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A handful of small, thin crescent ice cubes and a few broken hollow shells lying in a white ice bin pulled from a freezer drawer, one cube cracked open to show its wet center.

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.

(844) 773-0701

Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm

  • 5 checks before you book
  • 5 questions that narrow it
  • 6 causes, cheapest first

Book a visit

Three short steps, about a minute.

or call (844) 773-0701

What it
usually means.

Each fill is timed rather than measured. The valve opens for a set number of seconds and trusts the water pressure to deliver the right amount. If the pressure is low, the filter is clogged or the fill tube is partly iced, the same seconds bring less water and the cubes come out small, thin at one end or missing one or two cups. Hollow cubes are a different story: the outside froze and the ice maker harvested before the center had finished, which points at a mold that is not cold enough or a thermostat that reads it wrong. On a clear-ice undercounter unit, thin sheets usually mean scale on the plate or a thickness setting that needs adjusting. The shape of the cube is one of the most useful clues on the whole appliance.

A technician kneels at an open bottom freezer drawer in a US home kitchen, shining a small flashlight on the ice maker at the back while the empty ice bin rests on a towel on the floor. The 6 causes, cheapest first

Answer these first

01

Are all the cubes small, or only the ones from one end of the mold?
02

Do the cubes break open with water inside, or are they solid but thin?
03

Does the door dispenser pour water noticeably slower than it used to?
04

Is the home on a well, a reverse osmosis system or a whole-house filter?
05

When was the ice maker filter last replaced?

Check these
before you book.

Ice maker making small cubes: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything.

01

Replace the water filter if it is due, and run a few glasses through the dispenser afterward to clear the air.

02

Make sure the valve that feeds the ice maker is turned fully open.

03

Break a cube open: water in the middle points at the harvest timing, a solid but thin cube points at the water supply.

Also worth checking

  • Look at the fill tube at the back of the mold for a collar of ice.
  • Tell us if the home has a well, a reverse osmosis system or a whole-house filter.

How soon does it need a visit?

Small or hollow cubes are not urgent. Change the filter and check the valve first; if the cubes stay small, book a visit before a narrowing fill tube or a clogged valve stops the ice altogether.

The causes,
cheapest first.

6 things ice maker making small or hollow cubes turns out to be, from filter past its life to low house water pressure.

The cost guide
  1. 01 lowest

    Filter past its life

    As a cartridge loads with sediment it slows the flow, and a timed fill delivers less water every week. A fresh cartridge often brings full cubes back within a day.

    Fixed by water filter and supply line service
  2. 02 low

    Fill tube partly iced

    A ring of ice inside the tube narrows it before it blocks it outright. Small cubes this week are often an empty mold next week.

    Fixed by frozen fill tube repair See ice maker fill tube frozen
  3. 03 low to moderate

    Inlet valve screen clogged

    The valve has a fine screen at its inlet to stop grit. Once it clogs, every fill is short no matter how good the filter is.

    Fixed by ice maker water inlet valve repair
  4. 04 low to moderate

    Scale on an undercounter plate

    Clear-ice units freeze water on a chilled plate or grid. Scale insulates it, the sheets stay thin and harvest takes longer; a descaling usually brings full cubes back.

    Fixed by undercounter ice maker cleaning and descaling On an undercounter ice maker
  5. 05 moderate

    Mold thermostat harvesting early

    The sensor on the mold decides when the cubes are frozen. When it reads colder than the water really is, harvest starts too soon and the cubes come out hollow.

    Fixed by ice maker assembly replacement
  6. 06 varies

    Low house water pressure

    A partly closed supply valve, a long thin line or a reverse osmosis tank that has lost its charge feeds the valve below the pressure it needs. The fill runs its full time and still comes up short.

    Fixed by water filter and supply line service

The makes
it happens on.

27 makes on this site; ice maker making small or hollow cubes can show up on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page.

All 27 brands

Ice Maker Making Small or Hollow Cubes,
where we come out.

9 metros, each with its own page.

All service areas

Tampa BayFL · 31 areas

OrlandoFL · 30 areas

Miami / South FloridaFL · 47 areas

New York MetroNY · 75 areas

HoustonTX · 36 areas

ChicagoIL · 50 areas

Los AngelesCA · 95 areas

San DiegoCA · 31 areas

San Francisco Bay AreaCA · 74 areas

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
ice maker making small or hollow cubes.

Can a reverse osmosis system cause small cubes?
Often. Its storage tank delivers strong pressure when full and weak pressure as it empties, and the ice maker valve needs a steady supply. A booster or a direct feed usually fixes it.
Why are only the cubes at one end of the mold small?
Water enters at one end and flows along the mold. A short fill leaves the far cups light, so uneven cubes are a sign of low flow rather than a failing ice maker.
Is it safe to use hollow cubes?
They are just ice with a wet center, so yes. The problem is practical: they break in the dispenser, drip as they melt and can freeze into clumps in the bin.
Does my undercounter unit have a cube thickness setting?
Many do, either as a small adjustment on the plate or as a menu item. Scale should be ruled out first, because a thicker setting on a scaled plate only slows the unit down.

Back to your everyday

Still seeing ice maker making small or hollow cubes?

Book with what you checked above — 5 answers save the technician the first part of the visit.

Schedule a repair Call (844) 773-0701
(844) 773-0701 Schedule a repair