--- title: "Follett DRAIN CLOG: the ice machine is draining too slowly" description: "What DRAIN CLOG means on Follett DRAIN CLOG: the ice machine is draining too slowlys, what to check before booking, and when it is not a failure at all." url: "https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/follett-drain-clog/" --- # Follett DRAIN CLOG: the ice machine is draining too slowly Follett machines purge their reservoir regularly to carry minerals away. ## What DRAIN CLOG actually means. Follett machines purge their reservoir regularly to carry minerals away. If the water does not drop below the low probe within 20 seconds during that purge, DRAIN CLOG lights while the machine keeps running. On Horizon Elite heads the same light can come from water touching a sensor in the chassis, and then the machine stops. Follett ice machine display · also shown as Drain clog What to do when DRAIN CLOG shows on the ice machine ### Kind of code Drain and pump Water that should have left the machine is still inside it. A gravity drain clogged with slime or scale, a line run too flat to keep up during a harvest, a drain pump whose float sticks or whose motor has stopped, or an air gap blocked at the floor sink all back water into the bin or across the floor. Checking that the drain outlet in view runs clear is a fair first step; the pump and the line inside the cabinet are a visit. ### Usually leads to Ice machine drain and pump repair Gravity drains, air gaps, drain pumps and their lines, cleared or replaced when meltwater backs up into the bin or reaches the floor. ### Shows up as Ice Machine Error Code or Flashing Light: What It Is Telling You An ice machine error code may show as a number on a small display, a pattern of blinking lights on the control board, a colored light on the front, or a machine that stops with one indicator flashing. ### Make Follett A Follett visit weighs how chewable ice is made and moved to the bin or the dispenser before looking at any single part. ### Source Follett Horizon Elite D710A installation, operation and service manual Horizon Elite (run error during purge, or chassis sensor) and Maestro Plus (DRAIN CLOG during self-flushing; water in the drain pan shows as SERVICE instead). ## Before you book, in this order. Each step comes from Follett's own guidance for DRAIN CLOG on its ice machines. Follow it to the end: the last card says whether this is a visit. 01 Look at the drain line from the machine to the floor drain for kinks, sags or a blocked air gap. 02 Check the floor drain itself is not backing up. 03 If you see water inside the base of the machine, switch it off at its power switch, close the water supply valve and book a visit. 04 If the drain looks clear and the light stays on, book a visit to check the purge valve. ### Still there? It usually turns into [ice machine drain and pump repair](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-drain-and-pump-repair/). Book with the code and the model number. ### What not to do DRAIN CLOG while ice is still coming out is a warning, not a stop, but Follett says it must be fixed. It is not the same as LO WATER, which is about water coming in rather than going out. ## What you may notice with it. The ice machine problems DRAIN CLOG tends to arrive with. Answer these at the ice machine before anyone is booked. [All problems](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/) Before you call ### [Ice Machine Error Code or Flashing Light: What It Is Telling You](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/ice-machine-error-code/) [All 7 causes, cheapest first](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/ice-machine-error-code/) It also comes with - [**Ice Machine Drain Backing Up Into the Bin**](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/ice-machine-drain-backing-up/) - [**Ice Machine Leaking Water Across the Floor or Under the Bin**](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/ice-machine-leaking-water/) Problem ### Ice Machine Error Code or Flashing Light: What It Is Telling You 7 causes, cheapest first Where DRAIN CLOG usually leads ## Ice machine drain and pump repair. **Drain line clearing, air gap, drain pump, float and check valve · low to moderate.** Book a visit [What the job involves](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-drain-and-pump-repair/) ## Follett ice machines. A Follett visit weighs how chewable ice is made and moved to the bin or the dispenser before looking at any single part. [Follett ice machine repair](https://icemachinerepair.center/brands/follett/) More Follett codes [HI AMPS](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/follett-hi-amps/) [LO WATER](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/follett-lo-water/) [LO WATER flashing](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/follett-lo-water-flashing/) [HI PRESSURE](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/follett-hi-pressure/) [SERVICE](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/follett-service/) [TIME DELAY](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/follett-time-delay/) [Internal Water Leak Detected](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/follett-internal-water-leak-detected/) [Empty Drip Tray](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/follett-empty-drip-tray/) [Clean and Sanitize](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/follett-clean-and-sanitize/) [Filter Replacement Required](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/follett-filter-replacement-required/) Drain and pump on other makes [Ice-O-Matic Error 4](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/ice-o-matic-error-4/) [Koolaire Clean light flashing](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/koolaire-clean-light/) [Marvel Er16](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/marvel-er16/) [Maxx Ice Buzzer alarm](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/maxx-ice-buzzer-alarm/) [True Residential E25](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/true-e25/) [U-Line Er16](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/u-line-er16/) [Viking Er16](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/viking-er16/) [All 9 codes of this kind](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/#family-drain) Follett builds this ### Modular ice machine An ice-making head set on top of a separate storage bin or drink dispenser, cooled by air, water or a condenser on the roof, turning out hundreds of pounds of cubes a day. Follett builds this ### Undercounter ice machine A self-contained ice machine that makes and stores its own ice under a bar, a service counter or a kitchen island, from commercial units to clear-ice models in large homes. Follett builds this ### Nugget ice machine An ice machine that freezes a thin layer inside a chilled cylinder and pushes it out with an auger as soft, chewable nuggets, for clinics, offices, hotels and large homes. ## In Follett's own words > The machine will continue to run but this is an indication of a poorly draining machine and must be addressed. [Follett Horizon Elite D710A installation, operation and service manual](https://www.follettice.com/sites/default/files/2026-01/Im_IOSMan_HorElite_C710_After%20Serial%20Number%20R03746_01223080R13.pdf) [Follett Horizon Elite D710A installation, operation and service manual](https://www.follettice.com/sites/default/files/2026-01/Im_IOSMan_HorElite_C710_After%20Serial%20Number%20R03746_01223080R13.pdf) [Follett Maestro Plus R290 installation, operation and service manual](https://www.follettice.com/sites/default/files/2025-09/Im_IOSMan_MaestroPlus%20R290%2001570225R03.pdf) Every code on this site is taken from the manufacturer's documentation, never from a forum or a parts listing. Horizon Elite (run error during purge, or chassis sensor) and Maestro Plus (DRAIN CLOG during self-flushing; water in the drain pan shows as SERVICE instead). ## Follett DRAIN CLOG ice machine repair, where we come out. The same visit in every metro below: the code, the model number, and a diagnosis before any part is ordered. 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Look at the drain line from the machine to the floor drain for kinks, sags or a blocked air gap. If it comes back, it needs a visit. ### My Follett shows DRAIN CLOG but is still making ice. Can I ignore it? Not for long. The machine keeps running, but Follett treats it as a drain that must be corrected, and a slow drain also leaves mineral-heavy water in the reservoir. ### What usually clogs a Follett drain? Scale and slime in the drain tubing, a sag that traps water, or an air gap that has filled with debris. A purge valve that no longer opens gives the same light. ### DRAIN CLOG and my Follett stopped. Is water leaking inside? Possibly. On Horizon Elite heads water touching the chassis sensor also lights DRAIN CLOG and stops the machine, so switch it off, close the water valve and book a visit. --- **[Read on the site: Follett DRAIN CLOG: the ice machine is draining too slowly](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/follett-drain-clog/)** **[Book a visit with IceMachineRepair.center](https://icemachinerepair.center/schedule/)**