The short answer
An ice maker on the 61W310 refrigerators stops for one of two reasons: water is not arriving, or the harvest is never triggered. On these models a frozen fill tube is the first thing this page would have you rule out. The list below ends with the one cause on it that is not owner work.
What you observe on these models
- The bin is empty and the maker looks untouched — Nothing has been attempted, which points at the trigger rather than the mechanism.
- There is ice on the shelf under the maker rather than in the bin — Water is going where it should not before it freezes.
- Ice has welded into a block in the bin — A bridged bin reads as full even when it is not.
- NEAR MISS — the water dispenser has stopped as well — Then the fault is on the supply side of both, not inside the maker.
Causes, most likely first on this family
- Fill tube frozen at the mould — A fill that overshoots leaves water standing in the tube where it freezes, and the next fill backs up behind the plug. It leads because it is the likeliest of the set on these cabinets. The builds in this family differ only in trim, so it holds across the line.
- Freezer not cold enough to start a harvest — This is why an ice complaint is so often a cooling complaint, and why a thermometer belongs in the freezer before anything is ordered. Second: common enough on these models to come before anything below it.
- Supply line kinked or the shut-off barely open — This cause turns up immediately after a move or a kitchen fitting, and the timing is the clue. Third on the list, where the likelihoods start to fall away.
- Mould thermostat or thermistor not sensing — The sensor that reports the cubes are frozen is what starts the harvest; if it never reports, the cycle never begins. Last of the set listed here, and the least likely of them on this family.
- Body: Against the brand-wide order, installation causes move up and wear causes down: a family this short carries a narrow spread of ages, so how these cabinets were installed and loaded outranks how long they have run.
Check in this order, and why
- Look at the point where the fill tube enters the mould for a plug of ice. — It comes first because it matches the cause ranked first above.
- Leave a thermometer in the freezer overnight and read it before the door is opened. — Next in order, following the ranking rather than convenience.
- Pull the appliance out, follow the line for a kink and check the shut-off is fully open. — Last of the set, and only worth doing once the others are clean.
Disconnect before you open it up
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel; a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Never bypass a door switch to keep a part running while you look at it. Shut the water supply off before disturbing the valve or the fill line, and never thaw a fill tube with a flame or a heat gun.
Models in the 61W310 family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| 61W310 | amana:refrigerator:61w310 |
| 61W310-01 | amana:refrigerator:61w310 |
When to call a technician
The arm, the bin, the filter, the shut-off and the line are yours. The module, the harvest heater and the mould sensor are where an owner stops on most designs. Call sooner if the maker is grinding, because that strips gears.
The other faults covered for this family
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
