Making ice is something we’ve come to take for granted: Fill up a tray, stick it in the freezer, and bam, you’re done. But that’s not the whole story. Behind the scenes, a complex set of mechanical systems work together to make your refrigerator’s ice maker produce, store, and dispense cubes that are perfect for your favorite drinks.
This article covers how ice makers operate, as well as some tips for getting the most out of yours.
Unlike ice machines used in restaurants or hotels, which are connected to a water line, portable ice makers must be filled manually with water (or filtered) from faucets or buckets. The amount of time it takes for a cycle to complete varies by model, but usually depends on how long the metal prongs are left in the water and how big you want your ice to be: Small ice only requires 6 minutes; large ice can take twice that.
Once the ice is ready, a motor rotates a gear that activates another gear on a long plastic shaft with ejector teeth that extend out from it. As the teeth rotate, they collect and push ice cubes out of the molds and into a collection bin, which is separated from a front dispenser by a shaft. The ice stays in the collection bin until a shut-off arm installed on the front of the refrigerator sends a signal that the ice bin has reached its full capacity. The ice is then slid down onto a grid of wires that breaks it into smaller flakes and drops them into the bin for storage. ice maker