--- title: "Drain Pump and Drain Line Repair | IceMakerRepair.center" description: "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…" url: "https://icemakerrepair.center/services/drain-pump-and-drain-line-repair/" --- # 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. ## What the drain pump and drain line repair involves. A built-in ice maker throws water away all day. Ice in the bin melts slowly, clear-ice models rinse minerals off the plate with each cycle, and every drop of it has to leave the cabinet. On a gravity model it runs through a hose with a steady downhill fall to a floor drain or standpipe, with an air gap so nothing can flow back. On a pump model a small pump collects it and lifts it to the sink drain or a standpipe above the floor. Slime and scale grow in the drain, hoses get kinked when the unit is pushed back, pumps wear out, and a drain that is only slow at first eventually overflows. The technician clears the drain from the bin to its outlet, checks the fall or the pump's lift and its float switch, fixes the check valve and the air gap, and replaces a pump that no longer keeps up. How the visit goes ### What it usually costs Low to moderate · Drain pump, check valve or drain hose Clearing and rerouting a drain costs little in parts. A new drain pump for an undercounter unit, and pulling the unit from its cabinet to reach it, puts the job in the middle. ### Answers 4 problems Undercounter Ice Maker Not Draining Undercounter Ice Maker Overflowing · Ice Maker Leaking on the Floor · Ice Maker Light Flashing ### Comes up most on Undercounter ice maker ### Codes that lead here drn Err · P1 · Er16 · Er16 True clear ice maker showing drn Err: the drain did not clear. ## Drain pump and drain line repair, step by step. Leave you with a drain that empties the bin freely, a pump that cycles on and off as it should, and a dry floor. 01 Shut off the water and power supply to the unit, protect the floor, and remove the kickplate or pull the unit forward. 02 Check where the water stands: in the bin, the reservoir, the pump housing or the drain hose. 03 Clear the bin drain and the hose, and check the fall of a gravity drain or the float switch, check valve and motor of a pump. 04 Replace a failed pump, a cracked hose or a stuck check valve, and reroute a line that sags or kinks. 05 Leave you with a drain that empties the bin freely, a pump that cycles on and off as it should, and a dry floor. ## The problems it answers. 4 of them, from undercounter ice maker not draining to ice maker light flashing. [All problems](https://icemakerrepair.center/problems/) Most common ### Undercounter Ice Maker Not Draining 5 causes, cheapest first Before you call ### Tell us this when you book 1. Whether the unit drains by gravity to the floor or uses a pump 2. Where you see water: in the bin, under the unit or on the floor in front 3. Whether the water smells stale or looks slimy 4. Whether the unit was moved or the cabinetry around it was changed recently It also answers - [**Undercounter Ice Maker Overflowing** 6 causes · water on the floor or near power](https://icemakerrepair.center/problems/undercounter-ice-maker-overflowing/) - [**Ice Maker Leaking on the Floor** 6 causes · water on the floor or near power](https://icemakerrepair.center/problems/ice-maker-leaking-on-floor/) - [**Ice Maker Light Flashing** 6 causes](https://icemakerrepair.center/problems/ice-maker-light-flashing/) ## Low to moderate, on the site's scale. Clearing and rerouting a drain costs little in parts. A new drain pump for an undercounter unit, and pulling the unit from its cabinet to reach it, puts the job in the middle. [Read the full cost guide](https://icemakerrepair.center/cost/) | Repair | Relative cost | | --- | --- | | [Ice maker module, mold or twisting tray](https://icemakerrepair.center/services/ice-maker-assembly-replacement/) | | | [Water inlet valve and its fittings](https://icemakerrepair.center/services/water-inlet-valve-repair/) | | | [Frozen fill tube, tube heater or drip cause](https://icemakerrepair.center/services/frozen-fill-tube-repair/) | | | [Auger, auger motor, crusher or chute flap](https://icemakerrepair.center/services/ice-dispenser-and-auger-repair/) | | | [Ice bin, compartment cover, gasket or latch](https://icemakerrepair.center/services/ice-bin-and-door-seal-repair/) | | | [Water filter, supply line or shutoff valve](https://icemakerrepair.center/services/water-filter-and-supply-line-service/) | | | **Drain pump, check valve or drain hose** | low to moderate | | [Cleaning, descaling and sanitizing](https://icemakerrepair.center/services/undercounter-ice-maker-cleaning-and-descaling/) | | | [Control board, thermistor or bin sensor](https://icemakerrepair.center/services/ice-maker-control-and-sensor-repair/) | | ## Where it comes up most. Most bookings: Undercounter ice maker. [All ice maker types](https://icemakerrepair.center/types/) Codes that lead here - [`drn Err` True Residential · Drain and pump](https://icemakerrepair.center/error-codes/true-drn-err/) - [`P1` U-Line · Drain and pump](https://icemakerrepair.center/error-codes/u-line-p1/) - [`Er16` Viking · Drain and pump](https://icemakerrepair.center/error-codes/viking-er16/) [All 4 codes that lead here](https://icemakerrepair.center/error-codes/#family-drain) Often the same visit - [**Diagnostic visit** 1 problem in common](https://icemakerrepair.center/services/diagnostic-visit/) - [**Ice maker water inlet valve repair** 1 problem in common · low to moderate](https://icemakerrepair.center/services/water-inlet-valve-repair/) - [**Ice bin and door seal repair** 1 problem in common · low](https://icemakerrepair.center/services/ice-bin-and-door-seal-repair/) ### Undercounter ice maker ## The makes we see it on. 27 makes on this site, and the drain pump and drain line repair on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page. [All 27 brands](https://icemakerrepair.center/brands/) ## Drain pump and drain line repair, where we come out. The kitchen, the climate and the building all change how the drain pump and drain line repair goes. These notes are about that, metro by metro. [All service areas](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/) [Tampa Bay](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/) FL · 31 areas A Tampa Bay lanai bar's undercounter ice maker drains melt water all day in the heat, and a drain line with a sag or a pump clogged with algae backs up into the bin, so the pump, the check valve and the line's fall are all checked. - [Hyde Park](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/hyde-park/) - [Davis