--- title: "Choosing and comparing — Ice Maker Guides" description: "Nugget, clear or crescent ice, whether a failing ice maker deserves a repair or a new assembly, and what a gravity drain or a drain pump means before an…" url: "https://icemakerrepair.center/guides/choosing-and-comparing/" --- Deciding what ice maker to keep or buy # Choosing and comparing guides. Nugget, clear or crescent ice, whether a failing ice maker deserves a repair or a new assembly, and what a gravity drain or a drain pump means before an undercounter unit goes in. ## Choosing and comparing, guide by guide. These guides are for the moments when an ice decision is actually on the table: a door or freezer ice maker has stopped and someone has quoted a new module, a home bar is being planned and the kind of ice is suddenly a choice, or an undercounter unit is on order and nobody has asked where its water will drain. [All 18 guides](https://icemakerrepair.center/guides/) 6-minute read ### [Nugget, clear or crescent ice: what each kind of ice maker gives you](https://icemakerrepair.center/guides/nugget-clear-or-crescent-ice/) How a molded tray, a chilled plate and an auger each freeze water, how the ice behaves in a drink, and what each design asks of the house in plumbing and upkeep. 5-minute read ### [Repair the ice maker or replace the whole assembly?](https://icemakerrepair.center/guides/repair-the-ice-maker-or-replace-the-assembly/) When a new module is the right repair, when the trouble is really the valve, the filter or a frozen fill tube, and why undercounter and countertop units follow different rules. 5-minute read ### [Undercounter ice maker: gravity drain or drain pump?](https://icemakerrepair.center/guides/undercounter-ice-maker-gravity-drain-or-pump/) Why an undercounter unit sends water away every day, when a steady slope to a lower drain is enough, when only a pump will do, and the questions to settle before ordering. ## Deciding what ice maker to keep or buy. They compare designs rather than makers. Crescent cubes from a molded tray, clear cubes grown on a chilled plate and soft nuggets pressed by an auger each ask something different of the house, from a drain route to a descaling habit, and each wears out in its own way. We describe those differences from the repair side, because that is where they show up years after the purchase. Read them before you buy, before you approve a replacement part, or before the cabinet is built around a unit. A tape measure, the model tag and your water utility's yearly report answer most of the questions they raise. [Not sure where to start?](https://icemakerrepair.center/guides/#start-here) ### The short answer Nugget, clear or crescent ice: what each kind of ice maker gives you Nugget ice vs clear ice comes down to how the water freezes. ### The short answer Repair the ice maker or replace the whole assembly? Replace the ice maker assembly when the module itself has stopped: the drive motor no longer turns, the mold never releases its cubes, or the control inside the housing is dead while water reaches the mold normally. ### The short answer Undercounter ice maker: gravity drain or drain pump? Choose an undercounter ice maker drain pump when the nearest drain sits higher than the unit's outlet, lies far away, or is reached through a sink tailpiece or standpipe. ## When reading is not enough. If the checks in these guides did not settle it, the visit picks up from there, stop by stop. [What repairs cost](https://icemakerrepair.center/cost/) 1. 01 Water traced from the valve to the mold 2. 02 A number before the work 3. 03 Everyday ice maker parts already on board 4. 04 Filled, frozen and dropped in front of you ## The problems these answer. Each has a page of its own, with the causes in the order worth checking. [All 17 problems](https://icemakerrepair.center/problems/) Problem ### Cloudy or Discolored Ice 6 causes, cheapest first Problem ### Nugget Ice Maker Not Making Nugget Ice 6 causes, cheapest first Problem ### Ice Clumped or Frozen in the Bin 5 causes, cheapest first Problem ### Undercounter Ice Maker Not Draining 5 causes, cheapest first For the heart of your home. ## Questions about choosing and comparing. ### Which kind of ice maker needs the least looking after? The tray-style ice maker in a freezer or behind a door dispenser. It needs a filter change on schedule and an occasional bin wash, while clear-ice and nugget units add descaling cycles and a drain to keep clear. ### Does the make matter more than the design? Usually not. Whether a unit makes crescent, clear or nugget ice, and whether it drains by gravity or with a pump, decides most of what living with it involves; the make decides the finish, the controls and how easy parts are to find. ### Do you recommend particular brands? No. We are an independent repair service, we work on every make listed on this site, and these guides explain how each design behaves so you can choose for your own kitchen or bar. ## The other sections. Split by what you are trying to find out rather than by which part of the appliance it concerns. [All guides](https://icemakerrepair.center/guides/) Why the ice maker is doing that ### [Common problems](https://icemakerrepair.center/guides/common-problems/) - [Why the ice maker stopped making ice: bin, switch, cold or water](https://icemakerrepair.center/guides/why-the-ice-maker-stopped-making-ice/) - [Why ice cubes come out small or hollow, and what the shape says](https://icemakerrepair.center/guides/why-ice-cubes-come-out-small-or-hollow/) - [Why the door dispenser won't give ice when the bin is full](https://icemakerrepair.center/guides/why-the-door-dispenser-wont-give-ice/) Ice maker checks an owner can safely make ### [Troubleshooting](https://icemakerrepair.center/guides/troubleshooting/) - [How to reset and test an ice maker, and read what the cycle shows](https://icemakerrepair.center/guides/reset-and-test-an-ice-maker/) - [Thaw a frozen fill tube safely, then stop it freezing again](https://icemakerrepair.center/guides/thaw-a-frozen-fill-tube-safely/) - [Find and check the water supply valve that feeds the ice maker](https://icemakerrepair.center/guides/find-and-check-the-water-supply-valve/) Keeping the ice maker out of trouble ### [Maintenance and prevention](https://icemakerrepair.center/guides/maintenance-and-prevention/) - [Changing the water filter on time, and what a late one does to the ice](https://icemakerrepair.center/guides/changing-the-water-filter-on-time/) - [Cleaning and descaling an undercounter ice maker](https://icemakerrepair.center/guides/cleaning-and-descaling-an-undercounter-ice-maker/) - [Keeping the ice bin clean, from freezer drawers to countertop baskets](https://icemakerrepair.center/guides/keeping-the-ice-bin-clean/) Keeping water, wiring and ice safe ### [Water, power and clean ice](https://icemakerrepair.center/guides/safety-and-food/) - [Ice After a Boil Water Notice: What to Dump, Flush and Replace](https://icemakerrepair.center/guides/ice-after-a-boil-water-notice/) - [Water From the Ice Maker Near an Outlet: The Safe Order of Moves](https://icemakerrepair.center/guides/ice-maker-leak-near-an-outlet/) - [When to Throw Out the Ice in the Bin, and When It Can Stay](https://icemakerrepair.center/guides/when-to-throw-out-the-ice/) Water lines, first ice and a unit left alone ### [Installation and setup](https://icemakerrepair.center/guides/installation-and-setup/) - [The Water Line Behind an Ice Maker: Tubing, Valve and Pressure](https://icemakerrepair.center/guides/water-line-for-an-ice-maker/) - [First Ice After Installation: How Long, What to Throw Away, What to Check](https://icemakerrepair.center/guides/first-ice-after-installation/) - [An Ice Maker in a Vacation Home: Closing Up and Opening Again](https://icemakerrepair.center/guides/ice-maker-in-a-vacation-home/) Not sure which section? ### Start from your question The four questions most visits start with, each with the guide that answers it. 18 guides Where to start Where to start --- **[Read on the site: Choosing and comparing — Ice Maker Guides](https://icemakerrepair.center/guides/choosing-and-comparing/)** **[Book a visit with IceMakerRepair.center](https://icemakerrepair.center/schedule/)**