Why Is My Ice maker Slow Making Ice?

You have to agree with me that it’s kind of frustrating when you have to hold your cup at your ice dispenser for so long just to get a couple of ice cubes. If you are in this situation and you don’t know it, be informed that waiting for 10 minutes to get some ice cubes in your ice bin is a pretty long time.

This article seeks to give you some inside information as to why your ice maker is so painfully slow. You are going to know how an ice maker produces ice, the culprits behind your slow ice maker, and what to do to solve this problem should you find yourself in this situation someday. Once you are done, you’ll have a clear road map of just how you can get your peace of mind and restore happiness back to your kitchen.

After all, we are living in a fast-food world. It’s your right to get your ice cubes as quickly as possible. If you can’t find a solution using this guide it may be time to call an appliance repair technician. Now Let’s shed some light on why your ice maker is slow.

How your Ice maker works.

In layman’s language, this is simply a device that turns water into ice blocks in the shape of cubes.

I’ll get right into details without sounding so ‘techniciany.’

Please note that we are talking about an ice dispenser that comes with your home refrigerator responsible for making ice. If just in case yours is an appliance built for large scale ice production, then this article might not be very helpful to you.

1. Irrespective of the brand you might be having at home, there’s usually a supply line at the back of your refrigerator that supplies water to the ice maker. Water is allowed to flow into the ice-maker by an automatic switch that works to close or open the valve responsible for this.
2. Once the switch is triggered, it opens the valve allowing water to flow into the ice maker and therefore filling the cube tray. Once water fills the cube tray, it is frozen as a result of the freezer’s low temperatures.
3. Since your refrigerator has no way of knowing for sure when you might be in need of some ice cubes, its manufacturer equipped it with a thermostat. This device is usually attached to the ice-cube tray and connected to a heater found at the bottom of the tray. Once the ice cubes’ temperatures have fallen below a certain point, the thermostat activates the heater which then heats the tray making the ice cubes free to fall into the ice bin.
4. Once you placed your cup at the ice dispenser, the ice cubes are then released and pushed up then out of the ice tray and into your cup with the help of a spinning wheel-like mechanism.
5. This automatic and never-ending cycle ensures that the ice bin is always full. If you are a serious ice-taker then you’ll be happy to know that ice cubes will always be available to you come rain come sunshine.

So What makes the ice maker slow?

It’s important for us to point out what exactly could be the cause of this tragedy if we are to come up with a long-lasting ice maker solution.

1. Clogged water filter

This water filter prevents food particles and dirt from entering and damaging your refrigerator’s system or ice maker. These trapped particles then hinder the flow of water if the filter is not removed and cleaned regularly. Once this happens, it means there will be a decrease in the amount of water flowing through to the ice maker. This, in turn, leads to the production of a few ice cubes.

Here’s what to do:-

• Open the ice maker and remove the water filter. Hold it over your kitchen sink and run some hot water all over it. This will help in breaking down any tough dirt that might have gotten stuck. You can even opt to use a bottle brush for scrubbing.
• You then put it back into your refrigerator and allow it to run several cycles without any load.
• At times it might be necessary for you to call one of our technicians over to replace it for you. We’ll do a full diagnosis just to make sure that your refrigerator is running as it should.
• In many cases, it may be best to replace the water filter. Water filters have a life span and can get clogged, sometimes even collecting bacteria.

2. Freezer’s temperature is not low enough

You must know that for your ice maker to effectively produce ice, you’ll need a freezer temperature in the range between 0 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit. Sometimes, these conditions might be disrupted by a faulty circuit responsible for setting and maintaining your freezer temperature.

Here’s what to do:-

• As tempting and natural as it might feel, please stop opening the freezer every 5 minutes checking if ice cubes have been formed. This habit greatly affects internal freezer temperatures.
• To further improve ice production, set your freezer to about -2 degrees Fareignheight.
• Inspect the back of the refrigerator for lint, dust, or dirt build-up. This can limit the exchange of heat.

3. Understocked freezer

Your freezer needs your support if it is going to function as it should. Stocking very little to no food will interfere with your freezer’s functioning. Now, this doesn’t mean that you should pile up three months worth of shopping as this might again lead to overstocking.

Understocking leads to the creation of huge warm air pockets which interfere with the freezer’s internal temperatures.

Here’s what to do:-

• If you have done your stocking and it’s still not filling up at least half of the freezer’s space then you can opt to load in bottles of water. After all, you never can have enough of clean chilly water laying around.

4. Blockage in the water supply line

Dirt or even food particles might end up blocking the water supply line that is responsible for providing the ice maker with water. This then causes very little water of low pressure to make it to the ice maker, as a result very few and small ice cubes are produced.

Here’s what to do:-

• Reveal the back of the refrigerator. Disconnect your freezer from the water line on the wall.
• Keenly check the line to ensure that it hasn’t gotten blocked or bent.
• It’s also important for you to have a look at the water supply line valve. Make sure it is open to allow for water to flow into the freezer’s ice maker at high pressure.

If your ice maker is still having slow ice production despite doing all this, then it might be time to give us a call here at Victoria Appliance Repair Services. We’ll have our technician there as quickly as possible to ensure that you continue having your chilly drinks in peace.

Contact Us For Fridge and Freezer Repairs