Tips for Perfect Ice

For most people, IMC simply works. But, every freezer – and all water – is different. Here are some tips for the most perfect ice. Try them in order.

• IMC is designed to maximize ease of use for the most people. It works best with plain tap water – not filtered, not reverse-osmosis. Mineral content is important to the freezing process.
• If your ice isn't perfectly clear, try hot tap water. The hotter, the better (Never boiling water!).
• Set your freezer to 0 deg f. This is usually 1/2-3/4 of the way towards the cold end of the settings if there is no degree-based temp setting. If the freezer is set colder than this, some freezers will blow air constantly and disturb the formation of the temperature gradient which is critical to formation of clear ice.
• Make sure there is no air blowing directly on or over the tray. Your freezer may not be blowing when you open it, so look for the air vents, and place the IMC unit away from them. If that isn’t possible, divert the vent with an item in the freezer! Sometimes the air vents are hard to see because they blow down from the ‘roof’ of the freezer - often true in top freezers.
• After you fill the base with water, make sure there are no trapped air bubbles stuck to the inside of the base, or inside the trays. All water is not the same. Some water is more prone to having bubbles of air stick to the sides. Just do a quick wipe with a clean hand.
• Lastly, if you are still experiencing issues – especially with tiny bubbles, try 1/4-1/2 spring water (the cheap kind in the 2-gal jug). Don’t buy purified water, or RO water. It is important that there is enough mineral content in the water to allow nucleation in the bottom of the base and ‘pull’ the cloudy water away.
• In rare circumstance small white particles/flakes appear on the ice. These flakes are calcium and are caused by a reaction between hard water and silica (from which Silicone is made). They are not harmful. Try using softer water / bottled water / filtered water. You may need to first clean the tray and base with a 50/50 water/vinegar solution to remove any build up. This is an issue common to all silicone products and hard water.