After nearly three decades of nursing temperamental ice makers back to health, I’ve learned that most problems yield to a calm, methodical approach. Understand how the machine makes ice, match the symptoms to the likely causes, then work through a few simple checks before calling for help. In the pages that follow, I’ll walk you through how an ice maker works, the issues I see most often, the step-by-step fixes that solve the majority of them, the maintenance habits that keep ice clean and output steady, and the situations where it’s smarter—and safer—to bring in a professional. I’ve saved countless customers downtime (and expense) this way, and you can too. Understanding How Your Ice Maker