Ice maker malfunctions: how to repair yourself

Ice makers are used in households and professional kitchens to create ice cubes. You pour in water, push a button, and you get a big batch of ice—handy for parties. But even with such simple devices, problems occur. You can call the wizard, or you can try to figure out on your own how to troubleshoot the ice maker.

Ice machine problems

Consider typical breakdowns, and also find ways to fix them.

Clogged drain hose or drain

The principle of connection and operation of the drain hose in the ice machine is similar to the washing machine, but blockages occur much more often. In this case, you may notice water and unfrozen cubes inside the chamber. Causes of blockage:

• Cooling in the chamber of drinks and products. Particles of food and fruits fall into the drain.
• Incorrect hose connection – below the prescribed level.

How to clean:

• Disconnect the hose and rinse with water pressure.
• Repeat the connection, placing the element at least 45 cm from the floor.
• Eliminate sewer blockage.

The appliance is only designed to convert water to ice, not to cool and store food.

Problems with programmer, valve and thermostat

You have noticed that ice is blocking up on the evaporator. The defrost cycle does not start. First of all, turn off the device and reboot.

Causes of problems and ways to solve them:

• Programmer. The thermostat sends a signal to the control module, which starts a freeze or defrost cycle. If processes do not start within 12 minutes, run diagnostics. To do this, turn the programmer shaft to the defrost mode. If freezing is activated, the element must be replaced.

• Evaporator thermostat. It sends a signal about the temperature in the chamber to the module. To check, press the part spring from the back side. Measure resistance with a multimeter.

• Solenoid valve. To freeze the liquid, the valve shuts off the refrigerant flow to the evaporator. Before starting a defrost, it opens, allowing hot flow into the evaporator. To test, the defrost coils are energized to check if they open or not. Resistance is measured on the freezing coil.

Clogged nozzles or pump malfunction (water does not flow)

Characteristic signs of problems are the wrong form of ice or incomplete filling of forms.

The pump serves to pump water into the compartment, which enters through the nozzles. If water does not flow, then there is a blockage that needs to be eliminated.

Self-repair:

• The water collector is being dismantled.
• The filter and nozzles are cleaned.
• The pump is being checked. Replaced in case of failure.

Opaque cubes are produced

This happens when using hard water, which contains a lot of lime and calcium. If your area has a large amount of impurities, be sure to install a cleaning filter.

Faulty thermostat or switch

If the ice maker does not turn on or turns off after 15 minutes of operation, the hopper thermostat is probably defective. In this case, no ice is produced, or the pressure switch is turned off in emergency mode.

The bin thermostat is used to control ice production. As soon as the temperature in the chamber reaches a certain point, the device is disconnected from the network.

What to do:

• Check out the regulator.
• Check if the shut-off valve is open.
• Inspect the solenoid valve, fan, condenser.

Doesn’t freeze up the evaporator

During suction, the pressure is too high. The water or solenoid valve may be open. Items are checked and replaced.

The evaporator freezes badly

Possibly the pressure is too low. This happens as a result of a clogged capillary or a refrigerant leak. It is necessary to find and eliminate the blockage, as well as check the condition of the filter-drier. Fix the leak and charge the system with refrigerant.

Ice is produced longer than usual

If the cycle lasts longer than half an hour, half of the cubes are irregular in shape, then the radiator is clogged (relevant for air-cooled generators). The radiator needs to be cleaned immediately. For this:

• Remove the service hatch.
• Unscrew the screws, unfasten the front panel fasteners. Remove it from the case.
• Clean the radiator with a brush and air flow.
• Set panels in place.

No water in chamber, no ice

Even if cubes are formed, they are irregular in shape. There is not enough water to completely fill the moulds.

• Check the inlet hose stop valve. Open it to full power.
• Problems with the operation of the solenoid valve. In this case, the element needs to be replaced.

Unstable pump operation

Water enters the chamber intermittently and unstable. Need to clean up:

• collector,
• filter,
• nozzles.

Diagnose a pump malfunction, install a new part if necessary.

Too much water in the chamber

In this case, the ice mold may not close from too many cubes. This indicates a malfunction of the thermostat, which controls the amount of ice in the compartment. Install the correct part and run a test run.

Water under the hull

There is a leak in the solenoid valve. It is necessary to eliminate the leak or replace the part.

The body is shocked

If the ice maker pulsates when touched, it means that the connection was made without grounding. Install a moisture-proof grounded socket, check the power cord and extension cord.

Noisy operation of the unit

When noise and whistling is heard during the operation of the generator, the condenser micromotor is probably worn out. It is not recommended to lubricate and repair, it is better to replace it immediately.

Panel lights are flashing

The display attempts to inform you of a problem that has occurred. See if there is enough water in the tank, if the mold is overflowing with ice. If the flashing does not stop, it is better to contact the master.

To avoid such problems, we recommend that you follow the rules of operation:

• For refueling, use purified water. If it fills automatically, install a cleaning filter.
• You need to change the water in the tank every day.
• If the motor stops working, do not immediately restart the device. Unplug it and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. Then turn it on again.
• Clean the hopper with a soda solution.

Now you know how to respond when something goes wrong. If you operate the ice machine according to the rules, then you will not have to deal with the consequences.