The craft ice tastes bad but regular ice and water taste fine. Why is that and how can I fix it? My tap water also tastes fine so there is something about the craft ice maker that’s causing this. Also not picking up odor from freezer. Coming out that way null

Question

John · Accepted Answer

We got our refrigerator a month ago and we have the EXACT same issue. Water and regular ice taste fine… but craft ice balls are unusable as they taste so strongly of chemicals. 

It’s not our lines as we have a brand new copper ice maker line. 

I saw someone post the same question on LG’s forum and it never received a response. 

Frustrating because it was one of the main selling features of this product for me. 

If even LG themselves wouldn’t respond to a customer on their own forum, I would say avoid this product if it’s an important feature to you.

Connie · Answer

Same issue as others are reporting with our new LG fridge. The water and regular ice taste fine (so it is obviously NOT the waterline). Furthermore, we have excellent water quality in our home, it tastes phenomenal without going through any water filters, which proves that the problem is not with the water at all. It is something specific to the LG craft ice makers, period. I have thrown out 2 weeks worth of ice balls already, and the fresh ones taste as bad as the first ones, so I'm not at all sure if it's something that will eventually wear off or not. I hope so, because the chemical taste is so strong that it renders them completely useless! Yes, they are THAT BAD! :(

Answered by Connie 3 years ago

craig · Answer

I want to amend my previous statement about flushing the craft ice maker. I ended up cycling the ice maker 16-20 times and the ice finally taste good again. I think it is not flushing the line but flushing/cleaning the molds. I could tell it was getting better so I kept cycling it and now the ice taste great. I have no idea why this is not in the manual or readily available on troubleshooting.

Answered by craig 2 years ago

Craig · Answer

You can flush the craft ice maker water line to try and get rid of the bad taste. There is a button on the bottom side towards the front. The button is surrounded by a horseshoe shape. Push the button in and hold for 3-5 seconds, then close the freezer door. This will dump the tray. Wait a minute or two between cycles to allow it to refill. Do this at least 4-6 times to flush out the line. There is very little water that comes out at a time because the ball actually freezes in stages so it dispenses a little water, lets it freeze then dispenses more etc. until a full ball is formed. I called the support number and they walked me through this procedure. They were very helpful and I recommend calling them for assistance.

Answered by Craig 2 years ago

Sandya · Answer

We are having the same problem. It smells and tastes chemically on the cloudy part. It's a brand new fridge so it's not food odors or mold.

Range · Answer

Where is exactly the switch that Craig mentions? A pic would be helpful.

Answer

This is the button Craig is referring to. If you take out the ice tray and look under on the left of the craft ice maker. It is an unmarked button with a U-shaped plastic around it.

SaltyBalls · Answer

Same problem here. Just got this fridge a couple of weeks ago. A buddy of mine thinks it’s because the water/standard ice has a filter and the craft doesn’t so if you have a water softener the salt is settling in the cube.

Answered by SaltyBalls 3 years ago

TheFridge · Answer

Same here! Bought this and the water is filtered, tastes pretty good. But the Craft ice and even chopped/shaved ice taste horrible; liked rusty pipes kinda. : ( 
Any solution, or can the Craft ice be turned off. Just got it a month ago.

Answer

Same issue here. Small ice and water are fine, but the craft ice is unusable due to a horrible taste.

UnfortunateLGBuyer · Answer

Experiencing salty tasting craft ice after having the fridge for ten months.  I changed the water and air filter in August (six months after purchase and as recommended).  We did not have an issue until just a few weeks ago.  After replacing the filters we drained the 2.5 gallons of water and emptied both ice bins after two cycles of ice.  Upon calling our dealer who referred me to LG customer service as it is still under warranty and three different interactions, over the phone, with LG the problem still persists.  LG is more than unhelpful and they talk to me like I'm an idiot.  The water going into the fridge is fine; in fact, I've disconnected the water line going into the fridge and dispensed water directly from that line into a glass and drank the water just to make sure it wasn't the water supply line (LG suggested it was the supply line during the first call).  The water filter and air filter have been changed within the last few months. Today on the third call to LG, I drained an additional 2.5 gallons and reset the craft ice three times.  Each of those three times about a cup of water was released and I drank that water to see if the taste of the water is salty and it was perfect just like the water from any other faucet in my house.  There is obviously an issue with the freezing process or the components of the craft ice maker that are now causing craft ice to go salty.  Not only does LG fail to acknowledge the problem but they have, after three calls, still refuse to send out a service tech to resolve the issue.  The ice from the ice maker in the door does also have a slight odd taste but it isn't heavily salty tasting like the craft ice.  The water dispensed from the door tastes fine.  There is something about the ice making process that is causing this issue but LG, after three calls, is being very very difficult to work with.  My recommendation:  don't by LG!  Buy a brand that will stand behind their product and will fix it when it's broken and still under warranty.

