How Icemakers Work

The basic parts of an icemaker system:

• Motor
• Ice mold body (The icemaker mold-body is made of Aluminum and is coated with a heat-cured Epoxy clear coat that is FDA approved.)
• Water valve
• Heating coil unit

 

Ice storage & delivery system:

• Auger and ice bucket

 

The ice-making cycle:

1. Fill: A switch opens a solenoid water valve and lets in just enough water to fill the ice mold.
2. Freezing cycle: The icemaker has a built-in thermostat which monitors the temperature level of the water in the molds. (The cooling unit in the refrigerator does the actual work of freezing the water, not the icemaker itself.) When a temperature around 15°F is detected, the thermostat closes a switch in the electrical circuit to begin a harvest cycle.
3. Harvest cycle - Heater: Closing this switch turns on the mold body heater underneath the icemaker. As the coil heats up, it warms the bottom of the ice mold body just enough to loosen the ice cubes from the mold.
4. Harvest cycle: Cube ejection: There are plastic notches in the icemaker stripper ramp that match up with ejector blades. The blades pass through these notches and push the cubes out of the mold body and they slide down into the bucket. When the ejector reaches close to home, it throws a switch in the circuit which activates the water valve to fill again before cycling home.
5. Feeler Arm - Sensing cubes: Before the cubes are ejected, the shut-off arm lifts up (or pulls in). After the cubes are ejected, the arm drops down again (or pushes out) to sense the ice. If the arm can't reach its lowest or home position, because there are stacked-up ice cubes in the way, the next ice harvest cycle is halted to prevent an overproduction of ice cubes. The icemaker will not harvest until the feeler arm is ‘free’ to go to the lowest or home position.