator water filter is the code on your old cartridge: EPTWFU01 for most models built after 2015, ULTRAWF or WF3CB for earlier push-in housings, WF2CB or WF1CB behind the grille of older side-by-sides, and FPPWFU01 on newer PurePour models. On paper the genuine EPTWFU01 has the strongest claims, but it is not in NSF’s public database today, while the Waterdrop WDP-EPTWFU01 is, at a lower flow rating. On an ULTRAWF or WF3CB fridge, the genuine cartridge is the only option with a documented lead claim. Change it every six months or 200 gallons, buy in 3-packs, and if your water has problems a fridge filter cannot fix, treat it at the tap or at the main line with a whole house water filter.