It’s been wild heat this summer! Well, would be great to add a couple of ice cubes to your cocktail, but… Oh, no. The ice maker works too slow.
Our team has felt this horror for themselves. Therefore, we have prepared for you 9 ways to speed up your ice maker without involving any specialists. Let’s start!
Table of Contents
Turn Down the Temperature:
Perhaps this is the case and you don’t even have to read the article to the end. Just set the temperature to between 0 and 5 Fahrenheit and see the effect. No effect? Then the point is different.
Limit Your Use of the Freezer:
Are you sure you remember to close the freezer door? Sometimes it happens that magnetic elements deteriorate on refrigerators, and then the doors close poorly or don’t close at all.
This is how warm air from the kitchen gets inside. Perhaps you just look into the freezer too often, then the effect is the same.
Here’s what we think about freezers. It would be better to divide the freezer into products for the long-term and short-term storage. Store your ice in the long-term freezer, this will help you to look in it less often.
Stock Your Freezer Up:
Non-obvious truth! In fact, cold air circulates more actively when the freezer is full of food. Therefore, the more you store there, the faster ice will form, because cold comes from the entire surrounding space.
You might think this is contrary to the second tip. But no, we recommend using 2 freezers at once. Although, if you cannot afford it, it’d be really helpful to store as much cold food inside as possible, so that it seems impossible to melt cold even when the refrigerator door’s opened.
Avoid Placing Hot Food in The Freezer:
Oh, if you only knew how often people make this mistake! This applies to both the refrigerator and the freezer. Hot food is evil for the cooling elements of your ice maker. Always allow food to cool sufficiently before placing it in the cold.
Plus, even if your food isn’t steaming anymore and you’re going to put it inside the freezer, keep it away from your ice. Even indoor temperature foods have heat reserves that can be detrimental to your ice maker.
Get a New Filter:
Modern freezers have excellent water filters. But they can become dirty over time, especially if the water quality in your home is not the best.
Check the Water Inlet:
Well, let’s move the refrigerator and look at the water inlet. It shouldn’t be bent or hammered. It should also be free of cracks. If there is something wrong with the tube, less water will flow into the ice maker and it will run more slowly.
If there is a blockage in the tube, you need to turn off the ice maker by turning off the water pressure valve. It is located somewhere along the water inlet, so it shouldn’t be difficult to find. Then clean up the blockage and voila! The ice maker works like a new one!
Ensure the Valve Is Fully Open:
Even if there is no blockage in your water supply tube, find a pressure valve anyway. Make sure it is fully open. Perhaps, for some reason, it was slightly twisted in the opposite direction.
My dog, for example, sometimes climbs behind the refrigerator for his ball. I think it wouldn’t be difficult to turn some valve with his paws.
Service the Entire Ice making device:
Yes, that is also possible. True, it takes a little more effort to deal with such a problem as blockage of the ice-making device itself. Be sure to turn off the water supply first and then read the instructions on how to remove the device. You may need some tools.
When you manage to remove the device, wash it with warm water. This will melt ice that could block mechanical parts and slow down the ice maker.
Replace The Ice making unit:
If none of these methods helped, it’s time to contact the support service of the refrigerator manufacturer. Remember that tampering with a repair can deprive your warranty, and replacing original parts can further reduce the performance. But if you understand exactly what the problem is, then solving it is unlikely to require much effort. Fortunately, the ice maker’s mechanism is usually pretty simple.
Conclusion
So now you know the basic ways that can help your ice maker run faster. And now you can calmly welcome your guests on a hot sunny day, treating them with your favorite cocktails.
As for the care of the ice maker, you’ve already understood, any element can clog or break. Therefore, the condition of the device should be checked at least once a year.
Amber Taylor here, I created kitchensnuggie.com to give people a better product insight before they make that all-important purchase.
We have had an icemaker for more than 3 years. Half a year ago we had to really remove the blockage. It turns out that our water is too chlorinated and there were mineral deposits in the filter.
My husbend is just addicted on cold lemonad while working under his auto! We had to buy a fridge with this function inside. And when the filter was clogged, he was furious! Super, that client service solved the problem immediately.
My ice maker always clogs its filters, so it often needs to be cleaned to get the ice freezing faster. Unfortunately, in some states this problem simply cannot be eliminated; the authorities must deal with water quality.