You can’t make ice without water, and when it comes to ice machines, this is where most of the issues come into play. Ice machines aren’t on a closed system, connected only to electricity – they’re like a dishwasher, connected to an ongoing supply of water. That means that most issues you’ll find in an ice machine will relate back to the water involved.
At All Pro Appliance Service, Inc., we’re here to help with all repairs related to ice machine appliances. Here are some of the most common ice machine issues you’ll see.
This is the most common issue with ice machines, and can be caused by a couple different things. It could be the water supply itself, which may relate to certain pipe or plumbing issues. It could also be a plugging up of the water filter, in which case a basic change-out would be necessary. Low water flow can lead to undersized or malformed cubes, or can lead to the evaporator freezing up, which will halt the entire system.
Generally caused by a leaky inlet water valve, water can actually leak into the ice machine itself. This will lead to oversized ice cubes – these may seem alright at first glance, but once they get big enough, they’ll get stuck in the evaporator and cause it to freeze up.
Ice machine production is proportional to water and air temperature – higher temperatures mean lower production, and vice versa. If ice machine production becomes an issue and other areas aren’t the proper fix, consider whether the machine is operating at proper temperatures. At around 95 degrees, many machines will stop producing ice.
If the water itself is too warm when it enters the machine, it will take too long to freeze and trip the freeze cycle timer. This generally happens for any water over 90 degrees Fahrenheit. It can be caused by some other equipment, such as a dishwasher, pumping hot water into the cold water line.
Want to learn more about ice machine issues, or any of our fridge or freezer repair services? The experts at All Pro Appliance Service, Inc. are standing by.
