The short answer
Ice arriving slowly, hollow, fused into a block or not at all on the BCD family is a temperature story far more often than a mechanism story, and that is where this page starts. Before anything else, establish which kind of ice complaint this is: nothing coming out of an automatic ice maker, or ice appearing as frost in places it has no business being.
What you observe on these models
- A single large lump instead of separate cubes — That is a fill or a release fault rather than a freezing one, and on some models it is simply a mould that has been overfilled by a supply at high pressure.
- Trays that will not freeze through overnight — A tray takes longer than people expect, but a full night with no solid result means the compartment is not holding a low enough temperature.
- Ice arriving slowly, or hollow and small — Partial production is a temperature or a water-volume complaint. The mechanism is working; it is being given either too little time or too little water.
- NEAR MISS - no ice and nothing else is cold either — When the whole cabinet is warm, ice is a symptom rather than the fault, and the cooling failure page for this family is the right place to start.
Causes, most likely first on this platform
- A freezer running above where ice is made — Ice is made by holding water below freezing for long enough, so everything else on this page is downstream of the temperature. A compartment holding at 0 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 18 degrees Celsius) or below makes ice; one running a few degrees warmer makes it slowly, hollow, or not at all. A group built on several distinct bases will not be fitted uniformly, so establishing what your own model actually has comes before any diagnosis.
- A control that says stop — Second on this platform. It stays worth a glance at any point: an arm resting up or a switch left off produces a total stoppage with nothing wrong at all.
- Ice blocking the thing that makes ice — Third here. Clear a jam before condemning anything, and note that it is usually the visible consequence of a temperature swing rather than a fault of its own.
- Supply line, shutoff and fill valve — Fourth. Where the model is plumbed the supply is still worth proving, especially after a move, since a kinked line behind a cabinet stays invisible until the cabinet comes out.
- Frost mistaken for an ice fault — Last. Where a model never had an ice maker, there is no fault to find: the ice being complained about is frost, and warm air getting in is what makes it.
Check in this order, and why
- Pull the cabinet out and follow the supply line — Where the model is plumbed, look for a shutoff that has been nudged, a kink behind the unit and a line that has been crushed against the wall. This is the check a move most often makes necessary. The 5 entries below sit on 4 different bases, so confirm your own code before carrying a neighbour's result across.
- Look for a jam before condemning the mechanism — A wedged cube or an iced fill tube stops the cycle in place. Clear it with warm water rather than a tool, and watch whether it returns, because a jam that returns is a temperature story.
- Put a thermometer in the freezing compartment — Give it several hours undisturbed. Anything above 0 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 18 degrees Celsius) explains slow, hollow or absent ice on its own, and explains it before any part does.
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel or working near the ice mechanism, and remember a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Clear ice with warm water and patience rather than with a screwdriver or a knife: the tubing and the mould behind the frost puncture easily. Never wedge a door switch open to watch a cycle run.
Models in the BCD family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| BCD-456WAEASCC | avanti:refrigerator:bcd |
| BCD-456WAGBC | avanti:refrigerator:bcd |
| BCD-513WR | avanti:refrigerator:bcd |
| BCD-630WP2BF1Z21/HC1(E) | avanti:refrigerator:bcd |
| BCD50Z3S | avanti:refrigerator:bcd |
When to call a technician
Bring someone in once the free checks are clean and the mechanism still will not cycle, because the remaining causes need a meter and a panel off. Do not wait at all if the cabinet has stopped holding temperature more generally, because at that point ice is the least of it and the food is the priority.
Other faults covered for these models
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
