--- title: "Cloudy or Discolored Ice: Causes and Fixes" description: "Cloudy ice from an ice maker, cubes with a white core, gray or black specks, a yellow tint or a crust of white flakes that float to the top of a drink." url: "https://icemakerrepair.center/problems/ice-cloudy-or-discolored/" --- # Cloudy or Discolored Ice Cloudy ice from an ice maker, cubes with a white core, gray or black specks, a yellow tint or a crust of white flakes that float to the top of a drink. ## What it usually means. Most ice from a door or freezer ice maker is a little cloudy, and that is normal: the water freezes from every side at once and traps air and dissolved minerals in the middle. Clear-ice undercounter units avoid it by freezing water in thin layers as it runs over a chilled plate, so cloudy ice from one of those is a sign something has changed. Specks and colors are a separate question. Fine black grains are usually carbon from a new filter. White flakes are minerals that the water left behind as scale. A yellow or brown tint comes from the water supply. Pink or black spots in an undercounter bin are a film that needs cleaning away. The 6 causes, cheapest first Answer these first 01 Is the cloudiness a white core in otherwise clear ice, or is the whole cube milky? 02 Are there black grains, white flakes or colored spots, and do they float or sink? 03 Was a new filter installed shortly before the specks appeared? 04 Is this ice from a clear-ice undercounter unit that used to make clear cubes? 05 Is the home on a well, or has the local water looked different recently? ## Check these before you book. Cloudy ice from an ice maker: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything. 01 Hold a cube to the light: a white core alone is normal, while specks, flakes or color are worth a closer look. 02 If a new filter went in recently, run several glasses of water through the dispenser, then discard the next batch of ice. 03 Replace the filter if it is past its rated months or gallons. ### Also worth checking - On an undercounter unit, look at the plate and the bin for white crust or colored film, and run the cleaning cycle if either is there. - Tell us whether the home is on a well or has a softener or reverse osmosis system. ### How soon does it need a visit? Cloudy ice is not urgent, and a cloudy core is normal. Colored film in an undercounter unit is worth cleaning soon; stop using that ice until it has been cleaned. ## The causes, cheapest first. 6 things cloudy or discolored ice turns out to be, from normal cloudy core to circulation pump weakening. [The cost guide](https://icemakerrepair.center/cost/) 1. 01 no repair ### Normal cloudy core Ice frozen in a mold traps air and minerals at its center. It is not a failure, and the ice is fine to use. No repair: check it yourself 2. 02 no repair ### Carbon fines from a new filter A new carbon cartridge can release fine black grains for its first few gallons. Running water through the dispenser before trusting the ice usually clears them. No repair: check it yourself 3. 03 lowest ### Filter past its life An old cartridge lets more of the minerals and sediment through, and they show up as specks and a duller cube. [Fixed by water filter and supply line service](https://icemakerrepair.center/services/water-filter-and-supply-line-service/) 4. 04 low to moderate ### Scale on an undercounter plate On a clear-ice unit, scale on the plate and the water distributor breaks up the thin flow of water, and the ice turns cloudy and flaky. [Fixed by undercounter ice maker cleaning and descaling](https://icemakerrepair.center/services/undercounter-ice-maker-cleaning-and-descaling/) [On an undercounter ice maker](https://icemakerrepair.center/types/undercounter-ice-maker-repair/) 5. 05 low to moderate ### Film in the bin or trough Pink, black or slippery spots in an undercounter unit are a growth that needs a full cleaning, not just an emptied bin. [Fixed by undercounter ice maker cleaning and descaling](https://icemakerrepair.center/services/undercounter-ice-maker-cleaning-and-descaling/) [On an undercounter ice maker](https://icemakerrepair.center/types/undercounter-ice-maker-repair/) 6. 