An ice maker is a handy tool for making quick recipes without too much hassle. But it can freeze up after using it for a while. Luckily, it’s a common problem, and you aren’t alone. You can avoid it entirely with just a few tweaks and proper maintenance. But, you get to know the right way to do all that to prevent damaging your ice maker. Have no worries. Just sit back tight and read on. We’ll go over what causes ice maker to freeze up and how you can maintain it to avoid such issues.
So, without further ado, let’s check it out right away!
Table Of Contents
Can Ice Maker Freeze Up?
Remember that if the ice inside the ice maker can not release off the evaporator plate, it’ll start to freeze up. Though that’s not that big of a deal in the short term, as water starts to flow over the evaporator plate, it creates a problem. It forms an ice block that interrupts the whole thing, causing the device to malfunction. Now you know what causes the ice maker freezing up issue, and it’s typically the main reason in most cases. That said, many other reasons can cause this issue that we’ll cover in the following segments.
What causes Ice Maker to Freeze Up?
Let’s check out some of the most common causes of an ice maker freezing up right below:
Clogged Water Lines
A proper water flow is essential for ice maker machines. If the flow is too slow, the water line gets clogged with ice blocks, and it creates the whole machine to fail. It’s a very common cause of freeze-up of an ice maker.
Float Switch Malfunction
The float switch plays a massive role in monitoring and controlling how much water is used during a freeze cycle. But, if it fails to operate correctly, the ice machine suffers the consequences. In most cases, the ice maker will start freezing up.
Bin Control Issues
If you’re asking what makes ice maker freeze up, it can very likely be a bin control issue. It monitors how much ice is in the bin. When it starts to malfunction, the whole machine starts to fail. And, you’ll see that the ice machine won’t stop and will begin to freeze up due to the bin control failure.
Scale Formation
Scale is also responsible for your ice maker freezing up. Hard water inside the ice maker can result in scale formation. Remember, magnesium and calcium form together and stick to those surfaces where water keeps flowing continuously. So, you have probably seen scale forming on your shower tiles or around your faucet if you have hard water in your living area.
The Freezer temperature is too cold
Obviously, if the temperature in your ice maker is too cold, all the water will turn into ice too quickly. And, your freezer will suddenly become a giant block of ice that’s not wanted, right?
6 Sure-fire tips on stopping Ice Maker Freezing Up
You already know all the possible causes why an ice maker can freeze up. It’s time to check out the possible fixes. Let’s get to know them straight away:
Check and Fix Clogged Up Parts
You should know that ice makers freeze up mostly because of clogged-up parts. So, the very first thing you should consider checking is whether something is clogged up and blocked or not. Check the water lines, inlet valves, water filter, etc., and see whether everything is operating smoothly or not. If you’ve found an ice block clogging up parts of your ice maker, it’s really an easy fix. Follow the steps below to quickly fix it.
- Take a hairdryer and a dry towel as you’ll need them for this job.
- Turn off the ice maker and remove the plug from the power socket.
- Take out the bucket that collects the ice, and place the towel there so that it can soak up the excess water.
- Turn on the blow dryer and use it to melt down any ice buildup that’s jamming or clogging up the mechanism.
- Once done, put everything back together and turn on the machine. It should work properly again without any hiccups.
Solving Float Switch Issues
In most cases, float switch issues can be fixed by cleaning them. It’s best to clean it manually with an ice maker cleaner as it’s more effective. You should also leave the ice maker unplugged for a while so that the ice blocks melt, making your job easier. But in some scenarios, the float switch gets defected. In that case, you need to replace the float switch completely. That’ll solve the issue, and the ice maker will operate properly after replacing the defective float switch.
Fixing Bin Controller Issues
If the bin thermistor is defective, the freezer’s light will blink twice in 2 seconds intervals, and that’s how you know you have bin controller issues. Luckily, it can be fixed pretty easily by following the steps.
- First, get a new bin thermistor from the market and a screwdriver.
- Turn off the ice maker and unplug it completely.
- Then, remove the grid cover as it’ll expose the defective bin thermistor.
- Now, use the screwdriver to remove the defective part and install the new bin thermistor.
- Finally, put everything back together, and it’ll work perfectly.
Remove Scale From Your Ice Maker
If you consider going through professional cleanings regularly, you can prevent scale in your ice maker. Moreover, when you’ve got hard water in your area, a phosphate filter or a water softener can help you decrease the amount of scale.
Set The Proper Temperature In Your Ice Maker
If the temperature is too low, you just need to turn the temperature in the ice maker to the proper temperature setting. The FDA suggests keeping your freezer temperature at 0° F (-18° C).
Take It For Repair; Professional Help
Last but not least, damaged parts can also cause the ice maker to freeze, which is quite apparent. Hence, before you waste too much time cleaning the whole pipes or anything like that, you should check if any part is damaged or not. That will save you a lot of time and effort. If something is damaged or you cannot figure out how to fix your ice maker, you need to take it for repair.
Because that’s the best way to fix your device without any trouble, and you should not shy away from doing that. It’s far better than going for a replacement immediately. Plus, remember that, sometimes, fixing will cost you way less than buying a new one. But, if it’s not worth fixing, then you won’t have any other option than going for a replacement.
Last Words
Well, that’s all there’s to it, people. Hopefully, you’ve got a clear understanding of what causes ice maker to freeze up and some fantastic resources you can use to avoid such issues. So, always follow proper guidelines before messing up with your device. If you feel anything is wrong, don’t sit around and immediately take the ice maker to a mechanic. He’ll fix it for you very quickly, and it’ll only cost you a little money. At last, I’ve got to say that your ice maker is worth taking to a mechanic to see whether he can fix it or not nonetheless.