Easy Ice Maker Fixes Before Calling in a Professional

Whether you’re a restaurant, deli, convenience store, hotel, or many other types of businesses, you need ice. This means you need a working ice maker. You probably take your ice machine for granted, until the day it stops working, of course. All of a sudden, you realize just how important having a functioning ice maker is! Before you rush off to call in a professional Kennewick, WA repair technician, there are probably a few things you can try first.

Does your ice maker has any of the following problems?

• Ice will not drop
• Ice tastes bad
• Water leaks from unit
• There’s no ice
• Too few ice cubes
• Dark specks in the cubes
• Too much ice falling down
• Will not shut off
• Ice cubes too small
• Ice cubes too large
• Not enough ice

If you answered yes to one, two, or many of these questions- you need to get to work fast. Luckily, ice makers are not overly complicated machines. Ice makers work by simply turning liquid water into frozen ice! The entire process is both fast and automated. All you should need to do is provide the water, either through a water line or by filling its reservoir, and clear the basket when it’s full. Of course, when it goes down you may need to do a little more. With a little investigative work, you can often get it working again without having to spend money on a repair or new machine altogether.

To fully understand your particular commercial ice maker, check the manufacturer’s manual. If you don’t have a physical copy with you, because the unit is old and it has been lost or you are not the original owner of the building, it should be pretty easy to find one online in PDF format. Simply type in your ice maker’s make and model, if you know it. This is going to be a big help moving forward, as it should list all the parts in that specific model and will usually contain quick-to-find troubleshooting advice.

Ice Maker Not Working

Your ice maker not making ice is one of the most common problems businesses encounter. It can happen suddenly, but it is often preceded by other smaller issues you may have ignored. The first thing to check is the power connection. The plug could have come off by accident or your power to the whole area may be off. Also, check whether the ice bin is full which could be preventing the ice maker from making more ice. If none of that is the issue, make sure there is water coming into the ice maker. It could be clogged.

Ice is Either Smelly, Tastes Bad, or Both

Good quality ice should be like water, which means tasteless, odorless, and fresh. If a batch tastes and smells funny, this must be addressed. Cleaning the ice maker usually fixes this. Experts recommend running two cycles using water mixed with vinegar and discarding the ice.

Water is Leaking

This indicates a serious internal problem with your machine. Open up the ice maker and check for a broken hose or tube. Once you find the faulty part, you will need to put in a replacement part in order for the leak to stop and the machine to work properly again.

If nothing else is working and your ice maker isn’t functioning properly, it is time to call upon the trusted and reliable professionals at Coffey Refrigeration. We are the answer to many needs around commercial buildings, including ice makers that do not work. We have repaired all types of restaurant equipment for over 30 years, so you can trust our expertise. We’re ready to help! Our trained food service equipment technicians can repair all brands of ice makers. Contact us at (509) 586-1519 to make a service call. If this is an emergency, tell us so and we’ll be out as quickly as possible!