Troubleshooting A Portable Ice Maker | Check This First!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ค. 2024
- Troubleshooting a portable ice maker is not difficult...depending on the issue you are trying to troubleshoot. If your portable ice maker is taking longer to make ice cubes or making smaller ice cubes, this easy maintenance procedure would be worth trying before throwing away your portable ice maker! The troubleshooting and cleaning process we show in this video will apply to most all countertop and portable ice makers. Below is a link to the Frigidaire Portable Ice Maker we have. This portable ice maker has been a fantastic addition to our RV and has provided over a year of reliable ice-making for us so far!
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Chapters:
0:00 The Problem We Are Troubleshooting
1:33 Disassembling The Portable Ice Maker
2:31 The Source Of Our Problem
3:17 Cleaning The Ice Maker Coil
4:32 Ice Maker Re-assembly
5:53 One More Important Step!
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THANK YOU! My ice maker started making small hollow bits of ice a few weeks ago. Yesterday, I decided to fix it or get it off my counter. I started by giving it a good cleaning with vinegar. I noticed that the ice tray was only filling halfway, so I took the cover off and blew through the water line. I then noticed that the coils were filthy. I used a toothbrush to clean them like you suggested, and now my ice maker is working like new!
You’re welcome! Thanks for watching!
Thank you for the video! I see no one talking about this. I thought it was going bad. But now it’s back to making the huge ice cubes from the beginning as it was new. Thank you so much.
Your welcome! Glad the video helped you fix the problem!
Your repair worked perfectly. Our icemaker is as good as new. Thanks!
Awesome! Glad the video was helpful and thank you for watching!
Thank you so very much! We followed your instructions and now our ice machine is working like it's brand new. Which is a great thing since we live in Texas and it's been 100+ degrees every day for a month!!
You’re welcome! Glad the video was helpful and thank you for watching!
Thanks a lot buddy. Used your technique for my old one in the garage now the both of them are working just fine. Appreciate you boss.
You’re welcome! Glad the video was helpful!
I had a new one waiting in my Amazon cart. So happy I found you before I purchased! Thanks! 🛠️
Awesome! Thanks for watching
Thank you - cleaned the coils off as you suggested, works like a charm.
We’ve had ours just over a year and have been thinking it is running slower. Now we will try this. Thanks for sharing.
This definitely helped ours! Thanks for watching!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I know I can do that myself! I especially like the tip about letting it sit after you have tipped it over. Good job.
Thank you and thanks for watching!
This video just saved me from throwing out my own portable ice maker I've had for the past 6 years!! It didn't occur to me that dust had accumulated to on the fan & coils... I read about it first, blew on the rear without removing the cover, & it started working again... then I later cleaned it by removing the back, used a toothbrush, & NOW it's good as new! Thank you!
You’re welcome! Glad the video was helpful!
We were a trip away from Menards to buy a new ice maker when I found this video. A simple tooth brush and a few minutes later and it worked like new! Probably saved $100. Thank you,m
Awesome! Glad this helped you out and thank you for watching!
Just wanted to say thanks great video you saved my little ice maker working like a charm
Awesome! Glad the info was helpful!
I am amazed at how much ice we go through at home. we have a Frigidaire too because our freezer is full of food. I use filtered water from an under sink RO system. very happy with both. good video. Thanks
Thanks for watching!
This worked out great as far as getting into my ice maker and cleaning the dust filter and fan assembly. I unscrewed the fan box and blew air through from the outside in and that did a great job (room covered in dust). Also, watch out for bending the very thin dust filter tines. I did bend some as I brushed them, so I had to carefully bend them back so air could flow as designed. Thanks again
Glad it worked out for you!
Man, you saved me a headache and some money as well. My machine would make 3 ice cubes and stop after that. And take a long time to make them. I became frustrated and ready to trash the ice maker. Insert your video. Followed it to the T. And the problem solved. The machine makes full baskets of ice in about an hour or so. Thank you
Awesome! That’s the point ours was getting to when I did this video. Glad it helped you out and thanks for watching!
