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A stainless modular ice machine head on a stainless storage bin in a hotel service corridor, the bin door propped open and clear cubes heaped high up to the underside of the ice machine head and spilling over the edge of the bin onto the tile floor below.

Ice Bin Full but the Ice Machine Keeps Making Ice

An ice machine overfilling the bin keeps dropping ice onto a heap that already reaches the head, jams the curtain with cubes, or spills ice over the bin door onto the floor.

(844) 410-9163

Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm

  • 5 checks before you book
  • 5 questions that narrow it
  • 6 causes, cheapest first

Book a visit

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or call (844) 410-9163

What it
usually means.

Every ice machine needs to know when to stop. On most modular heads and undercounter units that is the bin control: a thermostat bulb or a sensor that feels the ice, a paddle or curtain that stays open when the heap reaches it, or an infrared or ultrasonic sensor that sees the ice. When the bin is full the machine stops at the end of the next harvest and waits until ice is used. A machine that keeps going has either lost that signal or is being told the bin is empty. A bin control set too low, a sensor coated with scale or slime, or one that is not in the right position after cleaning keeps calling for ice. On a head mounted on a new or different bin, the bin may be the wrong size for the head or need an adapter kit, so the ice never reaches the sensor where it should. A scoop left in the bin in the wrong spot can also fool some sensors in either direction. Overflowing ice on a floor is a slip risk and melts into a leak.

The open control box of a stainless ice machine in a restaurant back-of-house showing a green circuit board with a small blank display and neat wiring plugs, the ice machine's front panel leaning against the bin below, a multimeter lying on a folded cloth beside it and no hands touching the board. The 6 causes, cheapest first

Answer these first

01

Does the machine stop at all, or does ice pile up until it jams the head?
02

What kind of bin control does it have: a bulb, a paddle or curtain, or an electronic sensor?
03

Was it cleaned, moved or put on a new bin recently?
04

Is anything, such as a scoop, near the bin control?
05

Is there a code or a flashing light?

Check these
before you book.

Ice machine overfilling the bin: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything.

01

Take any scoop or container out of the bin and keep it in its holder.

02

Switch the machine off with its selector if ice is jamming the head or spilling onto the floor.

03

Check that the bin control is in the place the manual shows, without removing any panel.

Also worth checking

  • Pick up spilled ice so nobody slips, and set out a wet-floor sign.
  • Note what kind of bin control it has and photograph the data plate for the visit.

How soon does it need a visit?

An overfilling bin is a normal booking. If ice is jamming the head or spilling onto a walkway, switch the machine off with its selector and clear the ice until the visit.

The causes,
cheapest first.

6 things ice bin full but the ice machine keeps making ice turns out to be, from a scoop or container in the wrong spot to a board ignoring the bin signal.

The cost guide
  1. 01 no repair

    A scoop or container in the wrong spot

    Some sensors read a scoop resting near them as an empty bin or a full one. Keeping the scoop in its holder outside the bin fixes both.

    No repair: check it yourself
  2. 02 no repair

    A bin control out of position after cleaning

    A bulb, paddle or sensor taken out for cleaning and put back wrong never meets the ice. Refitting it as the manual shows restores the stop.

    No repair: check it yourself
  3. 03 low

    A sensor coated with scale or slime

    An electronic sensor or a bulb under a film reads the bin as empty. It is cleaned during the full clean and sanitize.

    Fixed by ice machine cleaning and sanitizing
  4. 04 low to moderate

    A bin control out of order

    A thermostat that no longer opens, or a sensor that has failed, keeps calling for ice. It is tested and replaced.

    Fixed by ice machine bin control repair
  5. 05 moderate

    A head on a bin it does not match

    A modular head moved to a new bin may need an adapter or a different bin control placement. The fit is checked against the maker's pairing charts.

    Fixed by ice machine bin control repair On a modular ice machine
  6. 06 moderate to highest

    A board ignoring the bin signal

    When the bin control works but the machine keeps running, the board's input is suspected. It is tested before the board is replaced.

    Fixed by ice machine control board repair

The makes
it happens on.

20 makes on this site; ice bin full but the ice machine keeps making ice can show up on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page.

All 20 brands

Ice Bin Full but the Ice Machine Keeps Making Ice,
where we come out.

9 metros, each with its own page.

All service areas

Tampa BayFL · 31 areas

OrlandoFL · 30 areas

Miami / South FloridaFL · 47 areas

New York MetroNY · 75 areas

HoustonTX · 36 areas

ChicagoIL · 50 areas

Los AngelesCA · 95 areas

San DiegoCA · 31 areas

San Francisco Bay AreaCA · 74 areas

A family filling glasses with nugget ice from an ice machine in a large home kitchen.
For the heart of your home.

Questions about
ice bin full but the ice machine keeps making ice.

How does an ice machine know the bin is full?
A bin control stops it: a thermostat bulb, a paddle or curtain the ice holds open, or an electronic sensor. When it senses ice, the machine waits.
Why did the ice machine start overfilling after we cleaned it?
A bin control or its bracket was probably put back in the wrong place. The manual shows its position.
Can a scoop in the bin stop an ice machine?
Yes, on some sensors a scoop reads as ice and the machine stops making any. On others it hides the ice. Keep the scoop out of the bin.
Can we put our old ice machine head on a new bin?
Often, with the right adapter kit and bin control placement from the maker. The pairing charts say which bins fit which heads.

Back to your everyday

Still seeing ice bin full but the ice machine keeps making ice?

Book with what you checked above — 5 answers save the technician the first part of the visit.

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(844) 410-9163 Schedule a repair