Clear Ice Maker and Softened water...

Some people can taste the difference in water after it has been softened, this is due to the fact that minerals such as lime and calcium have been removed. As to the amount of salt in the water, non-issue. There is less salt put into 5 gallons of water than what is in 1 piece of white bread. If the softner is working correctly the majority of the salt is removed from the system in it's rinse cycle.

The best solution would be to get a reverse osmosis system to feed the ice maker and drinking water systems, and soften all other water. This way you will have the cleanest possible water for drinking, cooking and ice. While saving your expensive fixtures from the hard water. Under sink filters will remove sediments and some chemicals (depending on the filter). In the long run you will spend more money on those filters than you would with an R.O system, and not have as safe water. Your dish washer should only have a hot water feed and that should be soft.

A plumber is a plumber, he is not a water expert. Talk with one of you local conditioning companies.

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The best solution would be to get a reverse osmosis system to feed the ice maker and drinking water systems

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RO systems rarely provide sufficient water pressure to allow an icemaker and fridge water dispenser's water valve to close properly so an added 'booster pump' may be required for the fridge's water supply. Also, when hooking up the water line, it is important to NOT use copper (which is normally recommended for such an application) and instead plastic tubing should be used.

JMO

Dan O.
www.Appliance411.com
The Appliance Information Site

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Thanks alot you guys!!!!!!!!!! I appreciate the time you take to answer silly questions like mine. Just want to make sure everything is right!

I have installed hundreds of R/O sytems on ice makers. Very rarely is a booster pump needed. Most of the time the ice maker/water disspensor on the fridge and a separate faucet are supplied by the system. The system pressure will equal house presure when the holding tank is full. Most of the time this will far exceed what is needed for the ice maker to work properly.

It is also true that you can not use copper line to run the R/O water through. Thus plastic line is used. There is no problem using plastic line to hook into an icemaker feed. Every new fridge uses plastic line internally now.

** I have installed hundreds of R/O sytems on ice makers. Very rarely is a booster pump needed. **

It may not be a problem but can. These are quotes from the Amana web site, most of the other fridge manufacturers have similar recommendations:

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Can my reverse osmosis system be used with my icemaker?

We [Amana] do not recommend connecting the refrigerator water line to a reverse osmosis system. A reverse osmosis system may not provide the consistent water pressure required for the ice maker and/or dispenser to work properly. If the pressure is not high enough, it can cause the water valve to not close completely and allow water to randomly pass through it and overfill your ice maker.

What should the water pressure be in the water line for the icemaker?

There should be 20 to 120 pounds per square inch (PSI) of water pressure. If the refrigerator has a factory installed water filter, the water pressure should be 35 to 120 PSI.

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** There is no problem using plastic line to hook into an icemaker feed. Every new fridge uses plastic line internally now.**

But most of the internal water lines are not subject to the heat in the area of the compressor and condenser which can cause a plastic water line to become brittle and fracture more easily. Most appliance service technicians recommend copper water line be installed whenever possible to help avoid the possibility of flooding should the water line break.

JFYI

Dan O.
www.Appliance411.com
The Appliance Information Site

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[This message has been edited by DanO (edited November 19, 2003).]

There is a difference between an ice cube maker and a clear ice cube maker. This discussion doesn't touch on this. A clear ice cube makers can reject impurities in the water. The clear cube is made of pure water (a reflection of purity). A clear ice cube maker can "reject" impure water without freezing the polluted water.
A commercial clear cube machine can be where the water is clean (clean tap water), with a cleaning cycle (dispose of impure water) every 10 cube building cycles. But in Arizona, for example, the cammoercial clear cube maker cleans itself every cube cycle (10x more flushing of impure water).
But a residential clear cube makers typically can't be adjusted for feed water purity like a commercial clear cube maker can (amount of programmed flushing changed). But the residential clear cube makers has a certain amount of mineral rejection capacity. Hopefully your tap water is pure enough to make a normal residential clear cube maker make clear cubes (pure water cubes).

There is a difference between an ice cube maker and a clear ice cube maker. This discussion doesn't touch on this. A clear ice cube makers can reject impurities in the water. The clear cube is made of pure water (a reflection of purity). A clear ice cube maker can "reject" impure water without freezing the polluted water.
A commercial clear cube machine can be where the water is clean (clean tap water), with a cleaning cycle (dispose of impure water) every 10 cube building cycles. But in Arizona, for example, the commercial clear cube maker cleans itself every cube cycle (10x more flushing of impure water).

Don Z
But a residential clear cube makers typically can't be adjusted for feed water purity like a commercial clear cube maker can (amount of programmed flushing changed). But the residential clear cube makers has a certain amount of mineral rejection capacity. Hopefully your tap water is pure enough to make a normal residential clear cube maker make clear cubes (pure water cubes).

Just reading about this as well. I have a new house on a well but have lots of calcium and magnesium. I had a ULine nugget ice maker installed and have had major problems with it. Hasn’t worked 8 or 9 months out of the 14 months we have lived here. I love my well water taste and have installed a softener at the well. Now I am trying to figure out what I need to install to for the ice maker. I did read about the reverse osmosis and a phosphate water softener and a salt free water filter. Good luck.

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