Have you noticed that refrigerator’s ice maker is making ice cubes that taste bad or smell funny, this is a fairly common problem in ice makers and in this article we will examine some possible causes and solutions.
The first possible cause for ice that isn’t quite right is a dirty water filtration system filter. If your filter is older than six months you should go ahead and replace it since that is about as long as they are designed to work properly. In fact, if your family uses a lot of ice you may need to replace the filter at more frequent intervals, because the more water the filter has to purify the less time it lasts.You may want to order a few extra filters to keep on hand as well, luckily filters are not terribly expensive and can in most cases be ordered online.
A second possible cause for bad tasting ice is that you have stale ice cubes in your ice bin. If you don’t use your ice maker that often, it is possible that the old ice has absorbed odors from other items inside the refrigerator or freezer. It is easy for food gases and odors to be transferred to water and ice, especially from food that is old and spoiled.
To prevent this, keep a close watch on the items in your refrigerator and also empty your ice bin of old ice at regular intervals and clean the bin. This will go a long way in keeping your ice clean and preserving the taste.
A third cause is often a more difficult issue to treat and may have more of a negative impact on your health, and this is that your ice tastes bad due to an unhealthy water supply. In many cases city or well water can be loaded down with impurities of all types. Minerals, salt and sulfur will cause ice cubes to have an unpleasant taste and odor.
Obviously this is tied in very closely with problem number one above and the solution lies in the same direction which is keeping your refrigerator’s water filter changed at regular intervals. If you have more serious water problems, you may want to consider getting a master water filtration system that treats all the water coming into your household.
Also if your refrigerator didn’t come with a water filtration kit, and most of the older models did not, consider purchasing an add on filtration kit. These add on units are not terribly expensive and can be purchased online or at you local appliance repair parts provider.
A fourth cause of bad tasting ice is that hard water is affecting the water quality. The solution to this is to add a water softening system to your home. If you’ve already done this and still have bad ice, your unit may be using too much salt. In this case consult your owners manual and adjust the settings on the unit as needed.
Hard water may also be affecting the water quality. You can test for water hardness with water test strips, you may also need a water softening system. If you already have one in place, it may be using too much salt. Consult your water softening system owner’s manual and adjust settings as needed.
The last cause we will look at is food spills or mildew growing inside the freezer or refrigerator. Often times a refrigerator will have so many items in it that it becomes difficult to notice spills, so you should have a regular schedule set up to remove all food and clean the interior compartments. It is not advisable to use harsh chemicals such as bleach or ammonia as they may damage your unit’s interior walls and residual odors may leech into your foods. I suggest a solution of one tablespoon baking soda to one quart of water. In addition you may want to check your refrigerator’s owners manual for specific cleaning instructions.