Great info, I have the same ice maker. It did help ice maker perform better! thanks
You’re welcome! Thanks for watching!
Omg I just did this. And it's working. Thank you sooo much
You’re welcome! Thanks for watching!
I used a can of compressed air from the computer store. It worked very well!
Awesome! Thanks for watching!
Very informative. I have a new one that haven't used yet.
Definitely keep an eye on the dust buildup…Ours is working very well again now that the coil is clean! Thanks for watching!
You saved me buying a new machine THANK YOU!
I used an old toothbrush to carefully clean the foils and had canned air i use on my keyboard to blow through the foils.
Removed a lot of fuzz.
My Machine is running like new making Large ice cubes fast.
Awesome! Glad the info was helpful!
i shall try
Thanks so much for the video, I think I just fixed mine appreciate it!!
You’re welcome!
Thanks for that information it was a really simple explanation
You’re welcome, thanks for watching!
Thank you so much! I thought I was going to have to buy a whole new machine!!!
You’re welcome! Thanks for watching!
It worked!!! Thank you so so much.
You’re welcome! Thanks for watching!
Good tip thank you
You’re welcome and thank you for watching!
I have had 3 countertop icemakers. I bought them because i did not want to waste space in my freezer with ice cubes. I just have the freezer/refrigerater that came with my batchelor apt. The first one I bought died 2 yrs after purhcase the second one died 1.5 years after bit I managed to repair it by replacing the fan with an old computer fan I had lying around. It died 6 months later because the top reservoir kept cycling bbefore the water even started freezing. (i intend on trying to fix that). The current one I just bought I also purchased a food vacuum thermos. Because I ran the other 2 24/7 they wore out fast .now all I do is run it till the basket is full and dump the ice bullets into the thermos and I have ice all day and the ice machine is not running.😊
An additional technique is to take it outside and blast it with a leaf blower. That will clear almost all of the dust out of the case. Start out with a little distance to make sure wires are not being pulled lose. I found it is also a good way to clean the dust out of desk top computer cases.
Great tip! Thanks for sharing, I was amazed at how much dust had collected inside the unit. Regularly blowing it off once it’s clean would help tremendously. Thanks for watching!
Use a air compressor or Ryobi makes a cheap battery operated compressor
.. Great to keep in care in case you catch a nail
12/20/2022- I JUST NOW disassembled my Frigidaire Ice maker, took out to the back porch, set my Craftsman leaf-blower to highest setting and aimed it at the exterior fan. As the blower loosened the dust I took a toothbrush and gently brushed the coils. RE-assembled the unit , plugged it in and now it works like a charm! THANKS! 😊
I have a Makita blower now and others in the past but thats exactly how I have cleaned all of my desktop PCs for the last 15 yrs. I had a feeling it was dust in the ice maker. Thanks for verifying it for me.
😊ll😊😊l😊😊
Nice fix. Looks like an interesting life y'all live.
Thanks for watching!
just did mine - totally clogged - good vid!
Thank you! Glad it was helpful!
Forced air will definitely be more effective. Also, be careful when brushing the fins of the core assembly as they bend very easily. Appreciate you sharing your video.
Great advice, thanks for watching!
Yea I bent mine.....
Thankyou im going to try this!
You’re welcome, thanks for watching!
I didn't have high hopes, but surprisingly, it worked! I followed your advice and opened it up to clean everything thoroughly. After closing it back up and turning it on, it ran like it was brand new again. I am overjoyed that I didn't have to purchase a new one. Thank you so much for your helpful suggestion!
You’re welcome, glad it worked for you!
LOL! I did this about 2 months ago not knowing this video existed but I removed the fan....similar vacuum attachment too. She chooches the ice out once again!
Awesome! Thanks for watching!
Thank you!
You’re welcome!
You probably should consider fabricating an air filter for the inlet side of the unit. I'm considering buying one of these to create a small portable AC unit for my caravan. You video really helped in my planning, thanks.
