Here's What It Means When Your Ice Maker Won't Stop Making Ice

Nov 06, 2023

Is your refrigerator relentlessly pumping out ice? Are ice cubes constantly falling onto the floor due to an overflow? Has the song Ice, Ice, Baby by Vanilla Ice got a little old? If you answered at least two of these questions with a yes... it is true, you have an ice problem.

But like all problems, in order to understand how to fix them, we first need to understand the problem itself and how it works.

So how does an ice maker produce ice? Well, it all starts when water from a line fills up a mold inside the ice maker while the refrigerator begins to freeze it. Once frozen, a small motor loosens the cubes and ejects them into an ice bin. Once full, a sensor will pause the ice production until the ice level lowers, repeating this process over again, ensuring a continuous supply. Issues at any of these steps can result in your machine overproducing.

There are a few easy steps you can take to identify the problem before being at the cold mercy of your refrigerator all summer. First, try to make sure that the ice bucket is set in the right place, typically right below the ice maker.

If that's a check, move on to the feeler arm, which is the sensor mentioned earlier crucial in regulating ice production. It is usually a thin metal rod or plastic piece underneath the bucket. If that happens to be broken, you'll need to replace it so that your machine can detect when the bucket is full.

It also could be a broken inlet valve that isn't closing all of the way, leading to a constant flow of water. This can also happen when your home's water pressure is low — the valve may not be able to detect the flow of water, and it won't close. Try and keep tabs on your water pressure within your home. If you notice any consistency between the water pressure in the shower and your surplus of ice, that may be your issue, especially if there is a flat sheet of ice atop your ice maker.

If you're still struggling to find a reason, it could also just be a clogged chute in the ice maker restricting ice flow to the bucket and making it overflow into storage. Try cleaning the ice maker with a water and vinegar solution, it may do the trick!

Ice maker problems can certainly overflow your stress and work against cooling you down, but a little goes a long way if you're looking to prevent these problems for yourself in the future.

Things like investing in regular maintenance and plumbing will help rule out anything water pressure or valve-related, which are probably the most complicated of all the problems. Lastly, another easy and effective preventative measure is just a monthly cleaning of your ice maker using water and vinegar, which will not only keep it sanitary but help it run smoother overall, just be sure that everything is dry before putting things back in their proper place — this is a freezer after all, and we do not need more ice. These simple fixes will ensure that you don't have to worry about a faulty ice maker freezing your summer joy.