Islands](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/davis-islands/) - [Palma Ceia](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/palma-ceia/) - [Westchase](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/westchase/) - [Carrollwood](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/carrollwood/) - [Belleair](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/belleair/) - [St. Pete Beach](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/st-pete-beach/) - [Palm Harbor](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/palm-harbor/) [Orlando](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/orlando/) FL · 30 areas Orlando pool-house ice makers often drain through a pump to a distant standpipe, and pumps that sat idle between bookings can stick, so a bin holding water is traced to the pump, its float switch and the line before the unit is blamed. - [Winter Park](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/orlando/winter-park/) - [Windermere](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/orlando/windermere/) - [Dr. Phillips](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/orlando/dr-phillips/) - [Bay Hill](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/orlando/bay-hill/) - [Lake Nona](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/orlando/lake-nona/) - [Heathrow](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/orlando/heathrow/) - [Celebration](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/orlando/celebration/) [Miami / South Florida](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/south-florida/) FL · 47 areas In a South Florida condo a failing drain pump on an undercounter ice maker can overflow into the cabinet and the unit below, which makes it urgent: shut the water supply, keep clear of any outlet in the water, and switch the breaker off only from a dry panel. - [Brickell](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/south-florida/brickell/) - [Coconut Grove](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/south-florida/coconut-grove/) - [Coral Gables](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/south-florida/coral-gables/) - [Pinecrest](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/south-florida/pinecrest/) - [Key Biscayne](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/south-florida/key-biscayne/) - [Aventura](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/south-florida/aventura/) - [Sunny Isles Beach](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/south-florida/sunny-isles-beach/) - [Bal Harbour](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/south-florida/bal-harbour/) - [Miami Beach](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/south-florida/miami-beach/) - [Golden Beach](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/south-florida/golden-beach/) - [Weston](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/south-florida/weston/) - [Boca Raton](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/south-florida/boca-raton/) - [Palm Beach](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/south-florida/palm-beach/) [New York Metro](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/new-york/) NY · 75 areas Manhattan kitchens rarely have a floor drain near a bar, so undercounter ice makers here lift their melt water to the sink with a pump, and a pump that quits or a discharge line kinked behind a cabinet floods the base quickly. - [Upper East Side](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/new-york/upper-east-side/) - [Upper West Side](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/new-york/upper-west-side/) - [Tribeca](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/new-york/tribeca/) - [SoHo](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/new-york/soho/) - [Greenwich Village](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/new-york/greenwich-village/) - [Battery Park City](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/new-york/battery-park-city/) - [Brooklyn Heights](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/new-york/brooklyn-heights/) - [Park Slope](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/new-york/park-slope/) - [DUMBO](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/new-york/dumbo/) - [Forest Hills](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/new-york/forest-hills/) - [Great Neck](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/new-york/great-neck/) - [Southampton](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/new-york/southampton/) - [Scarsdale](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/new-york/scarsdale/) [Houston](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/houston/) TX · 36 areas Houston's heat keeps an outdoor ice maker melting and draining constantly, and a gravity drain that lost its slope when a patio settled, or one clogged with leaves and mud after a storm, is re-laid or cleared as part of this repair. - [River Oaks](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/houston/river-oaks/) - [Memorial](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/houston/memorial/) - [Tanglewood](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/houston/tanglewood/) - [Greater Heights](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/houston/greater-heights/) - [Kingwood](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/houston/kingwood/) - [Bellaire](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/houston/bellaire/) - [Bunker Hill Village](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/houston/bunker-hill-village/) - [Piney Point Village](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/houston/piney-point-village/) - [Hunters Creek Village](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/houston/hunters-creek-village/) - [Sugar Land](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/houston/sugar-land/) - [Cinco Ranch](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/houston/cinco-ranch/) - [The Woodlands](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/houston/the-woodlands/) - [West University](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/houston/west-university/) [Chicago](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/) IL · 50 areas Chicagoland basement bars rely on drain pumps to lift ice maker water to the house drain, and a pump whose float stuck with scale, or whose discharge line was pinched when the basement was finished, is freed, re-run or replaced. - [Lincoln