Instructions on Page 9, bottom of left column under Descale Notification: it states that after 100 hours of ice making, the 'Cleaning' indicator will start flashing to alert you that a descale cycle is needed. So you are warned as to when to descale. Love your videos. Did not know you had so many on different products. First saw the ones for Keurig....great job!!!
Just a dad, you are just a amazing. I got this ice maker for Christmas two years ago. It was set up when I woke. No box. No manual. No instructions. When I noticed black stuff in my ice, it dawned on me …😒 “hmmmm how do this thing get cleaned? Like my fridge, where is the filter?!” Thank you and thank God for your ministry of helping others. I feel very confident in what I need to do and know this will extend the life of this wonderful Christmas gift! ✨💖✨💖🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
I can NOT thank you enough! My 2.0 started this noise a few days ago. Then started just dropping a few pieces of ice and melting then stopped making ice altogether. But was saying making ice. I watched your video and decided to give it one more try but your way of cleaning. After the clean it dropped a few pieces again and had very little of that annoying noise. So I unplugged it for a few minutes then back in. Now I’m back in business!!!! All thanks to you. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!! 🙏🏽 you’re the best ❤
Thank you so much for this! I did it last night according to your directions. Finished up today. I realized you can pop out the little filter in the reservoir and rinse it out. Mine was pretty gross 🤢. Great tutorial!
You are an absolute godsend. I love how you're so methodical and go step by step. You're also extremely clear. The vinegar soaked towel demonstration as well as your sensor cleaning recommendation helped a lot! Thank you and subbed!
Thank you! I’m glad I checked here and saw your video before I moved forward with prying the cover off of my Opal to find the sensors. Thanks a million!
Make sure that every so often you clean the screen on the water intake. We've had our ice maker for about 18 months. We went through the cleaning and descaling process this weekend, and on a whim, I pulled out that little screen. It was caked with crap and quite blocked. I ran water through it backwards, and gently brushed it off with an old toothbrush.
You can buy the Opal water filters for about $20 each. They last 90-days and you can store that little screen in a drawer. Just be sure to remove the filter whenever you use vinegar to de-scale the machine.
I've had this a year and it just started asking "Add Water" even though the side tank was full. So I pulled it all apart and found gunk and slime and white calcifications. So then I pulled the screen off and scrubbed it and started cleaning it all with vinegar. I was looking at the manual for instructions on cleaning the censors but couldn't find anything on getting the top off even though the manual shows a pic with it off. I only got as far as the screws before I got annoyed and decided to "TH-cam it." That's when I found your video and I'm SOOOOO glad I did! I hope the vinegar cleaning process takes care of my "Add Water" issue. At this point I'm troubleshooting.
thanks for the great video. I was able to complete the descaling and sanitizing. I haven't done it since we bought 2 years ago. I will not wait that long again. I also did the same as James Blackmore with the screen. Lots of junk on the screen. Also, I use the side tank. I am starting to think that because of that the inside doesn't get used like it would normally. Which is why I have a lot of junk in the water under the tray. Anyway. thanks again. Loved the video. PS. I took the back off and removed the B hose going to the side bottle. It was not looking too good. So, I cleaned that with some straw brushes.
Amazing that your ice stayed frozen in the sink for 18 hours, lol. Would have liked to see a before and after of the scale; I’m going from western Montana (very hard water) to central FL and it’s got chunks of limescale in it right now.
I use Kirkland brand water (Costco). It’s reverse osmosis water & won’t cause the build up as much. I still clean with vinegar & bleach once every couple weeks, we love this machine, trying to ensure its long life.
1. Drain and take off the screen 2. Fill to the max reservoir with the vinegar 3. Run the cleaning cycle for 3 times and clean all of the pieces (wipe everything down with the vinegar) 4. Let sit overnight (18 hrs) with vinegar soaked towel in the ice chute 5. Wipe down the sensors 6. Drain all the vinegar (can run it again) 7. Wipe down and rinse out with water 8. Run the clean cycle with clean water at max line at least 3x 9. Clean anything that has vinegar on it 10. Do the 3x clean with another new refill of clean water and drain Then put clean water in for the ice making!
