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A tumbler of cloudy ice cubes with milky white centers held beside a scoop of crystal-clear cubes from an open stainless undercounter ice maker in a US home kitchen bar.

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.

(844) 773-0701

Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm

  • 5 checks before you book
  • 5 questions that narrow it
  • 6 causes, cheapest first

Book a visit

Three short steps, about a minute.

or call (844) 773-0701

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.

A technician's hands connect a braided stainless water line to a quarter-turn shutoff valve low on the wall behind a kitchen appliance pulled forward in a US home. 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
  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
  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 On an undercounter ice maker
  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 On an undercounter ice maker
  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 On an undercounter ice maker

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

Cloudy or Discolored Ice,
where we come out.

9 metros, each with its own page.

All service areas

Tampa BayFL · 31 areas

OrlandoFL · 30 areas

Miami / South FloridaFL · 47 areas

New York MetroNY · 75 areas

HoustonTX · 36 areas

ChicagoIL · 50 areas

Los AngelesCA · 95 areas

San DiegoCA · 31 areas

San Francisco Bay AreaCA · 74 areas

A parent and a child filling two glasses with ice from the door dispenser in a bright family kitchen
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.

Back to your everyday

Still seeing cloudy or discolored ice?

Book with what you checked above — 5 answers save the technician the first part of the visit.

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(844) 773-0701 Schedule a repair