The short answer for this family
On the ALM DSC family, an ice maker making no ice, or bad ice is usually a compartment that is not cold enough to make ice. The cabinets in this family step up in size on one platform, so the same fault is felt soonest on the largest of the three. The brand-generic article for this symptom ranks the shut-off arm or bin sensor left in the off position first; on this platform it does not.
What you observe on these models
- Which of the family's models you are standing in front of — The matrix on this page is three cabinets whose numeric part ascends across the family, and that is worth reading first, because the cabinets in this family step up in size on one platform, so the same fault is felt soonest on the largest of the three.
- The mould is dry and nothing has filled it — Water is not arriving. That is upstream of the ice maker and usually upstream of the appliance.
- Cubes are small, hollow or misshapen — Some water is arriving but not enough, or not for long enough.
- The bin holds one fused block rather than cubes — Ice that has melted slightly and refrozen has bridged, and a bridged bin stops the ejector.
Causes, most likely first on the DSC family
- A compartment that is not cold enough to make ice — Ranked first because the cabinets in this family step up in size on one platform, so the same fault is felt soonest on the largest of the three.
- The fill valve and the supply behind it — Second. The machine compartment is at the base; the evaporator sits behind the interior rear wall, so a partly closed supply valve or a kinked line starves the fill without stopping it.
- The shut-off arm or bin sensor left in the off position — Third. It is the first thing to look at and it is free, which is why it sits above every part on this list.
- A jammed mould, arm or ejector — Fourth. Worth clearing before parts are considered.
- A sealed-system or compressor fault — Last, and that placement is the point of the ranking: it is the least common cause and the only one that is not an owner fix.
- Body: This is not the brand-generic ranking. A compartment that is not cold enough to make ice moves to the top of this family's ranking and the shut-off arm or bin sensor left in the off position goes down to third place, because the platform here is a stepped range of cabinet sizes on one platform, the largest asking the most of the same sealed system.
Check in this order on these models
- Measure the compartment with a thermometer — A freezer holds food safely at 0 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 18 degrees Celsius, or below.
- Check that water is reaching the machine at all — Follow the line back to its valve and confirm the valve is fully open.
- Look at the shut-off arm or the bin sensor first — Arm up, or a box sitting in the sensor path, and the maker is being told to stop.
- Empty the bin completely and look at the mould — Bridged ice locks the ejector. Clear it, and see whether the next cycle produces loose cubes.
- Body: The order follows the ranking, and the access decides the rest: on these models the machine compartment is at the base; the evaporator sits behind the interior rear wall.
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel; a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Turn the water supply off at its valve before touching a fitting. Never chip at ice in the mould with a screwdriver or a knife: the mould and the heater under it puncture easily, and a punctured mould turns an ice fault into a replacement.
Models in the DSC family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| DSC-126H* | alm:refrigerator:dsc |
| DSC-185H* | alm:refrigerator:dsc |
| DSC-257H* | alm:refrigerator:dsc |
Where the owner limit falls on these models
Call when water reaches the machine, the compartment holds 0 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 18 degrees Celsius, the bin is clear and the mould still does not fill or eject. Call sooner if the compartment is not holding temperature at all, because then the ice maker is the messenger rather than the fault. On this family the line falls where the access does: the machine compartment is at the base; the evaporator sits behind the interior rear wall.
Other symptoms covered for this family
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