what is in my ice ?

How are your ice cubes made? By hand or by your fridge?

In other words, do you fill your an ice cube tray with tap water or do you have an automatic ice cube maker?

If you use an ice cube tray, do you use a water filter pitcher to fill the tray?

If an ice cube maker, does it have a filter?

More than likely, it is mineral build up in your ice cubes that settle out.

the first fridge we made them by hand with pitcher filtered water. now, an automatic in the fridge. no filter. i am thinking about an inline. but i don't want to do that and have it not fix the problem.

You haven't said what kind of "stuff" is in the cubes. I assume that if you run a glass of water from the tap and leave it set on the counter for a few minutes you do not see anything in it? Assuming it's only in the ice, and it's "flecks", it's most likely calcium carbonate, and I can't say for sure because I have not dealt with it myself, just have known a few others who have, but do not believe that it is harmful at all. I remember someone saying they had ended up bypassing the softener for the ice maker, but not sure I would do that as it seems like it could lead to wear on the valve. You might check your water hardness though and see if you could possibly throttle the softener back a bit. Otherwise, you could try a filter, but, as you mentioned, you might do that and not see any change.

Sure looks like hard water.....best solution IMO would be to plumb the ice maker with the output of an RO system.

Softening the water with salt will work but you are just adding chemicals to your drinking water.

Completely clean or replace that old ice maker because the crud will continue to come out of it for a long time.

i am thinking about an inline. but i don't want to do that and have it not fix the problem.

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The inline carbon filters are only $10-$20. If you get one with push-in compression fittings already on them, it's a 5 minute install.

We get that in our ice and it is mineral accumulation. We have a softener but trace amounts still remain. As the ice evaporates in a frost free freezer, the minerals are left behind. We don't go through a lot of ice and the ice in the bottom of the tray can often be there for months (often, the wife just reaches into the tray and grabs cubes from the top rather than use the dispenser.). It hardens into a lump and only the cubes in the centre get picked up by the auger. I dump it all out every couple of months, clean it and start over.

As others have stated, it is mineral build up. Newer fridges have a filter that does it for bother the ice and water.

Get a filter that you can cut into the supply line for the ice maker and once you clean up the ice maker, you will notice a vast improvement.

Some minerals precipitate (settle out) from the water when it freezes. The effect is worse if the ice sits for a long time and the ice sublimates (evaporates directly to vapor), so there's less ice, but all of the minerals remain.

HotRodx10 said:

Some minerals precipitate (settle out) from the water when it freezes.

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are you saying that freezing the water makes the minerals separate easier ?

are you saying that freezing the water makes the minerals separate easier ?

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Yes.

Why does defrosted water contain impurities when the water was perfectly clear prior to freezing?

very interesting, thanx.

so, basicly, a filter will do nothing ? loaded question i know. saying this, my softener gets out a lot of the minerals in the city well water, and actually makes it taste just like nothing. and then the little salt that is in it from the softener.

Kryptonite is in your water, it will keep Superman at bay.

Old Thomas said:

Kryptonite is in your water, it will keep Superman at bay.

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well i'm in trouble then :nuke: