An empty ice bin in the open freezer drawer of a refrigerator, the ice maker above it idle.

Start with the symptom

Ice maker
problems,
symptom first.

Every symptom we are called out for, traced to the causes that actually explain it — cheapest first. Start from what you are seeing rather than from what you think is broken.

(844) 773-0701

Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm

  • 17 symptoms
  • 4 need a visit now
  • Causes in cost order

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Needs a visit now

An ice maker that puts water on the floor, a supply line dripping behind the cabinets, an undercounter unit spilling over its drain or an ice maker that keeps cutting the power can ruin a floor and bring water to live wiring, so these problems come first, each with its usual causes from cheapest to costliest. Close the valve that feeds the ice maker before anything else: it is usually under the kitchen sink, behind the unit or on the line in the basement. Stay away from any outlet, cord or power strip sitting in water, and turn the breaker off only if the panel is dry and you can reach it without crossing the wet floor.

Water on the floor or near power

Ice Maker Leaking on the Floor

A puddle that spreads from under the door dispenser, from the kickplate of the freezer, from beneath an undercounter unit or around a countertop model, and comes back after you mop it up is the classic sign of an ice maker leaking on the floor.

Causes, cheapest first

  1. Filter cartridge not locked inno repair
  2. Supply line loose or split at the backlow
  3. Inlet valve cracked or weepinglow to moderate
All 6 causes and what to check
Water on the floor or near power

Ice Maker Water Line Leaking Behind the Cabinet

An ice maker water line leaking behind the appliance shows up as a damp baseboard, a wet toe kick, swollen flooring at the back corners or a drip in the ceiling of the room below.

Causes, cheapest first

  1. Compression nut backed offlow
  2. Plastic line split or kinkedlow
  3. Saddle valve seepinglow to moderate
All 6 causes and what to check
Water on the floor or near power

Undercounter Ice Maker Overflowing

An undercounter ice maker overflowing pushes water out from under its door or kickplate, floods the bin with slush, or leaves the cabinet beside it wet.

Causes, cheapest first

  1. Drain line blocked or kinkedlow
  2. Float stuck with scalelow
  3. Inlet valve not closinglow to moderate
All 6 causes and what to check
Water on the floor or near power

Ice Maker Tripping the Breaker

The ice maker keeps cutting the power at the panel or the GFCI outlet, often in the middle of a harvest, after a leak, or each time an undercounter unit starts its pump; an ice maker tripping breaker after breaker is a warning, not a nuisance.

Causes, cheapest first

  1. Water reaching the outlet or plugvaries
  2. Mold heater shortedmoderate
  3. Water inside the ice maker wiringmoderate
All 5 causes and what to check

Everything else we are called out for

None of these puts water on the floor or anywhere near the wiring, so a booked visit is soon enough. Each page lists what an owner can safely check while the ice maker waits for a technician.

No Ice Coming From the Ice Maker

The mold sits empty or holds one frozen batch that never drops, the bin stays bare for days, and the dispenser gives water as usual: an ice maker not making ice while the rest of the appliance carries on normally.
7 causes

Ice Maker Making Small or Hollow Cubes

The ice maker making small cubes, thin crescents, hollow shells with water inside or fragments that break apart in the bin tells you the mold is not getting a full fill.
6 causes

Ice Maker Making Too Much Ice

The ice maker making too much ice overfills the bin, pushes cubes into the chute, jams the door ice compartment or keeps the freezer drawer from closing.
5 causes

Ice Tastes or Smells Bad

The ice tastes bad or smells stale, musty, of plastic or of whatever else is in the freezer, even though a glass of tap water tastes fine.
5 causes

Cloudy or Discolored Ice

Cloudy ice from an ice maker, cubes with a white core, gray or black specks, a yellow tint or a crust of white flakes that float to the top of a drink.
6 causes

Ice Dispenser Not Working

The ice dispenser not working means you press the paddle and nothing comes, or the motor hums without ice, or only a few chips fall while the bin behind the door is full.
6 causes

Ice Clumped or Frozen in the Bin

The cubes have fused into one solid block, a sheet of ice covers the bottom of the bin, or ice clumping in the ice maker bin keeps coming back after you break it up.
5 causes

Ice Maker Making Noise

The ice maker making noise can mean a buzz or a hum from the back, a bang when the water shuts off, grinding in the door, a rattle from an undercounter unit or clatter that did not use to be there.
6 causes

Ice Maker Fill Tube Frozen

The ice maker fill tube frozen solid shows up as a plug of ice at the back of the mold, icicles hanging from the fill cup, or a mold that stays dry while you can hear the valve open.
5 causes

Nugget Ice Maker Not Making Nugget Ice

A nugget ice maker not making ice runs and hums but drops nothing, makes wet slush instead of crisp pellets, or stops after a few batches with a light on.
6 causes

Undercounter Ice Maker Not Draining

An undercounter ice maker not draining leaves standing water in the bottom of the bin, turns cubes into a slushy layer, smells musty, or shows a drain light.
5 causes

Ice Maker Light Flashing

An ice maker light flashing where it used to glow steadily: a blinking power or ice light, a flashing clean or descale symbol, an add-water light, or a status light on the ice maker itself.
6 causes

Ice Maker Error Code

The panel shows an ice maker error code: letters and digits, a flashing ice symbol, or a message about water or ice, and ice production stops or the dispenser stops working.
8 causes

Not every ice maker
breaks the same way.