An air filter is a great idea! Thanks for watching!
@@JouppiOutdoors Yeah i was thinking about it some more. As i will probably have to do the same with my project. I'm considering using a filter from a cheap home depot mask. Attach the mask filter holder to the filter inlet, glue or screw, then have replacement filters on mass. It should work.
Thanks! I was fixing to throw our ice maker away. Your short, informative video encouraged me to open it up and do a little "spring cleaning." We've got ice coming out better than ever!
Awesome! Glad the video was helpful!
Never knew to clean this.
It has definitely helped the ice maker perform much better since cleaning the coil.
Thanks so much for the awesome video! We too use ours everyday in our camper. We just got a new one, same model as yours, and it is doing all kinds of weird stuff. 1) makes and they are all stuck together in a long line. 2) sometimes the ice forms on the pins and then the water keeps freezing onto them until there is one big solid block of ice. Any ideas? it's only a couple months old.
Wow this is great... my icemaker is so loud...I'm going to try this today
Thank you!
You’re welcome! Thanks for watching!
Good content, thanks for sharing.
Your thoughts about the following: "use compressed air towards the coils through the fan - for it to go out in the direction it came from - and have the vacuum cleaner on the other end to collect the dirt/dust".
That would work, just be sure the air pressure doesn’t fold the fins over…they are very thin.
I take apart the cover. Take it outside a use the leaf blower to remove the dust. I'm careful not to bend the thin fins. It now works like new. Thank you so much for your time and video. 🙂
You’re welcome! Thanks for watching!
Super helpful!! My ice maker stopped working for a few months but after doing this it started working again (: Unfortunately, it only made 3 rounds of ice and stopped working...not sure if there's another issue
Oh no! Check the water pickup tube and make sure it’s clean. Sometimes it can get blocked.
When removing the cover I found the same issue but it wasn't the only problem. It would go through the motions yet wouldn't feed any water to the ice making tray. When watching the mechanism I found that one of the micro-switches was broken, therefore not sending a signal to the pump that the tray was in position. Replaced the micro-switch and we're back in business. DONGHAI 5A 250VAC T120 micro-switch. Hope that this helps someone!
I'm thinkin' compressed air might do a job on that coil. I did clean mine but It won't even start. Hate to send it to the dump but looks like it's destination. I won't be buyin' another one but it was a joy when it was working.
Ours has since bit the dust as well, agreed…they are awesome while they work!
Thanks for this video, I gave it a shot, but I was more surprised that there was barely any dust on the coils at all. I did give it a thourough cleaning though, but the problem that I'm having is that about a month ago, I noticed that the ice cubes being made were smaller and smaller, even though it's set on Large. It finally got to the point where it's just basically making Ice discs, many of which just fall thru the slots in the ice tray. Any ideas what might be causing that?
ooh man. never thought about that… it’s similiar to a computer collecting dust 🤦🏻♀️. need to see how much ours has!!
Thanks for watching!
Money savor. Thank you. Just about to throw away. I always forget that most issues is because things are dirty.
You’re welcome, glad the video was helpful!
What do I have to look at if it’s leaking water?? At first I thought it was leaking from the little hole that’s on the bottom to drain and change the water but upon watching it I realized it’s not even leaking from there it’s leaking from where the metal plate is at, from one of the slits. Can anyone that’s had this problem help? We really don’t want to pay another $200 if it’s something that can be fixed at home! I also want to be a bit more educated before I open it up and start tinkering with it 😂 (Also, your video was so informative! I had no idea we had to clean it! We’ve had ours for about a year now and I want to take care of it so that it’ll last a good time! Thank you!)
You’re welcome. I have not had that issue, but it is not difficult to take apart. I’d give it a try and see if you can solve the leak. Thanks for watching!
I have a new ice maker and on the left side of the evaporator coil, the rods freeze up and doesn’t release the ice . The other half side release ice, but there very thin. What do you think might be the culprit .
I have an air blower for my computer that I use to clean out dust. I haven't figured out how to take the front chasis off yet. I need to see what is going on with the water tray cycle.
