Turn the ice maker off and close its water supply first. As long as the valve is open, an overfilling ice maker keeps adding water that freezes into a sheet over the bin, the chute and the freezer floor, or leaks out once it melts. GE's guidance for a leaking icemaker starts the same way: turn off the icemaker and its water supply (GE Appliances).
Do this first
- Switch the ice maker off at its switch, bail arm or control panel setting.
- Close the water valve to the refrigerator, usually behind the fridge or under the kitchen sink.
- Check the floor in front of and under the fridge for water and dry it right away. If water has reached the outlet behind the fridge, leave the plug alone and switch off that circuit at the breaker.
- Move frozen food that's encased in ice or sitting in water into a cooler or another freezer.
In the next few hours
- Thaw the ice. Remove the bin and let it melt in the sink. For ice built up around the ice maker, leave the freezer door open with towels on the shelf below, or set a bowl of warm water on the shelf to speed things up. Skip heat guns and open flames, and keep corded appliances away from the meltwater.
- Don't chip at it. Prying ice off the ice maker or freezer walls with a knife or screwdriver can crack plastic and puncture lines.
- Check that the fridge is level. Whirlpool lists an unbalanced refrigerator or ice bin as a cause of ice maker leaks, along with a misaligned fill cup, where the water spout doesn't line up with the ice mold (Whirlpool).
- Think about water pressure. LG says ice tray overfilling is usually linked to water pressure: above 120 psi sends too much water in, while pressure below 20 psi (40 psi with a filter) can make the valve drip. Its suggested fix is to partially close the water valve and, for high pressure, install a pressure regulator (LG). A hose-bib pressure gauge from a hardware store shows your home's pressure.
- Look at the defrost drain if water, not ice, is pooling on the freezer floor. Whirlpool notes that a blockage in the defrost drain at the bottom back of the freezer causes leaks too.
- Turn the ice maker back on only after everything is dry and you've corrected anything obvious. Watch the first few harvests.
Before the technician arrives
Write down:
- The model and serial number, from the rating label inside the fresh-food compartment (a side wall, the ceiling or down by the crispers on most models).
- Where the ice formed: in the mold, over the bin, down the chute or on the freezer floor.
- Whether it was a sudden flood or a slow build over days.
- Recent changes: a new water filter, a move, plumbing work, or a new refrigerator.
- Your water pressure reading if you measured it.
- Any error codes on the display.
What not to do:
- Don't leave the ice maker on "to see if it stops".
- Don't run the ice maker with the water valve fully open after a flood until you've found the cause.
- Don't pour hot water onto the ice maker head. The assembly contains electrical parts.
How to keep it from happening again
- Keep the fridge level side to side and slightly tilted back, per the manual, so the mold fills evenly.
- Check water pressure after plumbing work or a new regulator. Pressure that's too high or too low both cause trouble.
- Seat new water filters fully. A filter that isn't locked in can change flow.
- Keep the freezer at 0°F or below. LG lists this as part of its fix for overfill and condensation on some ice maker types.
- Have a dripping or slow-closing water valve replaced early.
If the ice melted and reached the floor, see what to do when your refrigerator leaks onto a hardwood floor. For valve and ice maker repairs, see our ice maker service page.
Sources
- GE Appliances: Refrigerator icemaker leaking or dripping water
- Whirlpool: Ice maker leaking water, causes and fixes
- LG: Why is the ice tray overfilling with water?
Keep in mind: An ice maker that floods once usually floods again, so leave its water valve closed until the cause is found.
Call ProFix Dallas at (469) 886-1122 to have the ice maker and water valve checked.