Coffee that tastes like the pool. A glass of tap water with a chemical edge. Ice cubes with a chemical aftertaste. If your kitchen tap is on chlorinated city water, a faucet mount filter is the quickest fix: no plumbing, no cabinet space, just better water at the flip of a lever.
This faucet filter replacement cartridge is the sealed, six-stage cartridge for the Crystal Quest Faucet Mount Water Filter System. It targets chlorine, VOCs, THMs, heavy metals and suspended solids, along with bad taste and odor, for drinking and cooking water straight from the tap.
At a glance
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Six stages of filtration in one sealed, drop-in cartridge
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About 2,000 gallons, typically 6 to 12 months
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A one-micron pre-filter pad on top catches fine sediment and rust before the water reaches the media
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Slow by design: about 0.3 gallons per minute, so every glass gets real contact time with the media
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Flip it to extend its life: reverse the cartridge to back-flush the media and stop channeling
What you are looking at
A white, sealed cylinder with the replacement steps printed on its label. One end carries the micron pre-filter pad; a hard white disk and a soft clear inner disk sit at the other end of the housing to hold everything in place. The cartridge drops into the lower half of your faucet mount housing, the upper half threads back on, and the diverter returns to the faucet. The housing, diverter and faucet adapters stay with your system, so a refill is just the cartridge.
Inside, six stages of filtration media are layered so water passes through each in turn.
How a faucet mount filter works
Mechanical first, media second
Water enters through the one-micron pre-filter pad. That pad strains out fine sediment and rust, so the media below spends its capacity on dissolved contaminants instead of grit. It is also the first thing to check if flow slows down: in areas with more sediment, the pad clogs sooner and can be replaced on its own.
Contact time is the whole game
Filtration media can only treat water it actually touches. A faucet filter has a small cartridge, so Crystal Quest rates the system at about 0.30 gallons per minute at 60 psi and recommends running the cold tap about one third of the way open. Slower flow means longer contact between water and media, and that means better filtration. If the filtered stream ever feels like a trickle compared with your tap, that is the design working, not a fault.
Why you flip it
Water takes the path of least resistance. Over months, it can carve a channel through the media and bypass the rest of the bed. Turning the cartridge over reverses the flow, back-flushes the media and puts the whole bed back to work. The system manual suggests rotating it about every three months.
Why cold water only
The cartridge is built for cold water between 40 and 85°F (4.4 to 29.4°C). Hot water is outside its rating, so always switch the diverter to unfiltered flow before you turn on the hot tap.
What it reduces
Primary targets (listed for this cartridge):
- Chlorine taste and odor
- Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
- Trihalomethanes (THMs), disinfection byproducts formed when chlorine meets organic matter
- Heavy metals
- Suspended solids, sediment and rust (the one-micron pad)
- Bad taste and odor
Not designed to treat: total dissolved solids (TDS), fluoride, nitrate or hardness minerals, and it is not for water that is microbiologically unsafe or of unknown quality. For fluoride or TDS, Crystal Quest under-sink reverse osmosis systems are the right tool.
Why Crystal Quest
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Six stages in a filter that fits on your faucet. Each stage adds another way to catch what is in your water before it reaches your glass.
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Long life per cartridge. About 2,000 gallons, typically 6 to 12 months, so changes are a twice-a-year job at most for many households.
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Made in the USA. Over 1,000,000 people served since 1994, under ISO 9001 quality management.
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Real help. Call, email or chat with our water filtration team whenever you have a question.
Where it fits
This cartridge, part number CQE-RC-04046, is the replacement for the Faucet Mount Water Filter System (6 Stages) in both chrome and white. Use it only in the Crystal Quest faucet mount housing; it is not a slot-in for other brands. Single, Pack of 2, Pack of 4 and Pack of 6 all contain this same cartridge.
Want filtered water at more than one tap, or a higher flow? Crystal Quest under-sink water filters put multi-stage filtration on a dedicated faucet.
Common questions
How long does a faucet mount cartridge last?
Approximately 2,000 gallons, typically 6 to 12 months. Replace it sooner if taste, odor or flow changes. Actual life depends on feed water quality, system configuration and usage.
Why is the filtered flow slow?
Filtered flow is meant to be slow: the system is rated at about 0.3 gallons per minute so water spends more time in contact with the media. If flow drops far below normal, the manual says the unit may be clogged; change the micron pre-filter pad or replace the cartridge.
Can I run hot water through the filter?
No. The faucet mount filter is for cold water only, within 40 to 85°F. Turn the diverter to unfiltered flow before running hot water.
Can I flip the cartridge to extend its life?
Yes. The manual describes using the cartridge inversely: remove it, move the micron pad to the other end, insert the disks in the bottom end, reinstall it and run water for 3 to 5 minutes. This back-flushes the cartridge and helps prevent channeling.
Does a faucet mount filter remove fluoride or TDS?
No. This cartridge targets chlorine, VOCs, THMs, heavy metals, suspended solids and taste and odor. Fluoride and total dissolved solids call for reverse osmosis or a dedicated fluoride stage.
Will this cartridge fit another brand's faucet filter?
No. It is made for the Crystal Quest Faucet Mount Water Filter System housing, with its micron pad and end disks. The system itself fits faucets with outside threads directly and faucets with inside threads using the included adapters.
How do I know it is time to replace it?
Watch for chlorine taste or smell coming back, or flow that stays slow after you replace the micron pad. Most homes reach the roughly 2,000 gallon mark within 6 to 12 months.
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Published cartridge specifications
| SKU |
FORMAT |
FLOW RATE |
CAPACITY |
| CQE-RC-04046 |
Sealed cartridge |
.3 gpm (1.1 lpm) |
Approximately 2,000 gallons (6 to 12 months)* |
| Operating specification (system manual) |
Value |
| Operating pressure |
20 to 60 psi |
| Operating temperature |
40 to 85°F (4.4 to 29.4°C), cold water only |
| Optimum service flow |
0.30 gpm at 60 psi (1.1 lpm at 4.1 bar) |
Media and filtration
| Stages |
6 |
| Pre-filter |
One-micron pre-filter pad (replaceable) |
| Reduces |
Chlorine, VOCs, THMs, heavy metals, suspended solids, bad taste and odor |
| Not designed for |
TDS, fluoride, nitrate, hardness, microbiologically unsafe water |
| Reversible |
Yes, rotate about every three months to back-flush |
Packs of 2, 4 and 6 (CQE-FM-00502, CQE-FM-00503, CQE-FM-00504) contain the same cartridge.
*Capacity is an estimate and varies with water condition and consumption. Actual life depends on feed water quality, system configuration and usage.
What is and is not included
| Not included |
Faucet mount housing, diverter and adapters (they come with the Faucet Mount Water Filter System) |
