Common fault
Why has my ice maker stopped making ice?
Short answer
On wells and hard water the shape of the ice is the diagnosis, so pull a handful out of the bin before anyone quotes a part. Hollow, small or half-formed cubes mean water is not arriving in the quantity the mold expects, and on the wells and hard water common out here that means a silted inlet screen, a filter that gave up early, scale on the fill tube, or supply pressure that sags when the pump is between cycles. No ice at all, in a freezer that is still cold, is a completely different repair: the harvest side, meaning the module, the mold thermostat or the ejector motor.
The intermittent version is the one worth describing carefully. If production is fine in the morning and poor in the evening, the appliance is not the variable, the water is. Irrigation running, a pump partway through its cycle, or several fixtures open at once will short-fill a mold that filled perfectly six hours earlier. Nothing on a bench will ever reproduce that, which is why we ask about the water source over the phone.
Scale is the slow one. Mineral builds on the fill tube and around the mold, cubes stop releasing cleanly, they fuse into a slab or jam the ejector arm, and the module gets blamed for straining against ice that should have dropped on its own. Descaling and a fresh filter settle a good share of what arrives described as a dead ice maker.
If the machine has been through a power outage, say so when you call. Some of these want the arm cycled or the unit reset before they resume, and more than one call in fire-weather season turns out to be a machine waiting for something rather than a machine that has broken.
If that matches what your appliance is doing, say so when you call — it tells us which parts to bring, and most of these are finished in one visit.
Reviews
Our Sub-Zero freezer stopped working overnight. We called and had a technician at our Fallbrook home within hours. The repair was fast and professional—saved our entire freezer contents!" - Jennifer M., Fallbrook
- ★★★★★
Excellent service in Valley Center. The technician quickly diagnosed a sealed system issue in our built-in refrigerator and provided a clear, reasonable estimate. Highly recommended." - David L., Valley Center
- ★★★★★
Booked same-day service for our wine cooler in Bonsall. The repair technician was prompt and efficient, fixing the temperature and humidity controls perfectly. Very professional experience." - Sarah P., Bonsall
Appliance down in North County San Diego?
Tell us the brand and what it is doing — we can usually name the likely repair before we arrive.