Let's see it work.
If want, you may have air conditioning coil cleaning spray on hand to thoroughly clean coils - just an idea :)
That’s a great suggestion! Thank you for watching!
shop vac out from the coils input air direction. brushing pushes it in. also cleaning the fan blades helps. an older unit should not be tilted because metal & debris sitting on the compressor will be mixed in the oil. it also helps to explain that refrigeration dont make cold it removes heat. so people can understand why airflow is important. and no i dont know it all.. just been doing it since the 80's certified & retired. the new china stuff i dont trust at all. its a trap.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for explaining!
Thanks
You’re welcome, thanks for watching!
Good video. Although, doubt dust is our issue. When attempting to fill the water tray, half of the water misses. It makes cubes 1/2 the size.
If half of the water misses and makes half size, then your water line is possible restricted and plugging up. Check that the ice maker tray is sitting level.
@@christmysavior the end of the tube had some sort of crud on it that redirected part of the water. Now fixed and working great.
these are the fins of the coils that are underneath same with any cooling system, Car AC, Window AC's, and even the outside units on full HVAC systems - one tip the toothbrush is great to use, just don't push too hard as the fins are somewhat fragile and can bend, and then you will be in worst shape - they do make a fin comb but this is a tight situation, so the tooth brush method is a great way to do it.
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the tips ! I wonder if you have a suggestion regarding my Insignia 44lb unit. When I push the clean button lots of water comes out and it works When I push the ice button no water comes out at all ? any suggestions would be appreciated
Unfortunately I don’t have any experience with that unit
Thank you will do the cleaning. Hopefully it will help mine. My icemaker will fill and freeze ice when i first plug it in. But it will not continuously fill and make ice. You got any ideas about that?
Sounds similar to what ours was doing, hopefully this helps!
The ice shovel broke on mine, first one side and I put it up with a twist tie and it worked but then the other side broke, I tried to rig it the same way but it didn't work. Any advice?
Hello, I got a used icemaker from my neighbor who said it did not work anymore. I plugged it in and the lights go on for the settings but THAT is it. The fan does not spin and I imagine that it needs a thorough cleaning inside but not sure what can cause the fan not to spin. I hear no Humming inside either. Any suggestions besides what you demonstrated in cleaning the coils that I might try, Thank you.
hello, what kind of compressor does it have? thank you.
Can you help with my ice maker it was running fine and the compressor stopped while it was making ice the evaporator fan was still going I powered it on and it started but the compressor just stopped running. So can you maybe help its a frigeadare or however you spell it im not at fridge guy so if you want can you give some tips and there i no dust i opened the back so do i have to replace the compressor?
Thank you very much friend.💪😎🇵🇷
You’re welcome! Thanks for watching!
Mine may have got fried from s power surge recently. Do you know if these have fuses in them that may have protected against that. It will no longer power up. Let me know, thanks
I did not see any fuses in mine when I had it apart. It would be worth taking apart to check though.
Thanks so much for this video. My ice maker was filthy. My tray is in a stuck position. Any ideas 💡??? I'd appreciate any feedback
I haven’t had that particular issue, but I would definitely take it apart and check it out. It may be just jammed.
My ice full/water needed lights are blinking back and forth and ice tray will not go into position. Do your lights blink back and forth and have you found a fix?
@@Jesus_Saves494 mine also. There are some directions on the lid for when that happens but the writing is so small that I can't read it. I have a Kuppet and I have had it for a few years but haven't been using it but maybe four months. I don't think I can do anything that involves taking it apart and stuff and these people that do these videos never answer anybody's question. They just thank the people that it worked for. I hope you get some help. If I can clean mine then I will. If not I will just go back to my refrigerator ice maker. I got the portable one because I had become anemic and was spending too much money getting large cups of crushed ice from Cook Out or Exxon everyday 😊.
