--- title: "Ice Machine Drain and Pump Repair | IceMachineRepair.center" description: "Gravity drains, air gaps, drain pumps and their lines, cleared or replaced when meltwater backs up into the bin or reaches the floor." url: "https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-drain-and-pump-repair/" --- # 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. ## What the ice machine drain and pump repair involves. An ice machine sends water down the drain all day: meltwater from the bin, the purge water flushed out of the sump after each harvest to carry minerals away, and on a water-cooled model the condenser water. Most drains run by gravity through a line with a steady downward slope, ending above a floor drain or a floor sink across an open air gap, so that water from the sewer can never be drawn back toward the ice. Where no drain sits low enough, a drain pump collects the water in a small reservoir with a float and lifts it to a higher drain. Slime from the bin, scale from the purge water, sagging lines, a blocked vent, and a pump whose float or motor has quit all lead to the same result: water rising in the bin, cubes floating, a sour smell, and finally water on the floor under the machine. The technician follows each drain from the bin to the floor, flushes and sanitizes the lines, restores the slope and the air gap, and tests or replaces the drain pump, its float and its check valve. How the visit goes ### What it usually costs Low to moderate · Drain line clearing, air gap, drain pump, float and check valve Flushing and sanitizing a slimed drain line, or restoring its slope and air gap, is the lighter end. A new drain pump with its float and check valve, fitted behind an undercounter unit, sits a step higher. ### Answers 4 problems Ice Machine Drain Backing Up Into the Bin Ice Machine Leaking Water Across the Floor or Under the Bin · Slime or Mold Growing in the Ice Machine Bin · Ice From the Ice Machine Tastes Stale, Chemical or Musty ### Comes up most on Modular ice machine Undercounter ice machine · Nugget ice machine · Ice and water dispenser ### Codes that lead here DRAIN CLOG · SERVICE · Empty Drip Tray · Error 4 Follett DRAIN CLOG: the ice machine is draining too slowly. ## Ice machine drain and pump repair, step by step. Pour water into the bin and run a harvest and a purge, watching it all leave without backing up or dripping. 01 Trace every drain line from the bin, the sump and any water-cooled condenser to the floor drain, checking slope, vents and the air gap. 02 Clear slime and scale from the bin drain and the lines, then sanitize them as the maker's manual directs. 03 On a pumped drain, test the float, the pump motor and the check valve, and look for a kink or a leak in the discharge line. 04 Re-route a sagging line, restore a missing air gap, or replace the pump, float or check valve that failed. 05 Pour water into the bin and run a harvest and a purge, watching it all leave without backing up or dripping. ## The problems it answers. 4 of them, from ice machine drain backing up into the bin to ice from the ice machine tastes stale, chemical or musty. [All problems](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/) Most common ### Ice Machine Drain Backing Up Into the Bin 6 causes, cheapest first Before you call ### Tell us this when you book 1. Where the water shows: standing in the bin, under the ice machine, at the floor drain, or around the pump box 2. Whether the drain runs to a floor drain, a floor sink, or up to a sink through a pump 3. Whether the floor drain is slow for other equipment in the room too 4. Any smell from the bin or the drain, and when the machine was last cleaned It also answers - [**Ice Machine Leaking Water Across the Floor or Under the Bin** 6 causes · clear the area first](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/ice-machine-leaking-water/) - [**Slime or Mold Growing in the Ice Machine Bin** 6 causes](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/ice-machine-slime-or-mold-in-bin/) - [**Ice From the Ice Machine Tastes Stale, Chemical or Musty** 6 causes](https://icemachinerepair.center/problems/ice-machine-ice-bad-taste-or-smell/) ## Low to moderate, on the site's scale. Flushing and sanitizing a slimed drain line, or restoring its slope and air gap, is the lighter end. A new drain pump with its float and check valve, fitted behind an undercounter unit, sits a step higher. [Read the full cost guide](https://icemachinerepair.center/cost/) | Repair | Relative cost | | --- | --- | | [Full cleaning and sanitizing, condenser filter wash and a fresh water filter](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-cleaning-and-sanitizing/) | | | [Inlet valve, sump float or level probe, supply line and filter head](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-water-valve-and-filter-repair/) | | | [Thickness probe, curtain switch, harvest assist and hot gas valve](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-harvest-repair/) | | | [Compressor start parts, leak repair, evaporator or compressor replacement](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-compressor-and-sealed-system-repair/) | | | [Condenser cleaning, fan motor, water regulating valve or remote condenser work](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-condenser-and-fan-repair/) | | | [Control board, display, transformer, thermistors and harness](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-control-board-repair/) | | | **Drain line clearing, air gap, drain pump, float and check valve** | low to moderate | | [Bin thermostat, paddle, curtain switch or ice-level sensor](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-bin-control-repair/) | | | [Agitator motor, dispense wheel, chute gate, solenoid, lever switch or sensor](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-dispenser-mechanism-repair/) | | ## Where it comes up most. Most bookings: Modular ice machine, Undercounter ice machine, Nugget ice machine, Ice and water dispenser. [All ice machine types](https://icemachinerepair.center/types/) Codes that lead here - [`DRAIN CLOG` Follett · Drain and pump](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/follett-drain-clog/) - [`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/) [All 11 codes that lead here](https://icemachinerepair.center/error-codes/#family-drain) Often the same visit - [**Ice machine cleaning and sanitizing** 2 problems in common · lowest](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-cleaning-and-sanitizing/) - [**Ice dispenser mechanism repair** 2 problems in common · low to moderate](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-dispenser-mechanism-repair/) - [**Ice machine diagnostic visit** 1 problem in common](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/diagnostic-visit/) ### Modular ice machine ### Undercounter ice machine ### Nugget ice machine ## The makes we see it on. 20 makes on this site, and the ice machine drain and pump repair on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page. [All 