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It's the heat of summer, and the ice maker says it's full, but it isn't. It's essential to keep yourself refreshed and hydrated with lovely ice-cold drinks. When the ice maker is telling you that it is full, but you aren't able to get any ice cubes out, it's extremely frustrating. Here are some tips to fixing this annoying problem.
Ice maker says it's full when it's not, how to fix
It will just take five simple little steps to try and fix the problem.
- Open your ice maker
- Check your slide way
- Remove debris
- Rotate the slide way to test functionality
- Check back within two hours
It is possible that with the very low heat, there could be some frost build up on a magnet somewhere or a panel and so not everything is in time with each other when the ice maker says it's full.
Burrs are a pretty common problem that occurs during manufacturing but it won't really have an effect until the ice maker starts to break. Filing down some of it with sandpaper can help if you think that the burr is the issue.
When you rotate the slide way and the magnet is back on the panel, the LED screen on the front part of the ice maker should turn off. Leave for a couple of hours and check again to see if you have ice.
How does the ice full light work?
The freezers that have an LED display have built-in mechanisms that will monitor the kind of things you need to know and tell you if anything is wrong. Some examples are I their is low ice, or a filter needs cleaning/replacing, etc.
These little mechanisms just get worse as time goes on, and this can cause issues.
There could also be something in the refrigerator that can cause issues.
As we previously mentioned, one of those important mechanisms is the slide way, which has a magnet attached to one end. As the ice bin gets more and more full of ice, the slide way starts to rotate, and the magnet prevents it from touching the LED panel on the front of the ice maker.
If the ice bin is empty but the light has stayed on, there is a problem with the magnet and something is keeping them from touching.
But the ice maker says it's full - why?
This slide way is what controls the panel and how it knows if it is full or not, the panel can be faulty too as there could be a problem in the circuitry.
Debris, frost or a burr all have the possibility to forcefully separate the slide way in the ice maker.
Dampen a small cloth and use that to clean away any of the aforementioned problems from the magnet or slide way, and do the same for the panel on the front of the ice maker, with the utmost care, however.
If the defrost cycle isn't properly set up and the temperature controls aren't quite right, but the ice maker says it's full, there could be too much frost that you'll have to chip away at it.
As previously mentioned, it could also be a burr, a separate problem that is caused during the manufacturing process. It is essentially just an imperfection that sticks out and makes the magnet get stuck so that it's not doing its job properly with the inside panel. A piece of sandpaper can help to even it out and prevent this.
Why is my Ice Maker not Filling up?
Nothing is more infuriating than leaving your ice maker for hours and although the ice maker says it's full, it's not, but there are lots of reasons why this could be happening.
Lack of Water
All ice makers get water directly from the water line, and if the line isn't pumping enough water into the ice maker, it won't be able to make enough ice to fill the machine. Check your line and make sure it's at full efficiency and no clogs in the pump. Hard water can cause buildups over time.
Most ice makers will have a sensor that will tell you when there isn't enough water and you need to add more, but it could be broken, need replacing or obstructed.
There's a Mechanical Issue
Ice makers have a set of steps that they go through to see where they are in the process, mostly done by sensors and mechanisms to track what is happening. The ice maker needs to know when it's time to add water, when the water is frozen, when the cubes are ready and when it's full of cubes.
If any of these mechanisms and sensors are broken, the machine could be repeating the same step rather than going forward in the process. Any of these problems and the ice maker says it's full!
Not Cold Enough
The ice machine will need to be very cold to freeze water into cubes, and if the thermometer inside the ice machine isn't reaching a certain temperature then it won't pop out the next set of cubes.
Lowering the temperature by a small amount each time will help you figure out what the perfect level is for cubes to be made.
Ice Maker says it's Full - how to reset it
None of these steps are guaranteed fixes, so as a last option, considering resetting the ice maker just to try and get some of those mechanisms, lights and sensors back to how they were when you they were originally.
Each ice maker will have a different process so check the guide it came with and find out the safest way for the machine that you own.
If you have reset the machine, and you still aren't getting the results that you're looking for, and still the ice maker says it's full, then it's time to call in a professional to have a look at what the problem is, and how to fix it.
Final Thoughts
Ice makers aren't a super difficult piece of technology, and they're extremely essential to us on a warm summers day, so keeping them working properly is essential in that heat. Break down the problem bit by bit, and rule out as many fixable problems as you physically can before you bring in a professional.
