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I have a GE GFE27GGDBB refrigerator and I just replaced the water filter in it. The water from the front dispenser is nice and clean, but the ice has an insane amount of particles in it. I noticed the little particles floating in my water when my cup was empty. I then took an empty water bottle and cut off the top and filed it with ice. After all of the ice melted, it looked almost like a snow globe when I swirled the water around. This has been going on for months now and I'm tired of dumping ice into the sink, and not having ice for drinks.

As another test, I tried bypassing the filter and ran water through the dispense again and it was still nice and clear. My tap water is also a lot clearer than what's in the ice. This question seems to pertain to my issue, but I've already replaced my filter and it's still nasty.

Could anyone please give me some advice on how to clean the ice system in this fridge out? Is there a way to turn on the water to the ice maker without taking the door completely apart? What's a good place to start with cleaning these?

Thank you.

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  • It sounds like something is shedding particles into the ice cube tray -- checked there for any junk?
    – ThreePhaseEel
    Commented Jul 5, 2016 at 2:06
  • It looks clear to me, but I'm not an expert on refrigerators. I don't suppose you know how to short out the wiring to get the water to the ice tray to flow, do you? If I could do that, I could see if it's coming out like that. In which case it's probably the motor for the ice maker.
    – Blerg
    Commented Jul 5, 2016 at 3:45
  • Can you find a wiring diagram for your fridge? (It may be posted inside)
    – ThreePhaseEel
    Commented Jul 5, 2016 at 3:54

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The white stuff is probably calcium (99% of the time)... so your water is "hard". When the water is cooled, the calcium aggregates and precipitates (white stuff). A filter will not remove dissolved ions (like calcium).

A water softener will replace calcium with sodium. That should solve the the white precipitate issue. However, before spending money, have the water tested.

You can (often) get your water tested for free from a kinetico dealer. However you should know what they say is a biased toward selling a water treatment system, so don't offer them any details of your problem; just ask them to check it. But if they say that you have hard water, then it's probably true.

The other possibility (1% of the time) is dissolved silicates. Again, the kinetico dealer would let you know for free. They would say you need a Reverse Osmosis (RO) system, which is expensive.

Edit Here's a simple home-test that you could do: Add a tablespoon of (regular, distilled) vinegar to a cup of water. Freeze one ice cube tray with regular water (for comparison) and another tray with the water containing a water + vinegar.

If precipitate does not form in the water+vinegar (or if the precipitate is comparably reduced) then calcium/hardness is very likely of the issue. If the amount of precipitate is about the same, then the issue is more likely silica.

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  • I didn't know hard water could do that. After reading what you wrote, I went and boiled away some water on my stove and pretty much everywhere there was water, there was a residue left behind. After looking at the 2011 water report for my city, there's almost 1ml/L, (over 865 ppm) of particulates in my water supply. Since it's not plastic particles in my ice, I'm fine with it as our bodies need some of the minerals anyways. Thanks for your help.
    – Blerg
    Commented Jul 5, 2016 at 22:27

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