20 brands](https://icemachinerepair.center/brands/) ## Ice machine drain and pump repair, where we come out. The kitchen, the climate and the building all change how the ice machine drain and pump repair goes. These notes are about that, metro by metro. [All service areas](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/) [Tampa Bay](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/) FL · 31 areas Older Tampa Bay restaurants may run an ice machine's drain across the floor to a shared floor sink, and when that sink backs up in a storm water can reach outlets; stay clear, use the breaker only from a dry panel and close the water supply. - [Hyde Park](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/hyde-park/) - [Davis Islands](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/davis-islands/) - [Palma Ceia](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/palma-ceia/) - [Westchase](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/westchase/) - [Carrollwood](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/carrollwood/) - [Belleair](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/belleair/) - [St. Pete Beach](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/st-pete-beach/) - [Palm Harbor](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/palm-harbor/) [Orlando](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/orlando/) FL · 30 areas Orlando hotels put ice machines on guest floors where a drain pump lifts the water to the building's lines, and a pump that stops leaves water spreading along the hall carpet; the visit clears the pump, its check valve and its vent. - [Winter Park](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/orlando/winter-park/) - [Windermere](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/orlando/windermere/) - [Dr. Phillips](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/orlando/dr-phillips/) - [Bay Hill](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/orlando/bay-hill/) - [Lake Nona](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/orlando/lake-nona/) - [Heathrow](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/orlando/heathrow/) - [Celebration](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/orlando/celebration/) [Miami / South Florida](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/south-florida/) FL · 47 areas In a Miami tower, water backing up from an ice machine's drain runs to the slab and the unit below, so the visit checks the air gap, the trap and the line to the standpipe, and replaces a pump that labors. - [Brickell](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/south-florida/brickell/) - [Coconut Grove](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/south-florida/coconut-grove/) - [Coral Gables](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/south-florida/coral-gables/) - [Pinecrest](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/south-florida/pinecrest/) - [Key Biscayne](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/south-florida/key-biscayne/) - [Aventura](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/south-florida/aventura/) - [Sunny Isles Beach](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/south-florida/sunny-isles-beach/) - [Bal Harbour](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/south-florida/bal-harbour/) - [Miami Beach](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/south-florida/miami-beach/) - [Golden Beach](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/south-florida/golden-beach/) - [Weston](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/south-florida/weston/) - [Boca Raton](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/south-florida/boca-raton/) - [Palm Beach](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/south-florida/palm-beach/) [New York Metro](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/new-york/) NY · 75 areas Basement kitchens in New York often lift an ice machine's drain water to the sewer with a pump, and grease and scale from the kitchen can clog its intake; the visit cleans the pump and the line and checks the float that starts it. - [Upper East Side](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/new-york/upper-east-side/) - [Upper West Side](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/new-york/upper-west-side/) - [Tribeca](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/new-york/tribeca/) - [SoHo](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/new-york/soho/) - [Greenwich Village](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/new-york/greenwich-village/) - [Battery Park City](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/new-york/battery-park-city/) - [Brooklyn Heights](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/new-york/brooklyn-heights/) - [Park Slope](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/new-york/park-slope/) - [DUMBO](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/new-york/dumbo/) - [Forest Hills](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/new-york/forest-hills/) - [Great Neck](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/new-york/great-neck/) - [Southampton](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/new-york/southampton/) - [Scarsdale](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/new-york/scarsdale/) [Houston](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/houston/) TX · 36 areas Houston's clay soil shifts slabs over the years, and an ice machine's gravity drain that once ran downhill may now sag and hold water; the visit checks the slope from the bin to the drain and reroutes a line that no longer empties. - [River Oaks](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/houston/river-oaks/) - [Memorial](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/houston/memorial/) - [Tanglewood](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/houston/tanglewood/) - [Greater Heights](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/houston/greater-heights/) - [Kingwood](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/houston/kingwood/) - [Bellaire](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/houston/bellaire/) - [Bunker Hill Village](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/houston/bunker-hill-village/) - [Piney Point Village](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/houston/piney-point-village/) - [Hunters Creek Village](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/houston/hunters-creek-village/) - [Sugar Land](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/houston/sugar-land/) - [Cinco Ranch](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/houston/cinco-ranch/) - [The Woodlands](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/houston/the-woodlands/) - [West University](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/houston/west-university/) [Chicago](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/chicagoland/) IL · 50 