I got a used 2.0. She said it was cycling from Ice to Cleaning/Defrosting. She had two new bottles of ice machine descaler instead of vinegar. The key is that every so often I would put the machine in cleaning so to move 'fresh' fluid. That way, this is replenishing the fluid. When you do this it will remove any that's loose and 'replenish' the solution for the best reaction to to keep working. So, don't just let it sit for the entire 18hrs. Afterwards I flushed 4 times. Then, I did the disinfectant (bleach). Run the cleaning TWICE (to ensure that the correct ratio of bleach is in the system). You want to make sure that it's really got into the system given the limited amount that is being exchanged vs the amount of water in the tank. Then flush (at least) three times. Machine has been working GREAT the last time I checked.
Thanks for the video! I'm pretty sure the illustrations for cleaning the sensors are meant to show "x-ray vision" of the sensor locations, as opposed to implying that you need to remove the top of the ice maker. Disassembly wouldn't make sense considering they are accessible from below, and there is no mention of removing screws, etc.
@@JustADad so I did the cleaning and I noticed when mine is running the clean cycle water is only coming from the left side not both sides like urs does in the video… wondering why.. 🤔 any thoughts?
I love this video and use it every time I clean. Question: I did the descale process on Saturday and now my machine is making a LOT of squeaking/grinding noise. Sounds like the motor. Any idea what that could be? Never happened before and I've descaled it many times.
I bought this ice maker last week during the Amazon Prime sale. Unfortunately, I had no clue just how much upkeep they require. I'm very disappointed that the ice sticks together and requires an ice pick to separate it before using. Very messy. I'll definitely be returning it. Thank you for the video.
Great video! The SmartHQ smartphone app suggests a de-scaling after one week, but the owner's manual says the unit will flash to de-scale after 100 hours of making ice. I'm left wondering which one is correct?
Trying to clean my machine but keep getting add water! I have added water to make ice but got add water. I thought maybe descale but turn on clean then switches to add water! Any suggestions
@@gaylagreenfield5014 Try un-plugging your machine for 5-10 minutes and trying again. Maybe this will reset something? I usually get the add water notification if we use a lot of ice. If I had known I would have to clean this damn thing so often, I would have re-considered the purchase. The machine works flawlessly, but I don't like cleaning it every 10 days or so. Good luck to you.
Two suggestions: First, if you're going to be without ice for 18 hours dump the existing ice in a container in the freezer, not in the sink. Second, consider adding a water distiller (about $90 at Walmart and about 35 cents a gallon in energy) and only put distilled water in your machine. Makes for REALLY delicious ice, but also means you never have to descale it and you can clean it once a month or so.
@@jhillestad Only if you drink it straight. It pulls minerals off your teeth but you would have to drink it for a long time. Adding that ice to a any other drink would make it perfectly safe.
Great video! I tried all the steps but after 18 hours and cleaning cycles it said it was making ice, but then didn’t make any. I woke up today to flashing defrosting sign and no ice. Any more ideas?
Does your cleaning button flash after you have cleaned your machine? I am wondering if that is normal or if it means something else. I could not find anything about it in the manual. This video really helps! Thank you!
This video was so detailed and helpful. I will save for future cleanings. It didn’t look like you changed vinegar each of the three times. I wondering about that. Just a note. My ice machine squeals all the time. Even when I clean it. I have noticed when it squeals it has ice buildup at the top where that hole is. Is there something I can do to stop the squeals? I have 3 family members that have the same machine and they never have a squealing squeaky noise. Thanks again. 😊
Trying this now, I’ve been doing the beach cleaning, didn’t realize I had to do it with straight vinegar. My machine has been making high pitched squealing sounds
Yes it helped, I also moved to a new home that is not on a well and my ice machine has worked flawlessly. I’m going to assume the issues I’ve had with the Opal stemmed from running well water through it
GE recommends a vinegar: water ratio of 1 vinegar : 2 water. They say run it through the machine once, then fresh water rinse 3 times with new water each time.
If you have the app, it tells you when to descale. I also use Zero water, very little build up. Just cleaning. Run water through about 3 times after a half vinegar half water solution... ice tasted fine afterwards... I don't wait 18 hours. Not patient enough! LOL
When cleaning i seen he only poured fresh water in once for the cleaning cycle? Is that right or did i miss something lol im so confused! Or do i keep adding fresh water for the 3 cleaning cycles? 🤔🤔🤔 hope im making sense! I need help lol 🙏🙏
Hi there. Thank you for this. We haven’t had ours but about a month and we love it… I have cleaned 3 times with the bleach but haven’t done the descale. How often do you do this? I use tap water but I do have one of their filters. I don’t want ours to get moldy and slimy like I’ve been reading about. Is what you do sufficing to keep it in good operation. I am having a problem with the side tank not always being read. Thank you for your time. Gj
Why does the manual talk say to "tap" clean button "to initiate 3 min sanitize cycle" vs. "hold the 'clean' button to initiate 55 min descale cycle"? I can't get the clean button to operate on a "tap" and when I press and hold for 3 seconds, it cleans for 3 minutes. I'm very confused. Also, the "clean" button is blinking on mine after it's done with the cycle. I don't see that happening on any videos.
