Why Is My Ice Maker Frozen?

It seems pretty counterintuitive that a frozen ice maker would be a problem. But it can become a big problem. While your ice maker and freezer should be cold and keeping items below the freezing point, they should not be frozen over. This can be a big problem for functionality and is usually a symptom of a bigger problem with the machine. And the longer you let a frozen over ice maker go on, the more it will cost you in the end to repair.

There are a few reasons an ice maker might freezer over so figuring out where the issue is does take a bit of detective work on your end. Some problems have easy fixes, some of them are more involved and will require a professional's help. The best thing you can do is research before calling a professional to get some repair help.

If you can believe it, an ice maker can in fact be too cold. Your appliance, whether a free-standing ice maker or one connected to a refrigerator or freezer, should have a suggested operating temperature. Going below this can result in freezes in the appliance. Part of the reason the temperatures are set the way they are is to make sure that the water coming into the ice maker remains liquid before entering the ice tray. If it's too cold, it may be partially frozen as it comes out which begins to build up. You can fix this by resetting the temperature and cleaning the build-up out of the ice tray.

A more involved issue with an ice maker that's freezing over is in the water filter. The water filter, as it sounds like, is responsible for making sure the water that gets to the ice tray is as clean as possible. If it's not cleaned and maintained regularly, it can become clogged which causes problems with the quality of the water getting to the ice tray. Take a look at the filter and replace it as needed to make sure the water flowing through your ice maker is high quality and not becoming clogged with excess gunk.

If you have an ice maker attached to a freezer or a free-standing ice maker, it likely has a door which you open to access the ice. This door likely has a gasket on it that helps seals the door closed. When the gasket is damaged or fails, then the seal isn't secure and moisture can get inside the appliance. This moisture will quickly freeze in the lower temperature resulting in a layer of frost over everything. This will only build up every time you open the appliance or new ice is made which makes this repair critical for a professional to take a look at. You should replace a damaged gasket or call a professional for help installing a new one.