Answers · Ice that comes out wrong
Why Are There Black Specks in My Ice?
The short answer
Sub-Zero's use and care guides say one thing about black flecks in cubes — stop using the ice and have the unit serviced — so pause rather than guess.
Check in this order
- Stop using the ice, empty the bin and bag a few specked cubes in the freezer.
- Fill a clear glass from the cold tap and look for the same specks.
- Note whether the water filter was changed recently, and whether the first ice afterwards was discarded.
- Wash the bin with mild soap and water, then rinse and dry it.
- Write down any white flecks, cloudiness or blue or green tint too.
Past this line it is a technician's job Sub-Zero Repair Tacoma, (206) 472-1140
Behind the answer
Sub-Zero does not say what black flecks are. It does name other marks: white flecks are calcium concentrated as ice melts and dries, and a blue or green tint means copper corroding in the supply line, a plumber’s job.
Specks in the tap water too are arriving with the supply. Tacoma Water says grit in home plumbing most likely comes from rust and minerals loosening inside galvanised or copper pipe.
New plumbing is the other suspect: Sub-Zero says to discard the first batches after start-up, which may carry impurities from new connections.
Related questions
Can I keep using the ice if I pick the specks out?
Sub-Zero's guidance is to stop using it until the cause is found. Empty the bin, keep a sample frozen, and call Sub-Zero Repair Tacoma, (206) 472-1140, so the specks can be traced to the water supply, the filter or the ice maker itself.
- Signed
- Marta Fennimore
- Role
- Refrigeration technician — ice systems and water supply
- In the trade
- 12 years
- Holds
- EPA 608 certified
- Checked
- Sep 18, 2026