How long have you had yours in operation? I have had mine for a year, but part of that time it stayed in the box while the kitchen got renovated. Once I turned it on, I never turned it off. Seems to work fine. Do you turn yours off at night?
Great video, but I seriously am debating returning this machine. This seems like a hassle every 3 weeks. Is that really necessary? I love nugget ice but this machine makes weird noises that wake my kids up in the middle of the night. Sounds like a motor is burning out on the defrosting mode. Is this machine not smart enough to shut off when water is low?
I have been using my deer park 5 gallon jugs and the smart hq app says it needs descaling but I don’t know if it’s just based on a schedule every few weeks or monthly to show it it detects it has deposits and needs to be cleaned? With that said what is the best vinegar to purchase? I think I’ll still descale but I don’t think it has to be as frequently as they say (also live on east coast) but using the deer park water I hope helps
Please help! Lol i cleaned mine for the 1st time today & after putting it away i found a spring that had to have came off it but idk where it came from 😭😭 lol should i be worried or will it still work without?? Or do you have any idea where it may have came off of??? Thanks in advance!!!! 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
My clean cycle isn’t working, I don’t see the vinegar coming down. My machine hasn’t been making ice at all today, it says Add Water and there was water in the reservoir and the side tank.
You will get hard water mineral build up after using this for some time. it will look like white calcium build up, the vinegar will remove this and keep the machine working good.
thank you i’m just confused because ive been using water bottles and i just bought it and a week after using it it said to descale on the app so do you do it often?
@@paigerussell1919 if you run the bleach cycle that notification will go away. So it potentially just means to clean. We use distilled water and I get that notification about 1-2 weeks. I'm just trying the vinegar clean right now to see if that'll change the frequency of the notification
Thanks for the video. Just one thing though. You're supposed to heat the vinegar to 100-120 degrees first. Also, it's a crime to throw that good ice away in the sink! Save it in the freezer to eat while your Opal is cleaning :)
Just a dad. How do I trouble shoot my ice maker? I descaled it and not it won’t make ice. Been on for over 24 hours. I’ve rechecked connections, powered on and off three times and then rechecked water levels. It now says “add water”
Do you have any tips on what to do if the machine starts making slushy ice? It started happening after I cleaned the first time. Ran another clean cycle but no luck.
I am having a problem with the ge app. I do not use the water filter. It says water filter expireb but it will not let me reset it on the app. any suggessions would be appreciated.
So I did the vinegar thing but water is not coming out both tubes. On cleaning it only runs for maybe a 1 minute then says add water. I don't know what else to do
We went 14 months using RO water before we did this process (the process helped, it had just started struggling to make enough ice). Probably going to clean it every other month now, just to keep things fresh, we use a lot of ice, so we're constantly refilling the side tank, I figure that will help keep it clean, as it's almost never stagnant.
Has anyone else experienced a strong chemical/burnt plastic taste in their ice? We use Zero water, have gone through all of the cleaning and descaling procedures and the taste is still there. Wondering if something could be leaking from the machine into the water? 😬
@@pinkprncess77ame here. I clean it once a year real good just like this video and it stays perfectly clean. Not sure why it says needs descaling might just be a timer or the sensors have a tiny bit of buildup. If using distilled water its safe to say cleaning is almost unnecessary
Yesss please don’t break the top of the machine off like I did due to very unclear instructions. I am pisseddd the booklet looks as if you’re suppose to pop the off
does anyone else have any problems with mold in their ice chute area where youre supposed to leave a damp vinegar soaked towel overnight? Something tells me that the mold is near impossible to get rid of.
Look up the video on how to open up the top and clean out the top reservoir, depending on how long you had it, it will either disgust you or you'll be like oh that's still yucky. So everyone who has any generation model you'll probably want to clean out the inside semi hard to get to reservoir. Mine is a original 1b first build that we have had for years and I didn't know about that reservoir... It was disgusting! And we use distilled water as well as clean monthly with bleach. So now I'll just clean monthly inside and out. It's a little hassle but definitely worth clean non algae yucky reservoir made ice!