A door ice maker freezes cubes high in the freezer door and feeds them down the chute to the dispenser, a freezer ice maker fills a tray or a mold and drops the ice into a bin below, an undercounter ice maker is plumbed into the cabinetry with a drain of its own, and a countertop nugget maker pours water from a reservoir you fill by hand. Pick out the one in your home.

All ice maker types

Familiar brands. Expert care.

For the brands
in your kitchen.

Independent repair service. Not affiliated with, authorized or endorsed by any manufacturer. Brand names and model numbers are the property of their respective owners and are used here for identification only, to describe the appliances we service.

The repairs behind the symptoms

Most people arrive knowing what they are seeing, not what is wrong. These are the jobs a visit usually turns out to be.

diagnostic

Diagnostic visit

A visit that traces the water from the supply valve to the bin and back out through the drain, and names the one part that stopped the ice before anything is ordered.

moderate

Ice maker assembly replacement

A new ice maker module fitted in the freezer compartment or the door compartment, after the water, the temperature and the bin sensor have been proved good, so the new part is not blamed for an old problem.

low to moderate

Ice maker water inlet valve repair

The electric valve that lets water into the ice maker, tested and replaced when it will not open, opens only partway, or keeps dripping after it should have closed.

low

Frozen fill tube repair

An ice plug in the short tube that carries water into the mold, thawed safely and then traced to its cause, a dripping valve, low pressure, a failed tube heater or a warm air leak, so it does not freeze again.

low to moderate

Ice dispenser and auger repair

The auger, its motor, the crusher, the chute flap and the paddle switch that move ice from the bin to your glass, or push soft nugget ice up and out, checked and repaired when the ice stops coming.

low

Ice bin and door seal repair

The bin, its rails, the compartment cover and the gaskets that keep the ice cold and dry, replaced when a crack, a warped cover or a torn seal lets warm air in and leaves the ice wet, clumped or dripping.

lowest

Water filter and supply line service

The filter, the shutoff valve and the thin line that bring water to the ice maker, checked for flow, leaks and age, with a worn line or saddle valve replaced and a new filter seated properly.

low to moderate

Drain pump and drain line repair

The drain that carries meltwater and unused water out of a built-in ice maker, whether by gravity or with a small pump, cleared, re-routed or given a new pump when water stands in the bin or spills out of the door.

low

Undercounter ice maker cleaning and descaling

A full cleaning and descaling of a built-in or countertop ice maker: scale off the plate, cylinder or fingers, slime out of the reservoir and drain, the condenser brushed, and the unit sanitized before the ice comes back.

moderate to highest

Ice maker control and sensor repair

The control board, the thermistors, the bin sensor and the wiring that decide when an ice maker fills, freezes and stops, tested and repaired when a light flashes, a code shows, a breaker trips or the ice never stops coming.

A parent and a child filling two glasses with ice from the door dispenser in a bright family kitchen
For the heart of your home.

Questions about
the problems.

My ice maker is doing something that is not listed here. Will you still come?
Yes. Only the problems we hear about most have their own page, and many others are booked every week. Describe the sound, the taste, the look of the ice or where the water shows up in the booking notes, and the technician starts from there.
The ice maker has two of these problems at once. Which page do I read first?
The one that appeared first, because the second often follows from it: cubes that came out small for weeks are often the warning before the ice stops altogether. Every problem page links to the ones it tends to travel with.
Which ice maker problems cannot wait for the appointment?
Water on the floor, a supply line leaking behind or under the cabinets, an undercounter unit spilling over, and an ice maker that trips the breaker or the outlet. Every problem page is marked with how soon it needs a technician. Cloudy ice, a slow bin or a noisy harvest can wait for the booked visit.
Can I keep using the ice while the ice maker is acting up?
If it looks, tastes and smells normal and the floor is dry, generally yes. Throw the ice out if it tastes off, carries specks or came through a line that was just repaired or flushed, and after a boil-water notice from your utility. If water is escaping, close the valve and use a tray until the visit.

Back to your everyday

Let’s get your ice maker working again.

Three short steps online, or one call. Tell us what you are seeing and pick a window that works.

(844) 773-0701 Schedule a repair