Nothing can beat a soothing and refreshing lemonade on a hot summer day. A cool lemonade with a few floating ice cubes on top blows away all the tiredness on a warm, hectic day.
And, just like that, many of us like to drink iced tea more often than not. So, what do both of these liquid refreshments have in common? You guessed it!!! They both come with a bunch of ice cubes.
And, just like that, ice cubes become a heavily used ingredient during the summers. That’s why ice makers are such an everyday commodity.
But won’t it be ridiculous if your ice maker doesn’t produce ice cubes as fast as you imagined? Your water filter might just be the reason behind this. Worry not.
In this post, we’ll be discussing how water filters can slow the function of ice makers. Let’s go.
Can my refrigerator ice maker slow down?
Yes, ice makers do sometimes produce ice cubes at a slower rate. A variety of reasons can play their roles in such an act. The most familiar of those are slow water pressure and faulty configuration.
Typically, refrigerator ice makers take about 1.5 to 2 hours to produce a tray of ice. Generally, you’ll get about 8-10 ice cubes from a tray, depending on its design.
Furthermore, if you continue to take out the ice cubes and refill the tray, you will get approximately 10-12 pounds of ice a day. So, you see, ice making is a pretty slow process.
And, it might take up even more time due to the faulty configuration of the ice maker. If the temperature setting inside the ice maker is off by a certain amount, it will take more time than usual to produce ice.
- For example, in most refrigerator ice makers, the temperature should be within 0-5 O Fahrenheit (-18 to -15 O Celsius). Generally, it would yield a faster result when it comes to ice-making.
Moreover, low incoming water pressure can delay the ice-making process as well. Also, if your refrigerator is too old, the compressor tube might be sluggish to offload the heat inside. And this results in ice makers producing less ice than usual (at a given time).
So, you see, improper setting, low water pressure, and old age: all contribute to ice makers making ice at a slower rate.
Can my water filter slow down my ice maker?
Yes, a clogged inline water filter can hamper the ice maker’s capacity to produce ice fast. The low incoming water pressure from the water filter is the primary reason behind this.
Generally, most ice makers require more than 20 PSI of water pressure to produce ice. As a result, if the water comes from an inline water filter, you should make sure the output water pressure is above 20 PSI.
Typically, the tap water pressure at our home is between 40 to 150 PSI. But, the pressure level gets truncated as it enters a water filter.
The water pressure might not go down much when passing through a pitcher water filter or a carbon block filter. But, it will get significantly reduced if you have a reverse osmosis or RO water filtration system.
So, you see, a clogged inline water filter and, in some cases, RO water filter reduces the water pressure. And, when the pressure goes below 20 PSI, the ice maker slows down as well.
Why do water filters slow down ice makers?
Water filters can slow down the ice-making process by reducing the water pressure at the ice maker. And, if the water filter cartridges are too old, this will happen more frequently. Also, when water passes through a reverse osmosis membrane, the pressure drops down. As a result, ice makers can’t produce ice cubes fast.
Generally, a filter consists of a variety of cartridges. For instance, a RO water filter will contain a sediment filter, one or two activated carbon filters, and a RO membrane.
As it continues to purify water, the impurities accumulate in the filter cartridges bit by bit. And, if you don’t replace the cartridges periodically, they will purify less and less water.
Generally, the sediment and activated carbon filter cartridges can serve up to six months. On the other hand, a RO membrane will last at least a year.
You can check out our post here, where we discuss how long these cartridges might last. After their natural lifespan, the cartridges will cause clogging inside the filter.
As a result, the water pressure goes down. Furthermore, inside the reverse osmosis membrane, the water gets divided into permeate and wastewater. Therefore, the water pressure in permeate water is lower.
And, if the water pressure goes below 20 PSI, the ice maker will stop producing. So, you see, a clogged reverse osmosis water filter can seriously slow down an ice maker.
How can you reduce the water filter’s effect on the ice makers?
There are multiple ways to counteract the slowing down effect of ice makers.
Firstly, you should periodically replace the cartridges of your water filter.
As mentioned earlier, water filters come with various stages of filtration. And all these cartridges have a natural lifespan. After it expires, you should replace the cartridges, or it will cause clogging. As you change the old cartridges, the water pressure will increase. As a result, the ice maker will work more efficiently.
If you’d like to know more about the various stages of a water filter, you should check out our post here. Also, you can find out more about water pressure from our post here.
Secondly, you can install a booster pump at the end of the filter. The pump will significantly improve the incoming water pressure of the ice maker.
A handful of reverse osmosis water filters come with a built-in booster pump. For example, the Waterdrop WD-G3 water filter has its very own booster pump. Check out the full review of the product here. Also, if you’d like to find out more about booster pumps, check out our article here.
Thirdly, you can easily invest in a portable ice maker. Most portable ice makers take about six to ten minutes to convert water into ice cubes. In addition to being fast, they can yield about 26-30 pounds of ice a day.
So, you see, if you need to produce ice fast, you should check out the portable ice makers first. Our top choice in this category is the classiest, GE Profile Opal Nugget Icemaker. Check out the product here on Amazon.
The Aglucky Countertop Icemaker machine can be a budget-friendly option. Take a look at Amazon.
Conclusion
Finally, it’s time to wrap up the article. Throughout this, we tried to discuss how water filters can slow down your ice maker on a hot summer day. Pretty frustrating, right?
And that’s why we also showed you ways to address the issue. As water filters are mandatory, you should replace the cartridges to maintain adequate water flow. And this, in turn, ensures the ice maker works well.
And, for an even faster result, you should check out the portable ice makers. Just pour the water inside, plug it in, and viola!!! Within six to ten minutes, you will have the intended ice cubes.
So, what do you think? Did we answer all your questions about ice makers? Or do you still have some queries left? Leave those in the comments.
And, if you’d like to read informative articles like this, check out our blog page here. Cheers!!!
