ApplianceField Lab
Field evidence

Only the First Grid Channels Built a Thick Ice Column

The uneven pattern mattered more than the general no-harvest complaint. A new pump, inlet valve and rubber tubing did not change it, so the individual feed tubes became the next test.

Ice Maker Uneven Thick Ice Will Not Drop

What the failed parts replacement ruled out

  • The first three channels formed abnormally thick ice.
  • The slab stood upright instead of releasing.
  • Water overflowed and froze around the upper tubing area.
  • The pump, water valve and rubber water lines had already been replaced.
  • Those replacements did not change the pattern.

A similar symptom can have a different cause on another ice machine. This localized grid pattern supports an uneven distribution test, not a universal clogged-tube diagnosis.

Thick ice concentrated in the first grid channels while water overflowed and froze near the upper distribution area.
Thick ice concentrated in the first grid channels while water overflowed and froze near the upper distribution area.

Why the small distribution tubes came next

The technical reply identified approximately four supply tubes above the evaporator sections. If some outlets are restricted, water can favor the first channels, build ice unevenly and interfere with harvest.

Water pressure and filter condition were also retained. The source ended before cleaning or flow comparison confirmed the restriction.

The next evidence to capture

  1. Compare flow from each distribution outlet.
  2. Document water pressure and filter condition.
  3. Photograph which grid channels thicken first.
  4. Verify that cleaning changes distribution before replacing more major parts.
Electrical and sanitation safety: disconnect power before water-system service and use ice-machine-approved cleaning procedures. Do not chip ice from an energized evaporator grid.
Unexpected turn

A repair that did not follow the obvious path

An unusual turn supported by the case record Sub-Zero Not Cooling One Month After Sealed-System Repair A Sub-Zero stopped cooling a month after compressor and evaporator work. A clean evaporator shifted the diagnosis toward an oil-line restriction; the final repair …
Fresh field notes

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