MikeS · Answer

I can possibly help with this. We bought ours in December and flushed the water, ice, and craft ice many times. Water and ice tasted fine but the craft ice tasted terrible. Called LG and they asked if I had copper, stainless, or plastic water line. I told them that we had the stainless because the salesman upsold us form the cheap plastic line. I  was told the  best line for the refrig was the cheap plastic line. Went back to the store and the sales person said that is completely wrong bc but gave me the cheap plastic line for free. I replaced the stainless line with the plastic. Didn't fix the problem, so I texted a picture to LG as required. Called LG again and they told me to take the filter out of the refrig and drain 3 gallons of water out of water dispenser. Did that. They told me to put the filter back in and throw all the craft ice out and then try the new craft ice when it was made. Still tasted bad. LG then said that the filter was bad and they sent me 2 free filters and the craft ice has TASTED FINE EVER SINCE . Apparently there are a few defective LG filters for this model....

Answer

I too have an LLG with the craft ice.  It tastes like burnt plastic on the ice balls you can even taste it in whiskey.  I tried the cycling in putting the craft ice in another freezer ,nothing helped.  I had an extended warranty so I called Lowe's and they replaced the ice Maker, Which by the way is a pretty simple process at least for a tech who's done it many times because they all apparently need to be replaced.  I'm not claiming to have answer but right after the new ice Maker was installed and a new water filter was installed the ice tasted normal.  But now within a month it tasted as bad as ever.  It is not the water it is not the filter it is the ice Maker and I believe it's some type of seals or silicone.  People say to flush the system but this is very temporary.  Once you start doing this flushing it takes several days for the refrigerator to start making theHeist again normally and then they taste bad after a few days.  To summarize it's either this ice Maker equipment itself Or because it does not use much water and the water gets stale but it's getting stale within days or a week or 2 and this seems too short of time.  I think LG has a problem That cannot be fixed because of making so few of these craft ice balls period I am gonna switch to the 6 iceballs per day and see if this change the situation.  At this point really all I can do is save these ice balls for  Keeping the beer cold in the boat definitely not for whiskey.

Answer

Is it going to get better after flushinh it if we have a water softener and there is no filter for the craft ice?

Mari · Answer

How strange! Maybe try just making 3 spheres and not 6? Or evening cleaning out ice-mold.

TomK · Answer

This is a picture of the reset button. Press it for 5 seconds to flush the pipes and release the partially formed crafted ice. Flush it at least 10 times over two days and your ice should taste better.

Answer

Same issue here. Small ice and water are fine, but the craft ice is unusable due to a horrible taste.  This was not an issue for the first 2 years we owned the unit but it has been an issue for the last year.  Why doesn't LG address this with its customers.  Obviously something is wrong with the materials used.

Answer

We have the exact same problem: Craft ice tastes very strongly of chemicals (sort of like burnt plastic), but normal ice and water from the door taste fine. Our tap water is excellent (it tastes great out of the tap), and I've ensured that filter is fully screwed in (something mentioned by others).

It was suggested that this is due to chemicals in the craft ice maker left over from manufacturing, and that while it might clear up eventually, it would probably take at least a month of making ice to have any impact given that the device only makes 3/6 balls a day. The suggestion was to either remove/clean the ice marker manually, or cycle it using the test button at least 20-30 times. I've been doing the latter: a few times a day I hit the test button on the bottom of the icemaker and it pours out whatever cubes/water it has inside. I've probably done it 20 times and the taste does seem to have improved significantly.

