The short answer
On the FFVF 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. Not every model catalogued in this family is fitted with an automatic ice maker, and that is the first fork on this page: where there is no ice maker, the same complaint is nearly always about frost forming where it should not or about trays that will not freeze.
What you observe on these models
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- A mechanism jammed by its own product — Third here. A jam is worth clearing before condemning anything, and it is usually the visible consequence of a temperature swing rather than a fault in its own right.
- The water supply, on models that have one — 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.
- A complaint about ice on a cabinet that never made it — 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 4 entries below sit on 3 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
Isolate the cabinet at the plug or the breaker before a panel comes off, and never put a hand into a mechanism that is still live - an ice maker harvests on its own schedule, not yours. Where the model is plumbed, close the water shutoff before disturbing any fitting, and use warm water rather than a tool on any ice you need to clear.
Models in the FFVF family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| FFVF140D0W | avanti:refrigerator:ffvf |
| FFVF140D3S | avanti:refrigerator:ffvf |
| FFVF170W0W | avanti:refrigerator:ffvf |
| FFVF210W0W | avanti:refrigerator:ffvf |
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.