areas A Chicagoland ice machine drain that runs along an outside wall or through an unheated space can freeze in January and back water into the bin, so the visit reroutes or insulates that stretch and checks the air gap. - [Lincoln Park](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/chicagoland/lincoln-park/) - [Near North Side](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/chicagoland/near-north-side/) - [West Loop / Near West Side](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/chicagoland/west-loop-near-west-side/) - [Wilmette](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/chicagoland/wilmette/) - [Winnetka](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/chicagoland/winnetka/) - [Glencoe](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/chicagoland/glencoe/) - [River Forest](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/chicagoland/river-forest/) - [Oak Park](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/chicagoland/oak-park/) - [Hinsdale](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/chicagoland/hinsdale/) - [Lake Forest](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/chicagoland/lake-forest/) - [Highland Park](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/chicagoland/highland-park/) - [Gold Coast](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/chicagoland/gold-coast/) - [Lakeview](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/chicagoland/lakeview/) [Los Angeles](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/los-angeles/) CA · 95 areas Many Los Angeles bars set the ice machine far from a floor drain and rely on a pump, and when the pump quits on a busy night the bin fills with melt water; the visit replaces the pump and confirms the air gap food service rules expect. - [Beverly Hills](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/los-angeles/beverly-hills/) - [Bel Air](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/los-angeles/bel-air/) - [Holmby Hills](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/los-angeles/holmby-hills/) - [Brentwood](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/los-angeles/brentwood/) - [Pacific Palisades](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/los-angeles/pacific-palisades/) - [Santa Monica](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/los-angeles/santa-monica/) - [Hancock Park](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/los-angeles/hancock-park/) - [Studio City](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/los-angeles/studio-city/) - [Calabasas](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/los-angeles/calabasas/) - [Manhattan Beach](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/los-angeles/manhattan-beach/) - [Palos Verdes Estates](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/los-angeles/palos-verdes-estates/) - [Pasadena](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/los-angeles/pasadena/) - [San Marino](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/los-angeles/san-marino/) - [Malibu](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/los-angeles/malibu/) [San Diego](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/san-diego/) CA · 31 areas San Diego beach bars and harbor restaurants often route an ice machine's drain into a line shared with other equipment, and sand tracked in from the beach settles in its trap; the visit clears it and makes sure the machine's own drain runs free. - [La Jolla](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/san-diego/la-jolla/) - [Carmel Valley](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/san-diego/carmel-valley/) - [Point Loma](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/san-diego/point-loma/) - [Del Mar](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/san-diego/del-mar/) - [Rancho Santa Fe](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/san-diego/rancho-santa-fe/) - [Coronado](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/san-diego/coronado/) - [Encinitas](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/san-diego/encinitas/) - [Solana Beach](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/san-diego/solana-beach/) [San Francisco Bay Area](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/bay-area/) CA · 74 areas Bay Area restaurants in older buildings often share floor sinks among several machines, and a clog from one backs water up toward the others; the visit clears the shared drain, checks each ice machine's air gap and tests the pump where one is fitted. - [Pacific Heights](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/bay-area/pacific-heights/) - [Presidio Heights](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/bay-area/presidio-heights/) - [Russian Hill](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/bay-area/russian-hill/) - [Noe Valley](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/bay-area/noe-valley/) - [Sea Cliff](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/bay-area/sea-cliff/) - [Hillsborough](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/bay-area/hillsborough/) - [Atherton](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/bay-area/atherton/) - [Woodside](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/bay-area/woodside/) - [Palo Alto](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/bay-area/palo-alto/) - [Los Altos Hills](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/bay-area/los-altos-hills/) - [Tiburon](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/bay-area/tiburon/) - [Piedmont](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/bay-area/piedmont/) - [Marina](https://icemachinerepair.center/locations/bay-area/marina/) For the heart of your home. ## Questions about the ice machine drain and pump repair. ### Why is there water standing in the bottom of my ice bin? A little water under the ice is normal as it melts. Water deep enough to float the cubes means the bin drain is plugged with slime or ice, the line has lost its slope, or the pump has stopped. Close the water supply to the machine if the level keeps rising. ### What is an air gap, and why does an ice machine need one? It is an open space between the end of the drain line and the floor drain, so a backed-up sewer can never push water back toward the bin. Plumbing and health codes call for it on ice machines, and a line pushed straight into the drain is a common finding on a visit. ### Can an ice machine drain pump be cleaned instead of replaced? Often. Slime and scale on the float are the usual trouble, and a cleaned float may bring it back. A pump that hums without moving water, or one that leaks from its housing, is replaced, and its check valve is changed at the same time. --- **[Read on the site: Ice Machine Drain and Pump Repair | IceMachineRepair.center](https://icemachinerepair.center/services/ice-machine-drain-and-pump-repair/)** **[Book a visit with IceMachineRepair.center](https://icemachinerepair.center/schedule/)**