@@melissaharris9965 it's been a while you'll just need to search TH-cam, if I remember right there were a few videos of complete open and clean. Sadly ours didn't last long after the complete cleanings.
Doesn't distilled water taste really bad? Are you gus meaning filtered water? Youre ne er supposed to drink distilled. It leaches minerals from your body. And tastes awful.
This is a great video but definitely a FAULTY PRODUCT. Nowhere that I can find within the manual or the sales “pitch” speaking about this unit being offline for 18 hours or more. If the unit continues to make noise AFTER the descaling procedure, the manufacturer should be responsible for replacement or refund. I contacted GE about this issue and they sent a link to this video. Again, while I do appreciate the video and the effort to make this, it’s a known issue, so much so that GE simply sends a link to a non-affiliate.
Instructions on Page 9, bottom of left column under Descale Notification: it states that after 100 hours of ice making, the 'Cleaning' indicator will start flashing to alert you that a descale cycle is needed. So you are warned as to when to descale. Love your videos. Did not know you had so many on different products. First saw the ones for Keurig....great job!!!
Just a dad, you are just a amazing. I got this ice maker for Christmas two years ago. It was set up when I woke. No box. No manual. No instructions.
When I noticed black stuff in my ice, it dawned on me …😒 “hmmmm how do this thing get cleaned? Like my fridge, where is the filter?!”
Thank you and thank God for your ministry of helping others.
I feel very confident in what I need to do and know this will extend the life of this wonderful Christmas gift! ✨💖✨💖🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
Thanks for you kind words!!! Glad to help!!
I can NOT thank you enough! My 2.0 started this noise a few days ago. Then started just dropping a few pieces of ice and melting then stopped making ice altogether. But was saying making ice. I watched your video and decided to give it one more try but your way of cleaning. After the clean it dropped a few pieces again and had very little of that annoying noise. So I unplugged it for a few minutes then back in. Now I’m back in business!!!! All thanks to you. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!! 🙏🏽 you’re the best ❤
Thank you so much for this! I did it last night according to your directions. Finished up today. I realized you can pop out the little filter in the reservoir and rinse it out. Mine was pretty gross 🤢. Great tutorial!
Thanks!
Thanks so much for your support!!
You are an absolute godsend. I love how you're so methodical and go step by step. You're also extremely clear. The vinegar soaked towel demonstration as well as your sensor cleaning recommendation helped a lot! Thank you and subbed!
Thanks! I'm glad you found the video helpful.
Thank you! I’m glad I checked here and saw your video before I moved forward with prying the cover off of my Opal to find the sensors. Thanks a million!
Glad I could help!
Same!!! I was about to pry that sucker off!
Best video I’ve seen for descaling! Thank you so much for all the great info and detail! Much appreciated
Very welcome!
Make sure that every so often you clean the screen on the water intake. We've had our ice maker for about 18 months. We went through the cleaning and descaling process this weekend, and on a whim, I pulled out that little screen. It was caked with crap and quite blocked. I ran water through it backwards, and gently brushed it off with an old toothbrush.
You can buy the Opal water filters for about $20 each. They last 90-days and you can store that little screen in a drawer. Just be sure to remove the filter whenever you use vinegar to de-scale the machine.
Very helpful. Concise, clear instructions. Thanks!
I am so thankful for this video. I had a hard time with the written instructions so this is so much more helpful!
Thank you! I was wondering about those sensors (and if I needed to open the top) too. Thanks for opening yours so I didn’t have to!🎉
The sensors were my main reason for watching. I also thought I had to take the top cover off. Thank you!
Thank you for getting to the point and being concise!
You're welcome!
I’m back again! Thanks again!
Thank you SO much for this video! Clear and to the point! The book was confusing me.
You're so welcome!
Best video on this machine in the world! Thanks.
Wow, thanks!
Thank you for making this video. Makes it a lot easier to understand than the instructions.
You are so welcome!
Thanks for taking the time to make the video.
Thank you! I understand the process so much easier by watching this.
Glad it helped!
It did. Again thanks! Have a great weekend.
Thanks so much for the instructions!
Thank you for the video. My machine started sounding like a chainsaw, so I guess it’s time to descale!
