--- title: "Ice Machine Drain Backing Up Into the Bin: Causes and Fixes" description: "An ice machine drain backing up leaves water standing under the ice in the bin, a gurgle from the floor drain at every harvest, or ice melting in a shallow pool…" url: "https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/ice-machine-drain-backing-up/" --- # Ice Machine Drain Backing Up Into the Bin An ice machine drain backing up leaves water standing under the ice in the bin, a gurgle from the floor drain at every harvest, or ice melting in a shallow pool that never empties. ## What it usually means. The ice machine drains two things: water from the head's sump at every purge, and meltwater from the bin all day. Both run by gravity through a drain line to an open floor drain or standpipe, or, where no drain is close, into a small pump that lifts the water away. The line needs a steady fall, its own vent, and an air gap where it meets the building drain so dirty water can never flow back up into the machine. A drain that backs up puts meltwater under the ice, makes the ice wet and soft, and can let drain water reach the bin. Common causes: slime building up in the line and the trap, a hose that sags or has been kinked behind the unit, a drain with no air gap or a hose pushed down into the floor drain, a building drain that is slow, or a pump that has stopped or is full of film. When water from a backed-up drain spreads onto the floor near power, it becomes a leaking water problem and the safety steps on that page come first. The 6 causes, cheapest first Answer these first 01 Is there standing water in the bottom of the bin under the ice? 02 Does the floor drain gurgle or overflow when the machine harvests? 03 Does the drain hose end above the floor drain with a gap, or is it pushed inside? 04 Is there a drain pump, and does it run and empty? 05 Is the drain line sagging, kinked or long with little fall? ## Check these before you book. Ice machine drain backing up: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything. 01 If the water is spreading onto the floor toward an outlet or cord, switch the circuit off from a dry panel, close the supply valve and follow the leaking water page. 02 Stop using the ice if drain water has reached the bin, and empty it. 03 Look at where the hose ends: it should stop above the floor drain with an open gap. ### Also worth checking - Look for kinks or loops in the hose behind the unit, without pulling it out. - Note whether a pump runs and empties, and photograph the drain setup for the visit. ### How soon does it need a visit? A backed-up drain means the ice is not served until the bin is clean and the drain clear. Book soon; if water is spreading toward power, treat it as a leak first. ## The causes, cheapest first. 6 things ice machine drain backing up into the bin turns out to be, from hose pushed into the floor drain with no air gap to a slow building drain. [The cost guide](https://icemachinerepair.center/cost/) 1. 01 no repair ### Hose pushed into the floor drain with no air gap A hose pushed down inside the drain lets water back up into the bin. Lifting it so it ends above the drain with an open gap stops the backflow, and the plumbing is checked. No repair: check it yourself 2. 02 low ### Slime in the drain line or trap The same film that grows in the bin grows in the drain. The line is cleared and sanitized, and cleaning it is added to the schedule. [Fixed by ice machine drain and pump repair](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-drain-and-pump-repair/) 3. 03 low ### A sagging or kinked drain line A line pushed behind the unit or hanging in a loop holds water. It is rerun with a steady fall to the drain. [Fixed by ice machine drain and pump repair](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-drain-and-pump-repair/) 4. 04 low to moderate ### A drain pump that stopped Pumps under undercounter units fail with film in the reservoir or a stuck float. The pump is cleaned or replaced. [Fixed by ice machine drain and pump repair](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-drain-and-pump-repair/) [On an undercounter ice machine](https://icemachinerepair.center/types/undercounter-ice-machine-repair/) 5. 05 low to moderate ### A bin drain fitting cracked or clogged The fitting at the bottom of the bin can crack or fill with ice chips and film. It is cleared or replaced. [Fixed by ice machine drain and pump repair](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-drain-and-pump-repair/) 6. 06 varies ### A slow building drain If the floor drain backs up with other fixtures too, the problem is further down the building's plumbing. A visit confirms the machine side is clear so a plumber can take it from there. [Book a diagnostic visit](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/diagnostic-visit/) ## What else it could be. Most often confused with ice machine leaking water across the floor or under the bin, then slime or mold growing in the ice machine bin. [All problems](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/) Codes that come with it - [`DRAIN CLOG` Follett · Drain and pump](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/follett-drain-clog/) - [`SERVICE` Follett · Drain and pump](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/follett-service/) - [`Error 4` Ice-O-Matic · Drain and pump](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/ice-o-matic-error-4/) - [`Clean light flashing` Koolaire · Drain and pump](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/koolaire-clean-light/) - [`Er16` Marvel · Drain and pump](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/marvel-er16/) - [`Purging Water` Maxx Ice · Mode, not a failure](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/maxx-ice-purging-water/) [6 more codes, by make](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/) Also related - [**Ice Machine Water Running Nonstop to the Drain** 6 causes](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/ice-machine-water-running-constantly/) Clear the area first ### Ice Machine Leaking Water Across the Floor or Under the Bin 6 causes ### Slime or Mold Growing in the Ice Machine Bin 6 causes ### Ice From the Ice Machine Tastes Stale, Chemical or Musty 6 causes ## The makes it happens on. 20 makes on this site; ice machine drain backing up into the bin can show up on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page. [All 20 brands](https://icemachinerepair.center/brands/) ## Ice Machine Drain Backing Up Into the Bin, where we come out. 9 metros, each with its own page. 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An open space between the end of the drain line and the building drain, so dirty water can never flow back into the machine. Health codes require it in many places. ### Why is there water standing under the ice in the bin? Meltwater is not leaving fast enough, from a clogged bin drain, a sagging line or a drain that backs up. Ice sitting in water turns soft and unhygienic. ### Do we need a drain pump for an ice machine? Only where there is no floor drain or standpipe low enough for gravity. The installation manual and a visit decide. ### Should the ice machine drain line be cleaned too? Yes. Slime grows in the line and the trap as it does in the bin. Clearing it at each full cleaning keeps water moving. --- **[Read on the site: Ice Machine Drain Backing Up Into the Bin: Causes and Fixes](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/ice-machine-drain-backing-up/)** **[Book a visit with IceMachineRepair.center](https://icemachinerepair.center/schedule/)**