I had hope, yes my ice maker was not producing ice at all. Pumps were fine, water flow great but the
pegs were not getting cold. Maybe the one on the far left was making very thin cubes. Ok thought
it might be the dust dirt, nope I found out my wife had already went in there and cleaned it up a few months ago. Spotless. So maybe the electronics?
Mine is leaking from the bottom and I have no idea why. I can’t find any videos on it. It holds water in the tank but once it goes to make the ice it starts leaking water.
I would check the small hose going from the water pump to the upper part of the icemaker. You should be able to see it if you remove the cover as I did in this video. Hope this helps!
Hello,should the fan run as soon as compressor kicks on,or is it t-stat controlled??
Ours kicked on with the compressor but would cycle once it started making ice
Any tips on what to do if the metal piece that makes the cubes still isn’t getting cold enough to make ice even after cleaning out the fan? The fan kicks on but it doesn’t make the extra noise after to tell you that it’s actually freezing the water.
Unfortunately, it sounds like the compressor isn’t coming on. I do not think they are serviceable on these units.
Great video, what mine is doing is the tray will move up in position click, the pump does not engage. Then immediately will go back down and repeat one more time. Then just rest at the bottom and till do nothing until I power off. Any suggestions? Thanks
Unfortunately I haven’t had to troubleshoot that problem yet.
Might be a bad microswitch, so it's not detecting when the tray is in position. You could use a multimeter to test if the switch works.
There's another video (about 18mins long) from "CelGenStudios" that shows those parts and replacement.
Microswitches sometimes have 3 terminals on them - one pair will give you "normally open" behavior and the other pair will give you "normally closed". Make sure to match how the originals were wired to behave.
any ideas on how to take off the front of the machine? Water pump stopped working and can't seem to access it without taking off front part.
I’m not 100% sure how to remove the front, but I would think the top would need to be removed first.
We thought we were only ones that use our portable icemaker in RV we have same brand, different color. That should run off your solar/inverter set up, doesnt it? Can you run a tv and satelitte dish off solar setup too?
We don’t run the ice maker on the inverter, although it is capable, the draw is more than we like on the battery bank. A rv and satellite dish would be no problem as long as the battery bank was appropriately sized. Thanks for watching!
ours is 4 months old and suddenly stopped making ice, the water flow does go to the silver tubes at top, will try cleaning, but seems not very dirty at all. Any other thoughts? could compressed air can be used on these? I also cleaned with vinegar water in case mineral build up but still not working.
Compressed air can be used. If the airflow across the fins is blocked, the metal tubes will not get cold enough to make the ice properly. Thanks for watching!
There are several videos showing that the water pump that fills the tray can have it’s impeller fouled by a single hair or other debris. You can disassemble the impeller housing and clear the debris to get it working again (if the motor hasn’t burned out)…good luck!
My Frigidaire icemaker had the arm freeze up and I how to unplug it and let it thaw that ice would come off those little fingers. I plugged it in and let it run again and it made ice for a little bit but then it started smelling like burning rubber so I just unplugged it again. I am a single mom with very few mechanical skills. Is this worth my while to try and troubleshoot it myself?
It doesn’t sound like your issue is what we had in this video. Honestly, these units aren’t very serviceable except for some cleaning and maybe replacing the fan. The burning smell is a bit concerning.
how do you "blow out" the water line? mine is not pushing through the water with enough pressure to contact the sensor
Quick question.
Ice maker used to work and would blow out warm air, but now it is only blowing out cold air and not forming ice. Is this a refrigerant problem.? I have tried cleaning things up. Good air flow but not warm like it used to be.
No warm air sounds like the compressor is not running. Unfortunately these units aren’t very serviceable for issues like that.
Same unit. Only 4 months old. Only getting half the ive cubes out of the squares. Right half isn't doing anything. Any idea?
Ours is saying add water even if it’s full. Would doing this help that at all?
I would check to make sure the water pickup or hose is not blocked.
My ice is not pumping the water is there fan is going frigidaire countertop ice maker not circulating the ice to flow what should I do. When I first got it I had no clue at the bottom of the try the white crystal or tan will float at the bottom of the try and the ice will taste nasty
Could I use my small shop vac to blow the dust out?