I've had this a year and it just started asking "Add Water" even though the side tank was full. So I pulled it all apart and found gunk and slime and white calcifications. So then I pulled the screen off and scrubbed it and started cleaning it all with vinegar. I was looking at the manual for instructions on cleaning the censors but couldn't find anything on getting the top off even though the manual shows a pic with it off. I only got as far as the screws before I got annoyed and decided to "TH-cam it." That's when I found your video and I'm SOOOOO glad I did! I hope the vinegar cleaning process takes care of my "Add Water" issue. At this point I'm troubleshooting.
It’s been a year. However how’s that ice machine ?
Great video buddy I really appreciate it. New to the Opal and it’s an amazing piece of machinery.
It sure is
Great video.. you explained it perfectly. Thank you!
thanks for the great video. I was able to complete the descaling and sanitizing. I haven't done it since we bought 2 years ago. I will not wait that long again. I also did the same as James Blackmore with the screen. Lots of junk on the screen. Also, I use the side tank. I am starting to think that because of that the inside doesn't get used like it would normally. Which is why I have a lot of junk in the water under the tray. Anyway. thanks again. Loved the video. PS. I took the back off and removed the B hose going to the side bottle. It was not looking too good. So, I cleaned that with some straw brushes.
Thanks for a very straightforward & informative video!
You're welcome. Thanks for watching!
Great instructional video- thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Amazing that your ice stayed frozen in the sink for 18 hours, lol. Would have liked to see a before and after of the scale; I’m going from western Montana (very hard water) to central FL and it’s got chunks of limescale in it right now.
Came to the comments to say the same thing 😂
🤣😂
Must be cold where he lives
This was really helpful! Thank you!
You're so welcome!
This was so helpful, thank you so much!!!
Your so welcome!!!
This video was Super helpful. Thank you!
You're so welcome!
I use Kirkland brand water (Costco). It’s reverse osmosis water & won’t cause the build up as much. I still clean with vinegar & bleach once every couple weeks, we love this machine, trying to ensure its long life.
1. Drain and take off the screen
2. Fill to the max reservoir with the vinegar
3. Run the cleaning cycle for 3 times and clean all of the pieces (wipe everything down with the vinegar)
4. Let sit overnight (18 hrs) with vinegar soaked towel in the ice chute
5. Wipe down the sensors
6. Drain all the vinegar (can run it again)
7. Wipe down and rinse out with water
8. Run the clean cycle with clean water at max line at least 3x
9. Clean anything that has vinegar on it
10. Do the 3x clean with another new refill of clean water and drain
Then put clean water in for the ice making!
I come back to this video every time I do it and wanted to type it out for myself! Thanks for your help! 😊
Very informative and helpful. Thanks!
THANK YOU 🙏🏾 I’m going to look and see if you use the filter thank you so much
Did it work?
I got a used 2.0. She said it was cycling from Ice to Cleaning/Defrosting. She had two new bottles of ice machine descaler instead of vinegar. The key is that every so often I would put the machine in cleaning so to move 'fresh' fluid. That way, this is replenishing the fluid. When you do this it will remove any that's loose and 'replenish' the solution for the best reaction to to keep working. So, don't just let it sit for the entire 18hrs. Afterwards I flushed 4 times.
Then, I did the disinfectant (bleach). Run the cleaning TWICE (to ensure that the correct ratio of bleach is in the system). You want to make sure that it's really got into the system given the limited amount that is being exchanged vs the amount of water in the tank. Then flush (at least) three times.
Machine has been working GREAT the last time I checked.
Thanks for the video! I'm pretty sure the illustrations for cleaning the sensors are meant to show "x-ray vision" of the sensor locations, as opposed to implying that you need to remove the top of the ice maker. Disassembly wouldn't make sense considering they are accessible from below, and there is no mention of removing screws, etc.
Who the heck can do this once a week.. this machine is so high maintenance! Lol thx for the video I’ll be descaling mine soon.
I know right, I think you could do it about once every couple months and be ok.
@@JustADad so I did the cleaning and I noticed when mine is running the clean cycle water is only coming from the left side not both sides like urs does in the video… wondering why.. 🤔 any thoughts?
I love this video and use it every time I clean. Question: I did the descale process on Saturday and now my machine is making a LOT of squeaking/grinding noise. Sounds like the motor. Any idea what that could be? Never happened before and I've descaled it many times.
I bought this ice maker last week during the Amazon Prime sale. Unfortunately, I had no clue just how much upkeep they require. I'm very disappointed that the ice sticks together and requires an ice pick to separate it before using. Very messy. I'll definitely be returning it. Thank you for the video.
