The short answer
On the BD family the phrase no ice covers two unrelated faults - a mechanism that has stopped cycling, and frost appearing on a cabinet that was never fitted to make ice. An ice complaint on a cabinet like this splits in two before any diagnosis starts, because some of the models in the table make ice automatically and some do not, and the two versions of the fault have almost nothing in common.
What you observe on these models
- No ice at all, on a model that used to make it — Complete stoppage points at supply or at the switch rather than at the cold, because a compartment that has gone warm usually produces bad ice before it produces none.
- Ice that smells or tastes of the cabinet — Ice picks up whatever is around it, so a taste complaint is a storage and turnover matter rather than a mechanical one.
- 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
- Temperature, before anything mechanical — Ice is nothing more than water held below freezing long enough, so every other cause on this page sits downstream of temperature. A compartment at 0 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 18 degrees Celsius) or below makes ice; one 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.
- What happens before the water reaches the mould — Second on this platform. Where a model is plumbed, the supply remains worth checking, particularly after the unit has been moved, because a kinked line behind a cabinet is invisible until it is pulled out.
- A frozen fill tube or a jammed cube — 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.
- The ice maker being switched off without anyone meaning to — Fourth. 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.
- The model simply does not have one — Last. Where a model was never fitted with an ice maker, the fault is not a fault: the ice being complained about is frost, and it is driven by warm air getting in.
Check in this order, and why
- 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. The 5 entries below sit on 4 different bases, so confirm your own code before carrying a neighbour's result across.
- 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.
- Check the arm and the switch before anything else — A bail arm resting up or a control switched off costs nothing to find and accounts for a striking share of total stoppages, particularly after a clean or a defrost.
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 BD family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| BD-80 | avanti:refrigerator:bd |
| BD150YC | avanti:refrigerator:bd |
| BD200YC | avanti:refrigerator:bd |
| BD282 | avanti:refrigerator:bd |
| BD282JU | avanti:refrigerator:bd |
When to call a technician
The line here is water and panels. Setting the control, clearing a jam, emptying a packed bin and straightening a line are all owner work; a fill valve, a module or a thermostat is not. Go straight to a call where a plumbed connection is wet, where a breaker trips, or where the compartment will not get cold no matter what the dial says.
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.