06 moderate ### Circulation pump weakening The pump in a clear-ice unit keeps water flowing over the plate. When it slows, water sits still long enough to freeze cloudy. [Fixed by undercounter ice maker cleaning and descaling](https://icemakerrepair.center/services/undercounter-ice-maker-cleaning-and-descaling/) [On an undercounter ice maker](https://icemakerrepair.center/types/undercounter-ice-maker-repair/) ## What else it could be. Most often confused with ice tastes or smells bad, then ice maker making small or hollow cubes. [All problems](https://icemakerrepair.center/problems/) Codes that come with it - [`Time to Clean flashing` Café · Mode, not a failure](https://icemakerrepair.center/error-codes/cafe-time-to-clean-flashing/) - [`CL` Electrolux · Mode, not a failure](https://icemakerrepair.center/error-codes/electrolux-cl/) - [`EMPTY WATER FROM ICE BIN` Fulgor Milano · Mode, not a failure](https://icemakerrepair.center/error-codes/fulgor-milano-empty-water-from-ice-bin/) - [`Descale light` GE Profile · Mode, not a failure](https://icemakerrepair.center/error-codes/ge-profile-descale-light/) - [`FILTER EXPIRED` Monogram · Water supply and fill](https://icemakerrepair.center/error-codes/monogram-filter-expired/) - [`CLEAN flashing` Sub-Zero · Mode, not a failure](https://icemakerrepair.center/error-codes/sub-zero-clean-flashing/) [3 more codes, by make](https://icemakerrepair.center/error-codes/) Also related - [**Undercounter Ice Maker Not Draining** 5 causes](https://icemakerrepair.center/problems/undercounter-ice-maker-not-draining/) ### Ice Tastes or Smells Bad 5 causes ### Ice Maker Making Small or Hollow Cubes 6 causes ### Ice Maker Light Flashing 6 causes ## The makes it happens on. 27 makes on this site; cloudy or discolored ice can show up on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page. [All 27 brands](https://icemakerrepair.center/brands/) ## Cloudy or Discolored Ice, where we come out. 9 metros, each with its own page. 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[Wilmette](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/wilmette/) - [Winnetka](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/winnetka/) - [Glencoe](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/glencoe/) - [River Forest](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/river-forest/) - [Oak Park](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/oak-park/) - [Hinsdale](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/hinsdale/) - [Lake Forest](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/lake-forest/) - [Highland Park](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/highland-park/) - [Gold Coast](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/gold-coast/) - [Lakeview](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/lakeview/) [Los Angeles](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/) CA · 95 areas - [Beverly Hills](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/beverly-hills/) - [Bel Air](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/bel-air/) - 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[Sea Cliff](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/sea-cliff/) - [Hillsborough](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/hillsborough/) - [Atherton](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/atherton/) - [Woodside](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/woodside/) - [Palo Alto](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/palo-alto/) - [Los Altos Hills](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/los-altos-hills/) - [Tiburon](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/tiburon/) - [Piedmont](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/piedmont/) - [Marina](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/marina/) For the heart of your home. ## Questions about cloudy or discolored ice. ### Can I make the cubes from my freezer ice maker clear? Not really, because the mold freezes the water from every side. Clear ice comes from units built to freeze it in layers, which is what undercounter clear-ice makers do. ### Are the black specks harmful? Grains that appear right after a filter change are carbon from the cartridge. They are not pleasant in a drink, so flush the filter and discard the ice until they stop. ### Why did my clear-ice unit start making cloudy cubes? Scale on the plate or a slow circulation pump are the usual reasons. A descaling often brings clear ice back; if it does not, the pump is next on the list. ### Does white crust on a drink mean the ice is dirty? It means the water is hard. The minerals were in the water all along and are left behind as the ice melts. A filter or softener reduces it. --- **[Read on the site: Cloudy or Discolored Ice: Causes and Fixes](https://icemakerrepair.center/problems/ice-cloudy-or-discolored/)** **[Book a visit with IceMakerRepair.center](https://icemakerrepair.center/schedule/)**