Thank you!! Wish GE would edit the stupid instructions to show 1) descaling process, and 2) sanitizing process. Not clear at all.
Great video! The SmartHQ smartphone app suggests a de-scaling after one week, but the owner's manual says the unit will flash to de-scale after 100 hours of making ice. I'm left wondering which one is correct?
Good point! I have been using the 100 hours and it seems to be working ok.
Trying to clean my machine but keep getting add water!
I have added water to make ice but got add water. I thought maybe descale but turn on clean then switches to add water!
Any suggestions
@@gaylagreenfield5014 Try un-plugging your machine for 5-10 minutes and trying again. Maybe this will reset something? I usually get the add water notification if we use a lot of ice. If I had known I would have to clean this damn thing so often, I would have re-considered the purchase. The machine works flawlessly, but I don't like cleaning it every 10 days or so. Good luck to you.
I have a video on that. th-cam.com/video/CGvC6Wh9G6o/w-d-xo.html@@gaylagreenfield5014
It does tell you on the app when you need to descale it
Two suggestions: First, if you're going to be without ice for 18 hours dump the existing ice in a container in the freezer, not in the sink. Second, consider adding a water distiller (about $90 at Walmart and about 35 cents a gallon in energy) and only put distilled water in your machine. Makes for REALLY delicious ice, but also means you never have to descale it and you can clean it once a month or so.
drinking distilled water is not good for you...
Buy a Brita Water canister to filter your water.
RO has been good for us, no scale at all.
@@jhillestad Only if you drink it straight. It pulls minerals off your teeth but you would have to drink it for a long time. Adding that ice to a any other drink would make it perfectly safe.
@@jhillestad Ice made from distilled water is perfectly fine.
Great video! I tried all the steps but after 18 hours and cleaning cycles it said it was making ice, but then didn’t make any. I woke up today to flashing defrosting sign and no ice. Any more ideas?
Do you clean the sensors with the vinegar or regular water?
A vinegar soaked towel then rinse
Does your cleaning button flash after you have cleaned your machine? I am wondering if that is normal or if it means something else. I could not find anything about it in the manual.
This video really helps! Thank you!
I have this issue, too. Mine is blinking and I have no idea why. Did you ever figure this out?
This video was so detailed and helpful. I will save for future cleanings.
It didn’t look like you changed vinegar each of the three times. I wondering about that.
Just a note. My ice machine squeals all the time. Even when I clean it. I have noticed when it squeals it has ice buildup at the top where that hole is. Is there something I can do to stop the squeals? I have 3 family members that have the same machine and they never have a squealing squeaky noise.
Thanks again. 😊
Mine just started squealing after almost a year of daily use!
Trying this now, I’ve been doing the beach cleaning, didn’t realize I had to do it with straight vinegar. My machine has been making high pitched squealing sounds
I hope this helps.
Does descaling help with the squealing sounds?
Would love to know if that eliminated your squeaking. I’m having the same issue right now.
Doing the cleaning (bleach) plus descaling (vinegar) helped my squealing noise significantly. It became way quieter.
Yes it helped, I also moved to a new home that is not on a well and my ice machine has worked flawlessly. I’m going to assume the issues I’ve had with the Opal stemmed from running well water through it
Thank you for the video. Do you need to do the bleach clean as well as the vinegar clean?
Yes they both do different things. The bleach will clean out the machine and the vinegar will descale it.
GE recommends a vinegar: water ratio of 1 vinegar : 2 water. They say run it through the machine once, then fresh water rinse 3 times with new water each time.
Really good video. Thanks
If you have the app, it tells you when to descale. I also use Zero water, very little build up. Just cleaning. Run water through about 3 times after a half vinegar half water solution... ice tasted fine afterwards... I don't wait 18 hours. Not patient enough! LOL
When cleaning i seen he only poured fresh water in once for the cleaning cycle? Is that right or did i miss something lol im so confused! Or do i keep adding fresh water for the 3 cleaning cycles? 🤔🤔🤔 hope im making sense! I need help lol 🙏🙏
Mine has a switch on the back for cleaning, and only one button on the front. I just ran it like you did. I’ll let you know how it goes in 18 hours
How did it go
I finally found sensors by reaching up the chute. Just blindly wiped them with vinegar cloth.
