If the lights on your Zip HydroTap have started flashing every few seconds, the tap is almost always telling you the filter has reached the end of its set life. This guide explains what each light pattern means, how to change and flush the filter, and how to reset the filter light on both G4 and G5 HydroTaps, using the steps in Zip's own user guides.

What the flashing lights mean

The lights work differently depending on your tap style, so find yours below. A filter warning is a slow, regular flash. A fast or continuous flash is a fault, which a filter change will not fix.

G5 Arc, Cube and Celsius taps

  • All lights flash every 10 seconds: a filter change is due.
  • Red or blue light flashes: a fault. The tap still works, but check the message on the Command Centre screen.
  • All lights flash continuously: a system fault. The tap will not dispense until it is cleared.

G5 Classic, Elite and Classic Plus taps

  • Classic and Elite: the FILTER light flashing slowly means change the filter. Any light flashing quickly means a system fault.
  • Classic Plus: the info light flashing means change the filter.

G5 Touch-Free Wave

  • White, blue and red cycling every 5 to 10 seconds: the filter needs replacing, the CO2 is running low, or there is an error. The Command Centre screen tells you which.
  • Red flashing as you use it: your hand is too close to the sensor, or the sensor has been touched or covered. This is not a filter warning.

G4 taps

  • On G4 taps the white filter light flashes when a change is due, and keeps flashing until the counter is reset. On G4 commercial models all three tap lights flash white every 10 seconds. The Command Centre home screen will also show the filter at 0%.
  • A light flashing quickly and continuously on a G4 means a system fault, not a filter warning.

Why the light comes on

The filter light is a counter, not a water test. The Command Centre tracks how many litres have passed through the filter and how long it has been fitted, and the light comes on when whichever limit is reached first.

  • G5 default settings: 12 months or 4,000 litres for residential taps, and 6 months or 6,000 litres for commercial taps.
  • G4 default setting: 6,000 litres, adjustable in 500 litre steps up to 10,000 litres.

Zip also notes that, depending on your local water and how heavily the tap is used, a filter can need changing before the light comes on. If you notice a change in taste, odour or chlorine, change it early.

Before you reset: change and flush the filter

Zip's instructions are to reset the counter after the new filter has been fitted and flushed. Resetting the light without changing the filter only turns the reminder off. You will need the replacement cartridge, a towel and a bucket.

  1. Place a towel under the filter, as water will drip when the cartridge comes out, and open the filter door on the front of the Command Centre.
  2. On a G4, relieve the pressure first with a quick open and close of the flush line stop cock, with the end of the flush line in the bucket.
  3. Rotate the old cartridge (a quarter turn clockwise on a G4) and pull it gently down. Keep it upright so it does not spill.
  4. Unpack the new cartridge, remove the sanitary cap and write today's date on the label. Avoid touching the o-rings or the filter opening.
  5. Moisten the o-rings with water, push the cartridge up into the filter head and rotate it until it locks (a quarter turn anticlockwise on a G4, with the label facing forward).
  6. Run a filter flush. Put the flush line in the bucket, open the flush line tap, then start the flush from the Command Centre screen and run 10 litres through. A little black carbon in the first water is normal.
  7. Stop the flush, close the flush line tap (on a G4, close the stop cock before pressing STOP), coil the line back into the compartment and close the door.

For more on the internal and external filters, see our guide on how to change your Zip water filter.

How to reset the filter light on a G5

  1. From the home screen, touch the top left icon to open the main menu.
  2. Open the system settings, then Filter settings, then Filter Reset.
  3. Choose Internal filter if you changed the taste and odour cartridge behind the door, or External filter if you changed the limescale filter on the water supply.
  4. Press reset to confirm. The usage counter for that filter returns to zero and the lights stop flashing.

To change how often the reminder appears, go to Filter settings, then Filter Life, where you can set the life in months or litres for each filter.

How to reset the filter light on a G4

  1. Press MENU, then Install.
  2. Press Filter Reset.
  3. Press Reset Internal Filter or Reset External Filter, matching the filter you changed.
  4. Press HOME to return to the home screen.

Filter life on a G4 is set separately under MENU, then Settings, which asks for the 4 digit settings password, then Filter.

Light still flashing after the reset?

  • Check you reset the right filter. Internal and external filters have separate counters. If you changed one and reset the other, the warning stays on.
  • Check the pattern. A fast, continuous flash, or a red or blue flash on a G5 Arc, Cube or Celsius, is a fault rather than a filter warning. Read the message on the Command Centre screen, as it will say what the fault is.
  • Check the CO2 on sparkling models. On a Touch-Free Wave the same light pattern covers a low CO2 cylinder, and the CO2 counter is reset separately after fitting a new cylinder.

Which replacement filter do I need?

The safest check is the part number printed on the cartridge you are taking out. Home and work HydroTaps use different filters, and Zip has changed its filter design several times, so match the number rather than the look.

Zip HydroTap 93702 0.2 micron replacement filter

Older taps may use the ZT402 (91290) or ZT002 (91240) cartridge instead. Our Zip filter range guide explains how to tell them apart, and you can see every filter we stock on our Zip water filters page.

Quick answers

How often should I change my Zip HydroTap filter?

By default, a G5 asks for a new filter every 12 months or 4,000 litres on a residential tap, and every 6 months or 6,000 litres on a commercial tap, whichever comes first. Heavy use or poor local water quality can mean it is needed sooner.

Can I reset the light without changing the filter?

The menu will let you, but that only switches the reminder off. The old filter stays in the tap, already past its set life. Zip's instructions are to reset the counter after the new filter is fitted and flushed.

Do I need a plumber to change the filter?

No. Zip lists the filter change under user maintenance, and all you need is a towel and a bucket for the flush.

Not sure which filter you have?

Call us on 01934 253600, or send a photo of your current cartridge on WhatsApp to 07340 354023, and we will confirm the right replacement. Free delivery over £150 ex VAT.