Why Ice Keeps Clumping in the Ice Maker

An automatic ice maker is a handy tool in the kitchen, except when that ice doesn’t come in neat little cubes. If you have ice that is fusing into one large and unmanageable chunk, then your ice maker isn’t doing anyone much good. Not only is this issue frustrating, but it may be a sign of other issues in your freezer that will need repair.

Your first thought should not immediately turn to what needs repaired. Instead, you should take into consideration the last time you used your ice maker. If it has been a long winter without much need for ice, a full ice maker will turn to clumps through its own weight. The weight of the ice on top of older ice will naturally fuse the ice below it. In order to avoid this issue, it is best to turn the ice maker off during long periods where you won’t be using it. Save that constant ice production for hot summers.

However, if you do use your ice maker frequently, this won’t be an issue unless something else is wrong. When you have clumped ice, it typically means the ice is melting just slightly and them refreezing into the mass. When this is happening, you may want to check for proper freezing in other foods. If temperature in the freezer is not reaching the proper temperature or if the defrost cycle kicks on too often, heating your freezer, you will need to further troubleshoot what is wrong.

With more investigating, you can likely find what has gone wrong to stop ice clumping and the poor freezing of your food. However, issues that result in a warmer than normal freezer can be many. If you want to get down to the root of the issue quickly, contact us today so we can troubleshoot and repair the problem before it becomes a larger one.