--- title: "Ice Maker Making Too Much Ice: Causes and Fixes" description: "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." url: "https://icemakerrepair.center/problems/ice-maker-making-too-much-ice/" --- # 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. ## What it usually means. An ice maker never decides to stop on its own. It keeps harvesting until something tells it the bin is full: a wire arm that rises against the pile, an optical beam across the bin, a paddle, or on an undercounter unit a thermostat bulb that feels the ice pressing against it. When that signal fails, the loop runs without end and the bin overflows. On a door ice maker the extra cubes pack into the auger and the chute, and on a freezer drawer they spill behind the bin and stop the drawer closing, which lets warm air in and starts a second set of problems. An arm that has been bent or knocked out of its track is the simplest version; a failed sensor or control is the more involved one. The 5 causes, cheapest first Answer these first 01 Does the ice pile up above the rim of the bin, or does it spill behind it? 02 Is the wire arm or paddle bent, missing or stuck in the down position? 03 Is the bin seated all the way back, or does it sit a little forward? 04 Does the freezer drawer or the ice compartment door still close fully? 05 On an undercounter unit, does ice press the bin door open? ## Check these before you book. Ice maker making too much ice: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything. 01 Empty some ice, then push the bin firmly back until it seats against its stop. 02 Look at the wire arm or paddle and make sure it moves freely and is not bent out of line. 03 Wipe the small windows of an optical bin sensor with a soft dry cloth. ### Also worth checking - Clear cubes from behind the bin and from the chute so the drawer and the compartment door close properly. - If the bin is full and ice keeps dropping, switch the ice maker off until the visit. ### How soon does it need a visit? Too much ice is not urgent, but a door or drawer held open by overflowing cubes lets warm air in and can start frost and melt problems. Switch the ice maker off if it keeps overfilling, and book a visit. ## The causes, cheapest first. 5 things ice maker making too much ice turns out to be, from bin not pushed fully home to control ignoring the full signal. [The cost guide](https://icemakerrepair.center/cost/) 1. 01 no repair ### Bin not pushed fully home Many bin sensors only see the ice when the bin sits in its exact place. A bin a little forward leaves the sensor looking at air, and the ice maker keeps going. No repair: check it yourself 2. 02 low ### Wire arm bent or off its track The arm should rest on the pile and rise as it grows. Bent out of shape, it misses the ice and never signals full. [Fixed by ice maker assembly replacement](https://icemakerrepair.center/services/ice-maker-assembly-replacement/) [On a freezer ice maker](https://icemakerrepair.center/types/freezer-ice-maker-repair/) 3. 03 low to moderate ### Optical bin sensor blocked or failed Door and freezer ice makers often use a beam across the bin. Frost or a film on the sensor windows, or a failed emitter, stops it seeing the ice. [Fixed by ice maker control and sensor repair](https://icemakerrepair.center/services/ice-maker-control-and-sensor-repair/) 4. 04 moderate ### Undercounter bin thermostat An undercounter unit stops when the ice touches a sensing bulb in the bin. If the bulb has slipped from its clip or the thermostat has failed, the unit fills the bin until the door is pushed open. [Fixed by ice maker control and sensor repair](https://icemakerrepair.center/services/ice-maker-control-and-sensor-repair/) [On an undercounter ice maker](https://icemakerrepair.center/types/undercounter-ice-maker-repair/) 5. 05 moderate ### Control ignoring the full signal When the arm and the sensor both read correctly and the harvest still carries on, the control on the ice maker or the main board is the remaining part. [Fixed by ice maker control and sensor repair](https://icemakerrepair.center/services/ice-maker-control-and-sensor-repair/) 6. What it costs ### Every repair on the site's cost scale, side by side Open the cost guide ## What else it could be. Most often confused with ice dispenser not working, then ice clumped or frozen in the bin. [All problems](https://icemakerrepair.center/problems/) Codes that come with it - [`E1` U-Line · Temperature sensors](https://icemakerrepair.center/error-codes/u-line-e1/) - [`E5` U-Line · Temperature sensors](https://icemakerrepair.center/error-codes/u-line-e5/) - [`NO WATER and DRAIN lamps blinking` Viking · Temperature sensors](https://icemakerrepair.center/error-codes/viking-no-water-and-drain-lamps-blinking/) Also related - [**Ice Maker Light Flashing** 6 causes](https://icemakerrepair.center/problems/ice-maker-light-flashing/) ### Ice Dispenser Not Working 6 causes ### Ice Clumped or Frozen in the Bin 5 causes ### No Ice Coming From the Ice Maker 7 causes ## The makes it happens on. 27 makes on this site; ice maker making too much ice can show up on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page. [All 27 brands](https://icemakerrepair.center/brands/) ## Ice Maker Making Too Much Ice, where we come out. 9 metros, each with its own page. 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Most ice makers stop a little below the rim. Ice heaped over the edge, or spilling behind the bin, means the full signal is not getting through. ### Can I just switch the ice maker off when the bin is full? As a stopgap, yes. Switching it back on when the bin runs low works, but it is easy to forget, and the sensor is usually a simple repair. ### The drawer will not close because of the ice. What should I do right now? Take out enough cubes to let it close, then switch the ice maker off. A drawer that stays open lets moisture in and quickly causes frost behind the bin. ### Why does it only overfill on one of our two ice makers? Many models with a door ice maker and a freezer ice maker use a separate sensor for each. The one that overfills has the sensor that needs looking at. --- **[Read on the site: Ice Maker Making Too Much Ice: Causes and Fixes](https://icemakerrepair.center/problems/ice-maker-making-too-much-ice/)** **[Book a visit with IceMakerRepair.center](https://icemakerrepair.center/schedule/)**