Ice Maker Bin Stuck? (Possible Causes & Fixes)
We’ve all gone over to a friend’s house and fixed ourselves a drink. In many cases, ice gets involved and we end up reaching into the fridge’s ice bin…only to find that it’s stuck. Heck, this might’ve even happened in your home. This common problem can happen with any machine, of any brand. It’s annoying, right? Yeah, I know. I hate it when it happens too. The question on most peoples’ minds is, how can you get your friggin’ ice maker bin unstuck before you break it?
Ice makers can get stuck for a wide range of reasons. To troubleshoot your ice maker, you will need to check for the following issues:
- Bad Alignments
- Something Impeding The Door
- A Frozen Bin
- Stuck Clips
- Bin Corrosion
There are so many ways to end up with a stuck ice bin, ranging from the typical to the downright worrisome. To help you figure out how to make your bin a little freer, we’ll break the process down for you step-by-step.
Do You Need Appliance Repair Services?
Get free, zero-commitment quotes from pro contractors near you.
Unstick Your Ice Maker Bin: Easy Stuff First
Before we get into the real tough stuff, we’re going to kick off the troubleshooter with the easiest issues to fix. These are ultimately DIY solutions that even a child can do. Here’s how to start off your fixes:
- First, check to see if the ice bin is on the tracks correctly. If one side of the bin is on the tracks while the other isn’t, it’ll feel a little stuck. Manually readjusting it should do the trick.
- Then, take a look to see if there’s anything blocking the bin from being fully pulled out. This can include having something like ice or even having a stray bag of food that got caught in the door. Get anything out of the way that could be blocking your bin. Check to see if things continue to be stuck.
- Give your ice maker a gentle tap or two with the palm of your hand. Tapping helps shake ice loose. With enough loosening up, you should see an improvement.
- Next, it’s time to take stuff out of the fridge and freezer. Place all perishable goods in a cooler for safekeeping, or eat them. You will need to turn off your fridge.
- Turn off the fridge and let the ice maker bin thaw out. In many cases, the reason why you can’t pull out the ice maker bin is because the ice froze solid in there. Letting it thaw out is the easiest way to troubleshoot this. While it’s thawing, get a bucket to hold as much of the drippings as you can.
- If you can pull out your bin, you should be good to go. With certain brands, this is done by pushing a release button.
- Put the food back in and turn on the fridge. In most cases, this fix will be enough to loosen up most ice bins.
What To Do If Your Ice Maker Bin Is Still Stuck After Thawing
Did you do the beginner steps above, only to be met with a suck bin? Even when you defrosted everything? Well, there’s some good news and bad news about this. The good news is that you can still narrow down other issues and maybe get it loose. These issues will require parts replacement and/or a call to the repairman.
- First, use a small pick or a pair of tweezers to push the rod to force the release clips to open. This is tough, but it’s doable. Sometimes, a little manual force will work wonders. If this happens, you might end up needing to spray WD-40 on the area to see if that helps loosen things up.
- If the clips appear to be broken, replace the clips. Broken clips are often a reason why the release button on your ice bin won’t work. If you notice loose parts, there’s a good chance that you will have to take that portion of the fridge apart, replace the clips, and then put the fridge together.
- Grab a flashlight if you need one, and check the area for rust. If your fridge is corroded, then you may need to replace the rusty parts. This can be a DIY or professional-grade issue depending on how comfortable you feel with your refrigerator repairs. To diagnose which parts you need replaced or oiled up, refer to your owner’s manual. Everything is diagrammed up there.
When Should You Call A Professional?
For the most part, repairing a stuck ice maker bin is not that big a deal. Most people can get theirs unglued without having to whip out WD-40 or replace some clips. However, if you notice that there seems to be an issue with the clips, excessive rust, or a release button that no longer works, it might be a good idea to call the professionals in.
On a similar note, if your refrigerator is still under warranty, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t expect it to work out well. A warranty can lead to free repairs, so if your fridge has one, go for it.
Is A Stuck Ice Maker Bin A Sign Of Something Worse?
In most cases, this is absolutely not something you need to worry about. Ice maker bins get stuck for all sorts of simple, silly, and mundane reasons. If it was something like having a package of frozen broccoli blocking it or having too much ice, there’s no reason to freak out. It just means you should clean your fridge a little more.
The only time you should really be concerned is if you spot corrosion in your fridge or if you notice excessive rust. Rust has the potential of contaminating food, making it a slight hazard. Moreover, your fridge shouldn’t have any friggin’ rust on it! This suggests that you might have a leak or something malfunctioning that you need to address.
When It’s A Repeated Problem
If you have a stuck ice maker bin that keeps getting jammed, there could be a reason for this. In many cases, this means that excess moisture is getting into your freezer. There are several reasons why this can happen:
- You might be keeping the door open for too long. Your ideal freezer trip should be quick. Spending time with the door open, mulling over what you should eat isn’t good for the food or the fridge.
- The freezer door seal might not be fully locked. If the door seals have a leak, air moisture will get into your freezer and cause excess frosting. This also can cause freezer burn in your foods, so you should make sure to take care of this issue as soon as you can.
- The seal from the ice dispenser door might not be fully closed. Another culprit that’s often overlooked by people is the ice dispenser door. When the door doesn’t close entirely, or has ice that’s stuck in its seal, you end up with a way for air to enter the freezer.
- A water line may have broken, causing water to leak and freeze in your ice maker bin. This is more unlikely, but it can still happen. When it does, you might also notice a huge pool of water at the bottom of your fridge or you might notice that your water dispenser stopped working. Replacing the line is a must.
Do You Need Appliance Repair Services?
Get free, zero-commitment quotes from pro contractors near you.
Related Questions
Why won’t my ice maker dump ice?
If your ice maker is creating ice, but not actually dispensing it, there are a couple of things that should be checked out. The most common causes for this issue include a bad heating element freezing the ice to the machine, a bad temperature sensor, or a bad connection that doesn’t signal the need to dispense ice.Both issues are fairly easy to fix, but will require replacement parts in most situations. With a little work, you should be able to enjoy fresh ice from the freezer in no time.
How does my ice maker know when to dump ice into the bin?
This has everything to do with modern temperature sensors. Every ice-making refrigerator is equipped with a temperature sensor. When the water freezes and the temperature of said ice hits a certain level, the sensor triggers. When the sensor triggers, the refrigerator gets a signal that says it’s time to dump the ice into the bin.
Do ice makers stop making ice when the bin is full?
One would sure hope so! Virtually every single freezer that has an ice maker inside of it will come equipped with a mechanism that tells the system when they have enough ice in the bin. If the mechanism is triggered, the ice-making system will shut down, ensuring that your bin won’t get jammed with excess ice.If your system doesn’t do this, then your sensors are in need of replacement. Sensors that don’t work can throw the entire balance of your freezer out of whack. So, it’s best to address this as soon as you can.
Ossiana Tepfenhart is an expert writer, focusing on interior design and general home tips. Writing is her life, and it's what she does best. Her interests include art and real estate investments.
More by Ossiana Tepfenhart
