--- title: "Ice Machine Not Harvesting: Ice Stays Stuck on the Plate: Causes and Fixes" description: "An ice machine not harvesting leaves a thick slab frozen to the evaporator, ice bridging across the plate and over the curtain, or a machine that clicks into…" url: "https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/ice-machine-not-harvesting/" --- # Ice Machine Not Harvesting: Ice Stays Stuck on the Plate An ice machine not harvesting leaves a thick slab frozen to the evaporator, ice bridging across the plate and over the curtain, or a machine that clicks into harvest and back without anything dropping into the bin. ## What it usually means. At the end of each freeze, the board switches to harvest. A hot gas valve sends warm gas from the compressor through the evaporator to loosen the slab, water may run over the back of the plate to help it, and on many machines a harvest assist, a small motor or a solenoid with a pin, pushes the slab off. The falling slab swings the water curtain or passes a sensor, which tells the board harvest is done and the next freeze can begin. If the slab does not let go, it keeps growing into a solid block that can bend the curtain and stall the machine. Scale on the plate is the most common reason: hard water and a skipped descale give the ice something to hold onto. After that come the parts: a hot gas valve that does not open, a harvest assist motor that has stopped, a curtain switch that does not report, or a board that ends harvest too early. A thick sheet of ice covering the whole head is never chipped off with a tool; it is melted on the maker's procedure. The 6 causes, cheapest first Answer these first 01 Is there a slab on the plate that never drops, or ice built up over the curtain and the tube? 02 Do you hear a click or a hiss as harvest starts, and a motor or pin moving? 03 Does the curtain swing when ice falls, or is it jammed by ice? 04 When was the machine last descaled, and is the water in the area hard? 05 Is there a code or a flashing light showing a long harvest? ## Check these before you book. Ice machine not harvesting: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything. 01 Switch the machine off with its selector and let a stuck slab melt free on its own; never chip at it with a scoop, knife or tool. 02 Once it is free, check that the curtain hangs as the manual shows and swings freely. 03 If the descale is overdue, run the maker's cleaning cycle with the approved product exactly as directed. ### Also worth checking - Switch back to ice, watch one harvest through the front, and note whether a motor or pin moves. - Note any code and photograph the data plate for the visit. ### How soon does it need a visit? A machine that does not harvest stops making ice, so book soon. It is not a safety emergency; keep it off rather than letting a solid block build up over the head. ## The causes, cheapest first. 6 things ice machine not harvesting: ice stays stuck on the plate turns out to be, from a curtain out of place or jammed to a board ending harvest too early. [The cost guide](https://icemachinerepair.center/cost/) 1. 01 no repair ### A curtain out of place or jammed A curtain that was hung wrong after cleaning, or is held by ice, never tells the board the slab fell. Rehanging it as the manual shows often fixes the cycle. No repair: check it yourself 2. 02 low ### Scale on the evaporator holding the slab Mineral scale gives ice a grip on the plate, so harvest runs out of time. A descale with the maker's cleaner usually restores clean drops. [Fixed by ice machine cleaning and sanitizing](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-cleaning-and-sanitizing/) 3. 03 low to moderate ### A harvest assist motor or pin that has stopped Many current machines push the slab off with a small motor or solenoid. When it wears out, the slab needs much longer to fall or stays put. [Fixed by ice machine harvest repair](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-harvest-repair/) 4. 04 low to moderate ### A curtain switch or harvest sensor out of order A magnetic switch or sensor that does not report the drop stops the cycle or loops harvest. It is checked and replaced on a visit. [Fixed by ice machine bin control repair](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-bin-control-repair/) 5. 05 moderate ### A hot gas valve that does not open Without warm gas through the plate, the slab stays frozen. The valve coil is tested and the valve replaced if needed. [Fixed by ice machine harvest repair](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-harvest-repair/) 6. 06 moderate to highest ### A board ending harvest too early A board with a wrong setting or a failing output can cut harvest short. The inputs and outputs are checked before the board is replaced. [Fixed by ice machine control board repair](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-control-board-repair/) ## What else it could be. Most often confused with ice machine running but not making ice, then ice machine making too little ice for the rush. [All problems](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/) Codes that come with it - [`E2` Atosa · Harvest and freeze cycle](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/atosa-e2/) - [`D9 red LED flashing slowly` Atosa · Harvest and freeze cycle](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/atosa-d9-red-led-flashing-slowly/) - [`E2` Blue Air · Harvest and freeze cycle](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/blue-air-e2/) - [`E6` Blue Air · Sensors and bin control](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/blue-air-e6/) - [`1 beep` Hoshizaki · Harvest and freeze cycle](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/hoshizaki-1-beep/) - [`2 beeps` Hoshizaki · Harvest and freeze cycle](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/hoshizaki-2-beeps/) [14 more codes, by make](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/) Also related - [**Ice Machine Error Code or Flashing Light: What It Is Telling You** 7 causes](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/ice-machine-error-code/) ### Ice Machine Running but Not Making Ice 6 causes ### Ice Machine Making Too Little Ice for the Rush 6 causes ### Ice Machine Cubes Coming Out Thin, Small or Hollow 6 causes ## The makes it happens on. 20 makes on this site; ice machine not harvesting: ice stays stuck on the plate can show up on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page. [All 20 brands](https://icemachinerepair.center/brands/) ## Ice Machine Not Harvesting: Ice Stays Stuck on the Plate, where we come out. 9 metros, each with its own page. 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No. A tool can puncture the plate or the tubing behind it, and on an R-290 machine that is a gas leak. Let it melt off with the machine switched off. ### Why did the ice machine stop harvesting after cleaning? Often the curtain or a sensor was not put back as the manual shows, so the board never sees the drop. Recheck its position first. ### What does the harvest assist do on an ice machine? It pushes the slab off the plate so harvest is shorter and uses less energy. When it stops, harvests take longer or fail. ### Does descaling really help an ice machine harvest? Yes. Scale is the most common reason ice sticks to the plate, and a descale on the maker's schedule prevents most harvest trouble. --- **[Read on the site: Ice Machine Not Harvesting: Ice Stays Stuck on the Plate: Causes and Fixes](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/ice-machine-not-harvesting/)** **[Book a visit with IceMachineRepair.center](https://icemachinerepair.center/schedule/)**