I have a bunch of mineral deposits in the tubes after having the unit sit for 4 months. Will this process remove these deposits?
it should
Hi there. Thank you for this. We haven’t had ours but about a month and we love it… I have cleaned 3 times with the bleach but haven’t done the descale. How often do you do this? I use tap water but I do have one of their filters. I don’t want ours to get moldy and slimy like I’ve been reading about. Is what you do sufficing to keep it in good operation. I am having a problem with the side tank not always being read. Thank you for your time. Gj
i clean mine about every 3 months
Thanks for the video
When the “cleaning” lights up on your ice maker is that an indicator to clean it?
yes
Why does the manual talk say to "tap" clean button "to initiate 3 min sanitize cycle" vs. "hold the 'clean' button to initiate 55 min descale cycle"? I can't get the clean button to operate on a "tap" and when I press and hold for 3 seconds, it cleans for 3 minutes. I'm very confused.
Also, the "clean" button is blinking on mine after it's done with the cycle. I don't see that happening on any videos.
Very helpful! Thank you!!
You're welcome!
How do I clean sendors?
Great video. Thanks
You are welcome!
Thank you!
You're welcome!
How long have you had yours in operation? I have had mine for a year, but part of that time it stayed in the box while the kitchen got renovated. Once I turned it on, I never turned it off. Seems to work fine. Do you turn yours off at night?
Is this the same process for the 2.0 with the side tank?
Yes it is. Thanks for watching!
Muchos gracias Mi Amigo!
Could you show how to do the bleach version? Lol videos help me more than reading.
Great video, but I seriously am debating returning this machine. This seems like a hassle every 3 weeks. Is that really necessary? I love nugget ice but this machine makes weird noises that wake my kids up in the middle of the night. Sounds like a motor is burning out on the defrosting mode. Is this machine not smart enough to shut off when water is low?
Do your drain lines completely empty the tank? Mine doesn't completely drain it and I'm not sure how to get the rest of the water/vinegar out
leave the drain open and just flush it out with freshwater a couple times, then you can use a towel to soak up the rest.
I’m going on vacation. Would it hurt to leave the vinegar for 10 days in the machine?
Ok so how many cleanings ?
I have been using my deer park 5 gallon jugs and the smart hq app says it needs descaling but I don’t know if it’s just based on a schedule every few weeks or monthly to show it it detects it has deposits and needs to be cleaned? With that said what is the best vinegar to purchase? I think I’ll still descale but I don’t think it has to be as frequently as they say (also live on east coast) but using the deer park water I hope helps
Please help! Lol i cleaned mine for the 1st time today & after putting it away i found a spring that had to have came off it but idk where it came from 😭😭 lol should i be worried or will it still work without?? Or do you have any idea where it may have came off of??? Thanks in advance!!!! 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
My clean cycle isn’t working, I don’t see the vinegar coming down. My machine hasn’t been making ice at all today, it says Add Water and there was water in the reservoir and the side tank.
What exactly is the difference between descaling with vinegar and cleaning with bleach water?
I know vinegar helps get rid of water deposits, so no more crusty ice. Bleach I think gets rid of any bacteria or germs that have gathered
okay also what exactly does “needs descale” mean?? is that just another word for clean. and how is yours working are you having any issues.
You will get hard water mineral build up after using this for some time. it will look like white calcium build up, the vinegar will remove this and keep the machine working good.
thank you i’m just confused because ive been using water bottles and i just bought it and a week after using it it said to descale on the app so do you do it often?
@@paigerussell1919 If you are using bottled water then maybe every 6 months.
@@paigerussell1919 if you run the bleach cycle that notification will go away. So it potentially just means to clean. We use distilled water and I get that notification about 1-2 weeks. I'm just trying the vinegar clean right now to see if that'll change the frequency of the notification
perfect..ty
What about using citric acid and water instead of smelly vinegar ? that's what my espresso machine uses
that works well
Thanks for the video. Just one thing though. You're supposed to heat the vinegar to 100-120 degrees first. Also, it's a crime to throw that good ice away in the sink! Save it in the freezer to eat while your Opal is cleaning :)
oh wow I had no idea
Oh my gosh I haven’t cleaned my ge opal ice maker in months 😩.It has a light that swings back and forth
Oh no!
Just a dad. How do I trouble shoot my ice maker? I descaled it and not it won’t make ice. Been on for over 24 hours. I’ve rechecked connections, powered on and off three times and then rechecked water levels. It now says “add water”
Clean Hold 3 sec light started to flash constantly after 2-3m
Thats Normal?
How did you get the top off, I couldn’t get the top off for the life of me
it was very hard, I don't recommend it.
Can I use distilled water?
I think they recommend distilled water for making ice.