You could definitely give it a shot depending on how bad the dust is. If it’s caked on, the shop vac might not work well for this. Thanks for watching!
Mine is blowing very hot air out of that fan.
Idk if I need to refill the freon or maybe do a deep cleaning like yours
I would check to see if the coil is covered in dust first.
@@JouppiOutdoors well. That’s very weird. I opened the back panel to look if there was any dust and it was clean.
Closed up and plugged it back in.
Started making ice again! 🤷🏻♂️
Large cubes getting ready in 8 minutes.
Is there a way to take off the top to replace or clean the ice bucket?
Yes the top is removable once you take the side off like I did in this video.
Mine still doesn't workkkkkkkkk😢 .after cleaning
Check ked the hose
Mine just makes a clicky noise when I cut it on then it just sits there…. Idk what’s wrong
They are pretty easy to disassemble, I’d take it apart and see if I could find the culprit.
would this help for a weird loud sqeaking noise my unit is making? It started a few days ago, no idea whats wrong
I’m not sure? It couldn’t hurt to try! Thanks for watching!
Is the fan supposed to run all the time? I just got a used one from a family member. I plugged it in with water in it and the fan is not running?
Our fan doesn’t run constantly
What's happen if fan condenser not working how to get it working?
They make and sell what is called a fin comb and it is specifically designed to clean the fins without smashing or bending them. Just an FYI
Great info, thanks for sharing!
good luck getting a fin comb in there. I have a small fin comb and there is 0% chance I get enough access unless the ice maker is almost completely disassembled
I did this and my issue didn't get fixed. It's pumping water and it's doing the while process but its like the element won't gwt cold enough to even form ice. What can be done ?
It may have developed a refrigerant leak. If the coil is clean and the fan is running, the issue might not be repairable.
Will compressed air be effective do you think?
Yes, as long as you blow in a direction to remove the dust and not embed it deeper into the fins.
I bought a new ice maker, and I put my old ones away, and they got all moldy on the inside. Is there a way to remove the water bowl and stuff so I could scrub it clean, and get rid of ALL of the mold??
Use vinegar and water and turn it on. Run several cycles. If still moldy. Tape over all the vent holes. Take it to the car wash and finish cleaning the mold off. Be sure to rinse all the soap off. Blow it with air and dry. Then remove the tape. Works great!
How can I get my ice full indicator to turn off
I tried your suggestion. The inside was clean as a whistle. The compressor motor was hot and not vibrating. I think the compressor motor is dead. Not impossible to replace but might not be worth it.
Definitely sounds like the compressor has failed.
Well did it fix it before i take mine apart? Ty
Yes, It did solve our problem.
@@JouppiOutdoors it solved mine also I really want to thank you. 😊😊😇🥰
My issue is that the ice maker is not moving to grab the water… almost like the motor is gone. And suggestions?
We’ve had this issue too, our ice maker power button blinks green and the white scooper thing that movies that fills the water to the metal things to make the ice isn’t moving at all so I’m not sure if this will help but I’ll try!
I have one just like that. Accidentally left it on overnight. When I turned it off and moved it off the counter I found a few minutes later it was leaking a whole bunch of water through the bottom. The counter was dry when I moved it. How does that happen?
Maybe the reservoir drain plug on the bottom is not seated all the way or leaking?
My tray tray keeps moving and when it stops my water won’t run… Any suggestions
The aluminum fins definitely need to be cleaned, but be VERY CAREFUL not to bend them. If bent, they will also block airflow.
Great point, thanks for sharing!
So my fan on the side isn’t even moving..it looks like it seized up. I will open it like you did to see if it’s just dusty but I think mine is fried. It’s not even a yr old 😖
Oh no! The fan may be replaceable.
@@JouppiOutdoors nah..its dead.
I'm wondering if I can use canned air or would it be counterproductive
It may work, my concern would be that the dust is still inside the case and will collect back on the fins in a short period of time