How Does an Icemaker Work?

Water is Added.

If your fridge has an icemaker, it was connected to a water hookup during installation.The hookup is connected to the icemaker through a hose with a valve that opens and closes. When the icemaker is empty or getting low and the handle inside the fridge falls, it triggers a switch, which sends a message to the valve via an electric current, causing it to open. Then the water flows into the icemaker and ends up in molds for the ice that look very similar to ice cube trays. After enough water is let through, the valve shuts again.

The Water Freezes.

The water in the molds freezes the same way anything else in the freezer does. There is no magic formula -- just temperature and time. As the water gets colder, the icemaker can tell because it measures its temperature with a thermostat, not so different from the one in your living room.That's how it knows when it is frozen enough to be solid ice.

The Water Heats, Briefly.

So why would the icemaker heat the water back up? Simple. Ever try to get ice cubes out of the tray only to find them stuck? To prevent this from happening, the ice maker uses its electric current to warm up the underside of the cubes for a few seconds.

The Cubes are Swept Out

Unlike traditional ice cube trays, the icemaker's molds work like a conveyor belt. Once the ice is ready to go, a series of plastic or metal tabs pop up from under the molds and work to shove them out of the icemaker and into the bin in your refrigerator. These tabs work in tandem so that the ice will all come out at the same time, but the ice in the front will reach the opening first and not clog it up for the ice in the back.

The Cycle Starts Over.

Once the cubes are safely in the fridge, they will pile up and block the handle, effectively turning off the signal to produce more ice. Occasionally the ice will not fall properly, so the icemaker will think there is more room available. This is what happens in those situations where ice falls out in an avalanche when you open the freezer door. If the handle isn't propped up, the ice maker will not know the correct times to turn off or when to start again.