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An open freezer drawer in a US home kitchen with its ice bin heaped far over the rim, loose cubes spilling behind the bin and onto the drawer's edge so it cannot close.

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.

(844) 773-0701

Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm

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

Book a visit

Three short steps, about a minute.

or call (844) 773-0701

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.

A technician's hands lift a new white ice maker module into place on the back wall of an open freezer compartment in a US home kitchen, the empty clear bin set aside on the counter. 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
  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 On a freezer ice maker
  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
  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 On an undercounter ice maker
  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
  6. What it costs

    Every repair on the site's cost scale, side by side

    Open the cost guide

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

Ice Maker Making Too Much Ice,
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 too much ice.

Is a bin that is heaped to the top normal?
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.

Back to your everyday

Still seeing ice maker making too much ice?

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

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(844) 773-0701 Schedule a repair