Do you have any tips on what to do if the machine starts making slushy ice? It started happening after I cleaned the first time. Ran another clean cycle but no luck.
did you use vinigar, also maybe blow out the back side fan with an air blower
I am having a problem with the ge app. I do not use the water filter. It says water filter expireb but it will not let me reset it on the app. any suggessions would be appreciated.
I could not get the app to work, If you read the reviews on the app it sounds like it has lots of problems in the reviews for the app.
@@JustADad are you using the smarthq app ?
@@fantome2024 I tried it did not work for me
So I did the vinegar thing but water is not coming out both tubes. On cleaning it only runs for maybe a 1 minute then says add water. I don't know what else to do
Add more water, I had the same issue. It cleared right out after adding more.
Do you have to descale weekly if you’re using reverse osmosis water?
I would not think so, that has no minerals so I would think you could go longer between descales.
We went 14 months using RO water before we did this process (the process helped, it had just started struggling to make enough ice). Probably going to clean it every other month now, just to keep things fresh, we use a lot of ice, so we're constantly refilling the side tank, I figure that will help keep it clean, as it's almost never stagnant.
do you use sink water??
Yes
Has anyone else experienced a strong chemical/burnt plastic taste in their ice?
We use Zero water, have gone through all of the cleaning and descaling procedures and the taste is still there. Wondering if something could be leaking from the machine into the water? 😬
Would this help with any mold buildup or is the bleach method used for that?
The bleach method is best for that. this helps with white hard water deposits.
I use only distilled water in my machine. It never develops mineral deposits that require cleaning.
Thanks for the update
I used distilled water also but I still get a little build up. How can I fully clean the tubes? I can never get to the base of them
@@heatherjames8044 The bleach water maybe your best bet. Just like when you set it up run just a little bleach with lots of water.
Mine still alerts me that it needs descaling although I only use distilled water. I figure it’s worth the extra effort
@@pinkprncess77ame here. I clean it once a year real good just like this video and it stays perfectly clean. Not sure why it says needs descaling might just be a timer or the sensors have a tiny bit of buildup. If using distilled water its safe to say cleaning is almost unnecessary
How often would you have to descale? Thank you so much for the info!
I would do it about every 2 months
I could’ve sworn in your video you said we have to do this whole process once a week? I pray I mis-heard that lol.
@@123loveyourland he does say that but he says that’s what GE recommends. No one is going to descale once a week lol
What if you can't go without ice for 18 hours? 😭 Lol
I can smell the pure vinegar through the screen. Doesn’t that smell irritate you after 18hrs???
Yesss please don’t break the top of the machine off like I did due to very unclear instructions. I am pisseddd the booklet looks as if you’re suppose to pop the off
yeah the instructions should be so much better, sorry this happened.
does anyone else have any problems with mold in their ice chute area where youre supposed to leave a damp vinegar soaked towel overnight? Something tells me that the mold is near impossible to get rid of.
Look up the video on how to open up the top and clean out the top reservoir, depending on how long you had it, it will either disgust you or you'll be like oh that's still yucky. So everyone who has any generation model you'll probably want to clean out the inside semi hard to get to reservoir. Mine is a original 1b first build that we have had for years and I didn't know about that reservoir... It was disgusting! And we use distilled water as well as clean monthly with bleach. So now I'll just clean monthly inside and out. It's a little hassle but definitely worth clean non algae yucky reservoir made ice!
Run a different cleaning cycle the same way with a tablespoon of bleach and that should take care of the algae
@@jesusjones3014 Do you have a direct link to the video you mentioned? Thanks
@@melissaharris9965 it's been a while you'll just need to search TH-cam, if I remember right there were a few videos of complete open and clean. Sadly ours didn't last long after the complete cleanings.
Doesn't distilled water taste really bad? Are you gus meaning filtered water? Youre ne er supposed to drink distilled. It leaches minerals from your body. And tastes awful.
This is a great video but definitely a FAULTY PRODUCT. Nowhere that I can find within the manual or the sales “pitch” speaking about this unit being offline for 18 hours or more. If the unit continues to make noise AFTER the descaling procedure, the manufacturer should be responsible for replacement or refund. I contacted GE about this issue and they sent a link to this video.
Again, while I do appreciate the video and the effort to make this, it’s a known issue, so much so that GE simply sends a link to a non-affiliate.
GE is definitely no help. And 1 year warranty! Most don’t make it that long. If if they do they get the run around until 1 year is up.