--- title: "Ice Machine Running but Not Making Ice: Causes and Fixes" description: "An ice machine not making ice can mean an empty bin at opening time with the machine humming, a head that lights up but stays silent, or an evaporator plate…" url: "https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/ice-machine-not-making-ice/" --- # Ice Machine Running but Not Making Ice An ice machine not making ice can mean an empty bin at opening time with the machine humming, a head that lights up but stays silent, or an evaporator plate that is bare and dry behind the curtain while the fan keeps running. ## What it usually means. Every cube starts with four things working in order: water reaching the sump, the pump spreading it over a cold evaporator, the cooling system pulling that plate well below freezing, and a harvest that drops the finished slab into the bin. A machine that makes nothing has lost one of them, or has been told not to start. The simplest reasons are settings and use: the switch left on clean or off after the last sanitizing, the bin control reading full because a scoop, a bag or a pile of cubes is resting against it, or a delay after a power cut. Water is next: a supply valve closed during other work, a filter cartridge so clogged that it barely passes water, or low building pressure at the busiest hour. After that come the parts of the cycle itself, the inlet valve, the water pump, the thickness sensor and the hot gas valve, and last the cooling side: a condenser choked with dust or grease in a hot room, a dead fan, a remote condenser on a roof boxed in by leaves or debris, or a compressor that will not start. The 6 causes, cheapest first Answer these first 01 Does the machine show lights or a code, and do you hear the compressor or a fan running? 02 Is there water in the sump and running over the evaporator plate, or is everything dry? 03 Is the evaporator cold to the eye, frosted, or at room temperature? 04 Was the machine cleaned, moved, or the power off recently, and is anything resting in the bin near the sensor? 05 How hot is the room, and when was the condenser filter or grille last cleaned? ## Check these before you book. Ice machine not making ice: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything. 01 Make sure the selector is on ice, not clean, wash or off, and give the machine ten minutes after power returns before judging it. 02 Take any scoop, bag or container out of the bin and level the ice away from the bin sensor. 03 Check that the water supply valve is open and the filter cartridge is within its change date. ### Also worth checking - Look through the front at the evaporator: note whether water flows over it and whether it looks cold, without removing any panel. - Note any code or flashing light and photograph the data plate for the visit. ### How soon does it need a visit? An empty bin in a bar or a clinic hurts more than a home, so book soon, but this is not an emergency on its own. A hot smell, a hiss, water near power or a tripping breaker takes you to those pages first. ## The causes, cheapest first. 6 things ice machine running but not making ice turns out to be, from switch left on clean or off, or a start delay to a compressor, start part or sealed-system problem. [The cost guide](https://icemachinerepair.center/cost/) 1. 01 no repair ### Switch left on clean or off, or a start delay After a cleaning the selector often stays on clean, wash or off, and many boards wait several minutes after power returns. Setting it back to ice and waiting out the delay starts a normal freeze. No repair: check it yourself 2. 02 no repair ### A bin control fooled by a scoop or a heap of ice A scoop stored in the bin, or ice piled against the sensor, tells the machine the bin is full. Moving the scoop to its holder and leveling the pile lets it start again. No repair: check it yourself [See ice bin full but the ice machine keeps making ice](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/ice-machine-bin-full-but-still-making-ice/) 3. 03 lowest ### No water: a closed valve or a blocked filter A supply valve closed for other plumbing work, or a cartridge long past its change date, leaves the sump empty. The filter is changed and the flow checked. [Fixed by ice machine water valve and filter repair](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-water-valve-and-filter-repair/) 4. 04 low to moderate ### A water pump or inlet valve that has stopped Scale jams the small water pump, and a burned coil keeps the inlet valve shut. Either leaves the plate without water while the rest of the machine runs. [Fixed by ice machine water valve and filter repair](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-water-valve-and-filter-repair/) 5. 05 low ### A condenser choked by heat, grease or lint A machine in a hot back room with a clogged condenser filter or grille cannot shed heat, and many cut out on high pressure. The condenser is cleaned and the fan checked before anything else. [Fixed by ice machine condenser and fan repair](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-condenser-and-fan-repair/) 6. 06 moderate to highest ### A compressor, start part or sealed-system problem When water flows and the fan runs but the plate never gets cold, the compressor, its start parts or the gas charge are next. These are measured on site and weighed against the machine's age. [Fixed by ice machine compressor and sealed system repair](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-compressor-and-sealed-system-repair/) ## What else it could be. Most often confused with ice machine making too little ice for the rush, then ice machine not harvesting: ice stays stuck on the plate. [All problems](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/) Codes that come with it - [`FUL` Atosa · Mode, not a failure](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/atosa-ful/) - [`E1` Atosa · Sensors and bin control](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/atosa-e1/) - [`E3` Atosa · Sensors and bin control](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/atosa-e3/) - [`E4` Atosa · Condenser and airflow](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/atosa-e4/) - [`E5` Atosa · Water supply](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/atosa-e5/) - [`E6` Atosa · Condenser and airflow](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/atosa-e6/) [101 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 Making Too Little Ice for the Rush 6 causes ### Ice Machine Not Harvesting: Ice Stays Stuck on the Plate 6 causes ### Ice Bin Full but the Ice Machine Keeps Making Ice 6 causes ## The makes it happens on. 20 makes on this site; ice machine running but not making ice can show up on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page. [All 20 brands](https://icemachinerepair.center/brands/) ## Ice Machine Running but Not Making Ice, where we come out. 9 metros, each with its own page. 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Why? The selector is often left on clean or off, or the water curtain was not hung back, which some machines read as an open bin. Check both before calling. ### Why is the ice machine running but the plate stays warm? Water and fan are working but the cooling is not. A clogged condenser, a dead fan or the compressor side are the usual reasons, and a visit is needed. ### Can low water pressure stop an ice machine? Yes. If the sump does not fill within its set time, many boards stop and show a water code. A clogged filter and busy-hour pressure drops are common causes. ### How long should a new ice machine take to drop its first ice? A first freeze usually takes longer than later ones because everything starts warm. The manual gives a rough time for that model; if nothing drops well past it, have it checked. --- **[Read on the site: Ice Machine Running but Not Making Ice: Causes and Fixes](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/ice-machine-not-making-ice/)** **[Book a visit with IceMachineRepair.center](https://icemachinerepair.center/schedule/)**