Theoretically, an ice maker is pretty simple. Water goes in, gets frozen, and comes out as ice. What could go wrong? Well, basically everything. As we all know, ice makers can be as temperamental as computer printers.
Fortunately, Able Appliance can help Kansas City area residents with any type of ice maker repair whether your ice is sad and wimpy, or not coming out at all. If you’re feeling extra handy, here are a few quick ice maker troubleshooting tips to try on your own.
Check the Temperature
While checking the temperature on your freezer may sound too obvious, it’s good to start simple. You never know: your child could have been messing around or a power outage may have reset a digital sensor back to a higher default temperature. Freezers should be at least at zero degrees Fahrenheit or lower. Now if your temp is set low already, but the freezer can’t get there, then there’s a problem.
Clean Your Coils
The condenser coils on your fridge are exposed to the air and collect dust over time, just like anything else in your home. They should be cleaned about once a year, or every six months if you have pets. On older fridges, they can be found on the back. On newer fridges, they’re underneath and there’s usually a switch on the bottom front or bottom back that gives you access to them. Use a long vacuum hose to remove dust and be careful to be gentle with the coils. Removing dust and debris should help improve your ice making ability. Be sure to unplug the unit before doing any cleaning!
Check Frost Buildup
These days most freezers do not need to be manually defrosted—if you do have an older unit, double check to see if excess frost has built up. If you can easily access your evaporator coils (this varies based on each fridge), look to see if there’s an even amount of frost on each coil. Should there be an unusual amount of buildup on individual coils, there could be a leak or some sort of blockage in a coil.
Water Pressure
An ice maker that doesn’t get an unrestricted flow of water may not produce full ice cubes or as many as you need. Checking pressure is pretty simple. First, turn off the water to the appliance and disconnect the water connection from the ice maker. Now grab a bucket and turn the water back on. If you notice a weak, irregular water flow, then the issue is with your water pressure. However, if the flow is powerful and steady, then the issue is likely with the input valve to the ice maker.
An Ice Maker Service Call from Able Appliance is Only FREE
Ice makers are tricky machines, but Able Appliance is here to help with any problems you’re having. We have a team trained to repair ice makers from all brands and service calls are still only FREE. Contact us today, and we’ll send someone right out to fix your ice maker!