Crafticemaker · Answer

I bought my LG refrigerator December 16, 2024 and started having salty balls. The rest of the ice and water is fine.  Called LG customer service and spent 2 hours going round and round about that.  They finally sent out a new craft ice maker and had the same problem.  Took the old one that I removed, wet my finger, ran it around the inside of the mold.  It was salty. There is a problem with the injection mold.  Started calling again and was told that they never heard of that problem.  I then found this site and how many people have had this problem for up to 3 years.  The customer service is obviously being told to lie to the customer.  Somehow I managed to get an appointment for a technician to come out on Monday, today is Wednesday, but at least I’m going to have a face to talk to.  I spent nearly $4k for this unit and I want it fixed.  This BS of lying to the customer is so bad that I also join the list of people that say DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM LG.  I never will again. The included picture is of the injection mold.  A wet finger and a swipe around the inside of the mold will give you the salty taste.

LifesNotsoGood · Answer

I don't think it can be fixed. I think the issue is from the silicon they use in the tray to mold the ice balls.

Scarlet · Answer

HI...If any one there, do they a better photo where the button to clear the craft ice is, as I can see where the finger is pointing but cannot see a button there just a spring inside the u shape piece.

Answer

Freezer when off how to rest?

TimmyH · Answer

I tried flushing the craft ice and mini ice cube trays over 20 times and it still tasted bad after a few days.

The solution that finally worked for me suggested by LG is to store ice in freezer bags, and I can confirm that even after 7 days, the ice in the freezer bag still taste great!

TimmyH · Answer

Thanks for the photo that shows where the unmarked button is! I had to use a phone on selfie mode to find the button. But flushing the mold now, hopefully it'll improve the taste!

Answer

Had the same problem and looked everywhere for an answer.  If under warranty, submit a claim and have LG replaced the icemaker.

Took the craft icemaker apart.  There is a youtube video on how to remove it - pretty simple.  Then took most of the icemaker forming trays apart (not so simple, but doable). The trays forming the ice are made with a silicon sleeve.  For me, the bottom sleeve had some crusty deposit on it (just on the bottom).  I took the sleeve apart and washed/scrubbed really well.  Seems to be the problem.  Put everything back together and hoping the issue does not come back.

Perhaps another way to fix this is to press the little buttom underneath the icemaker.  This will open the icemarker - when open, I'm thinking you can turn off the refrigerator and try to clean it without removing it.

Good luck!

Robert · Answer

Also have this same problem. I don't want to return the refrigerator but won't have an option if this doesn't resolve itself soon. My issue relates to the regular ice however. My craft ice tastes OK. Anyway, I keep throwing away bucket after bucket of ice hoping it clears up. LG does state that you should throw away the first two trays of ice. My guess is they have a chemical coating in the internal water lines creating this issue. Who knows what these chemicals are doing to their customers health.

SMTL · Answer

I am having the same issue. Has anyone gotten theirs resolved? Or know what to do to fix the problem?

LGUser · Answer

We had a similar issue - I was able to trace the taste/smell to the gasket around the in-door ice maker. The ice in the freezer and water tasted fine, but the ice in the door was horrible, so it clearly wasn't the line. There was no food in the fridge and it was a chemical taste/smell, not a food smell. We had a new PEX  line. We did the appropriate line flush for 5 minutes, and discarded the first four buckets of ice. I'm still working with LG to figure out what to do next.

LG Digital Customer Care · Answer

I hate to hear that your refrigerators water has an unpleasant taste. I can understand how frustrating this may be for you and I would love to help out.  All I can think is the waterline to the l freezer for the Craft ice. You can reach our customer service team directly at 800 243 0000. You may asked to provide your name, phone number, address, email, model/serial numbers, and date of purchase and we will be happy to assist you. ^Daphane

“The craft ice tastes bad but regular ice and water taste fine. Why is that and how can I fix it? My tap water also tastes fine so there is something about the craft ice maker that’s causing this. Also not picking up odor from freezer. Coming out that way”

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