Water Softeners causing bad tasting ice cubes


  #1  
Old 10-08-17, 01:15 PM
D
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: New York, United States
Posts: 360
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Water Softeners causing bad tasting ice cubes

This is information that one of the major manufacturers are suggesting as a reason why their ice maker is living a taste or odor; your comment please. I just bought a new refrig with an icemaker and from day one the cubes had a metallic taste even after many batches. Contacted the mfg who oddly enough contacted me and was told a new ice maker would be arriving in two days and the service rep will exchange it. So, to eliminate a confrontation or blame I told him there was a water softener......it feeds the same water line as the kitchen sink and the valve and supply to the refrig goes off that line..........so, I opened the tap, filled a glass, had taken cup and froze that tap water and allowed it to thaw, then let one of the ice cubes from the ice maker thaw. When the service man came he was impressed how I wanted to make a point that the water softener is not the cause.....he drank the water out of the tap, he drank the water from the ice cube made f rom the tap and then drank the water made from a melted cube from the ice maker and smelled another cube also. No question, the water f rom the tap or thawed water from the tape was odor free, the water from the ice maker had the bad taste. He changed out the unit, told me to go through a few batches and guess what, still has a taste. They have been contacted, maybe it is the tube running from the valve on the refrig to the icemater but.....found out many have the problem and one of people who singed in said..."it is the water softeners fault"
Be interesting your feed back as to whether you have had any ice maker issues.
 
  #2  
Old 10-08-17, 01:31 PM
D
Banned. Rule And/Or Policy Violation
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: USA
Posts: 451
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
You didn't give us the make & model.
 
  #3  
Old 10-08-17, 04:04 PM
PJmax's Avatar
Group Moderator
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Jersey
Posts: 64,929
Received 3,950 Upvotes on 3,543 Posts
If that unit has the water in the door then it should have its own filter.
If not.... an external filter is highly recommended.
 
  #4  
Old 10-08-17, 04:13 PM
Gunguy45's Avatar
Super Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: USA
Posts: 19,281
Received 6 Upvotes on 6 Posts
And what kind of supply line are you running? I can maybe, somehow, off in the distance, through a fog, see that a metal (copper) line might impart some taste, but not a stainless flex poly or plain poly line.
 
  #5  
Old 10-08-17, 04:32 PM
Akpsdvan's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Alaska
Posts: 1,680
Upvotes: 0
Received 9 Upvotes on 9 Posts
One thing to take into account is the low flow through any softener before an ice maker or RO system, that low flow could channel through the softener and thus poor water quality.
One might try changing the settings on the softener to a higher comp hardness , say it is 15 now, change it to 25 and run a cycle on the softener and then next day run the ice maker a few times and see how the ice turns out.
Just a thought
 
  #6  
Old 10-10-17, 01:18 PM
D
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: New York, United States
Posts: 360
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Model number requested

This is an LG French door, freezer on bottom. LFS22520. The other question ask or mentioned is what is the supply. It is the same stainless supply used to connect faucets and since they are so common I would not think there is some type of foreign tubing inside.

HOPE THIS ANSWERS SOME OF THE QUESTIONS FOR REPONSES........WE ARE REALLY LOST ON THIS ONE. ANOTHER TECH FROM LG COMING ON FRIDAY.
 
  #7  
Old 10-10-17, 04:27 PM
D
Banned. Rule And/Or Policy Violation
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: USA
Posts: 451
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Can you disconnect the supply line at the refrigerator? Fill an ice tray with the water from the supply line. Freeze it in the freezer & taste test it.
 
  #8  
Old 10-11-17, 10:56 AM
D
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: New York, United States
Posts: 360
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Yes that probably could be done, my thought after the fact was maybe it is the tube that runs from the water hook up valve on refrig to the ice maker. Rep is coming on Friday and will have to ask him that question since others have had an issue with LG ice makers. Will advise you, thanks for the response.
 
  #9  
Old 10-17-17, 04:31 PM
D
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: New York, United States
Posts: 360
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
thanks to all

Got frustrated, last thing the service man was going to try was replacing the tube from the valve to the ice maker...........while waiting for at appointment date I decided to each time the icemaker dumped,, put a few cubes in a cup to thaw and then drink later. After I did that about five times I noticed that "taste" was gone. I continued to do it for another day and yep, whatever was causing the issue , its gone. Ice finally after the original united passed four to six trays and ice still was horrible, to a new icemaker installed and the first four there still had the taste.........baffles everyone, do not have a clue unless that tube taking the water from the valve to the icemaker had something internal that eventually got washed away or........whatever.
Thanks to everyone who offered suggestions.
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description:
Your question will be posted in: