The short answer
An ice complaint on the FFBM family splits at the first question: whether the model in front of you was built with an automatic ice maker at all, because the two versions of this fault have almost nothing in common. 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.
- A solid bridge of ice across the storage bin — Cubes that have fused together have melted and refrozen, which means the compartment has been swinging above and below freezing rather than sitting steady.
- Water arriving but never freezing into shape — Where a model fills and then fails to release, the water is reaching the mould and the cold is not finishing the job in the time the cycle allows.
- 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
- The compartment is not cold enough — 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.
- The bail arm or the on-off control — Third here. 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.
- A mechanism jammed by its own product — Fourth. 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.
- A complaint about ice on a cabinet that never made it — 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
- 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. The 9 entries below sit on 6 different bases, so confirm your own code before carrying a neighbour's result across.
- 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.
- 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.
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 FFBM family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| FFBM102D0W | avanti:refrigerator:ffbm |
| FFBM102D3S | avanti:refrigerator:ffbm |
| FFBM10H0W | avanti:refrigerator:ffbm |
| FFBM10H3S | avanti:refrigerator:ffbm |
| FFBM45136SS | avanti:refrigerator:ffbm |
| FFBM920WH | avanti:refrigerator:ffbm |
| FFBM922PH | avanti:refrigerator:ffbm |
| FFBM92H0W | avanti:refrigerator:ffbm |
| FFBM92H3S | avanti:refrigerator:ffbm |
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.
