Ice Maker Repair

The Bay Area's hard water is the single biggest enemy of ice makers in our service territory. The Santa Clara Valley Water District averages 150–200 ppm hardness, and that calcium accumulates inside fill tubes, inlet valve screens, and across optical eye sensors faster than ice maker manufacturers design for. We see Samsung and LG refrigerator ice makers fail in 3–5 years here when they typically last 7–10 in softer-water regions. Annual filter changes plus a scheduled descale of nugget machines (Scotsman Brilliance, GE Profile Opal) prevent the majority of these failures. Built-in undercounter ice makers — Sub-Zero UC-15, U-Line ULN, Scotsman DCE — are common in Los Gatos, Saratoga, Atherton, and Menlo Park entertaining kitchens. These units have a unique vulnerability in our climate: the drain pump runs continuously and the drain line tends to develop biofilm that backs up into the harvest cycle. A 15-minute drain line flush during routine service prevents most of the 'won't dispense' and 'leaking from the toe-kick' calls we receive. Ice maker quick diagnosis: ✓ No ice at all → check the fill tube for a small ice plug; thaw with a hair dryer to confirm. ✓ Small or hollow cubes → low water pressure from a clogged inlet valve screen or a partially closed saddle valve under the kitchen sink. ✓ Cloudy or bad-tasting ice → old water filter (replace every 6 months) or sulfur from the anode rod in the water heater. ✓ Leaks under the fridge → cracked fill tube, failed inlet valve, or clogged defrost drain refreezing and backing up. ✓ Constant grinding noise → ice maker module ejector arm jammed on an ice clump. ✓ Bin overflowing → optical eye or feeler arm sensor failure; the unit can't tell it's full.