Park](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/lincoln-park/) - [Near North Side](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/near-north-side/) - [West Loop / Near West Side](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/west-loop-near-west-side/) - [Wilmette](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/wilmette/) - [Winnetka](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/winnetka/) - [Glencoe](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/glencoe/) - [River Forest](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/river-forest/) - [Oak Park](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/oak-park/) - [Hinsdale](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/hinsdale/) - [Lake Forest](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/lake-forest/) - [Highland Park](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/highland-park/) - [Gold Coast](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/gold-coast/) - [Lakeview](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/lakeview/) [Los Angeles](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/) CA · 95 areas Los Angeles hard water leaves scale in drain pumps and check valves as well as in the ice maker itself, so a slow-draining undercounter unit has its pump and valve descaled or replaced and the drain line flushed. - [Beverly Hills](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/beverly-hills/) - [Bel Air](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/bel-air/) - [Holmby Hills](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/holmby-hills/) - [Brentwood](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/brentwood/) - [Pacific Palisades](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/pacific-palisades/) - [Santa Monica](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/santa-monica/) - [Hancock Park](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/hancock-park/) - [Studio City](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/studio-city/) - [Calabasas](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/calabasas/) - [Manhattan Beach](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/manhattan-beach/) - [Palos Verdes Estates](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/palos-verdes-estates/) - [Pasadena](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/pasadena/) - [San Marino](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/san-marino/) - [Malibu](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/malibu/) [San Diego](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/san-diego/) CA · 31 areas Coastal San Diego outdoor ice makers drain through lines exposed to salt air and sun, which crack and corrode, and a drain that leaks under a patio bar has its line replaced and its pump housing checked for corrosion. - [La Jolla](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/san-diego/la-jolla/) - [Carmel Valley](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/san-diego/carmel-valley/) - [Point Loma](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/san-diego/point-loma/) - [Del Mar](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/san-diego/del-mar/) - [Rancho Santa Fe](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/san-diego/rancho-santa-fe/) - [Coronado](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/san-diego/coronado/) - [Encinitas](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/san-diego/encinitas/) - [Solana Beach](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/san-diego/solana-beach/) [San Francisco Bay Area](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/) CA · 74 areas Older Bay Area houses often run a bar ice maker's drain to a standpipe added during a remodel, and a missing trap or air gap there lets sewer smell reach the bin, so the drain is refitted with a proper trap and air gap along with any pump work. - [Pacific Heights](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/pacific-heights/) - [Presidio Heights](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/presidio-heights/) - [Russian Hill](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/russian-hill/) - [Noe Valley](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/noe-valley/) - [Sea Cliff](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/sea-cliff/) - [Hillsborough](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/hillsborough/) - [Atherton](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/atherton/) - [Woodside](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/woodside/) - [Palo Alto](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/palo-alto/) - [Los Altos Hills](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/los-altos-hills/) - [Tiburon](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/tiburon/) - [Piedmont](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/piedmont/) - [Marina](https://icemakerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/marina/) For the heart of your home. ## Questions about the drain pump and drain line repair. ### How do I know whether my undercounter unit has a drain pump? With the kickplate off, look for a small box with its own hose that runs up toward the sink drain rather than down to the floor. Many units also note the pump on the label or offer it as a kit. A unit with only a hose to a floor drain relies on gravity. ### The drain pump runs every few minutes even with no ice being made. Is that normal? It should run only when meltwater collects. Running constantly points to a valve that keeps letting water in, a float switch stuck in the up position, or a check valve that lets pumped water fall back into the pump. ### Can I clear the drain myself? On many units you can: turn the unit off, empty the bin, and pour a cup of hot water mixed with the maker's cleaner down the bin drain. If the water still stands or the pump will not run, the blockage is further down or the pump has failed, and the cabinet will need to come apart. ### Why does water come out of the door of the unit? The bin is filling faster than it drains, so the water rises to the door gasket and runs out. Stay clear of any outlet near the water, shut the supply valve, and cut power at the breaker only if the panel is dry and away from the leak. --- **[Read on the site: Drain Pump and Drain Line Repair | IceMakerRepair.center](https://icemakerrepair.center/services/drain-pump-and-drain-line-repair/)** **[Book a visit with IceMakerRepair.center](https://icemakerrepair.center/schedule/)**