The short answer
When a Black+Decker refrigerator does this, a sheet of ice under the bin is overfill, and overfill is a valve or a fill-tube problem rather than a maker problem. Melting a frozen fill tube is owner work; a valve that will not close is a part and it will keep overfilling until it is changed.
What you actually see
- Cubes fused into one block in the bin — A block in the bin is a melt-and-refreeze cycle, which means the freezer section is warming between runs.
- Ice that smells or tastes of the freezer — Odour transfer happens when ice sits for weeks, and it is a usage pattern rather than a fault.
- A buzz on a schedule with no water arriving — The fill valve is being asked to open and nothing is reaching it.
Causes, ranked for this refrigerator
- Fill tube frozen shut — Leads the ranking — it is self-perpetuating: once the tube is closed the machine keeps calling for water it cannot receive. Where this checks out clean, treat the next entry as the working theory rather than a possibility.
- Fill valve failing to open fully — Close behind — the valve is an electrical part in a wet place and it fails partly open more often than it fails shut, which produces shrinking cubes over days. A clean result here does not just remove one part; it removes everything that depends on it.
- No water reaching the fill valve — A step down — no water is the second thing to rule out because it explains every no-ice complaint at once and costs nothing to check. It is worth being sure about this one rather than half-sure, since everything after it assumes a verdict.
What to check, in order
- First — the fill tube at the back of the compartment — Look at the small tube that delivers water into the mould. A plug of ice in it is visible with a flashlight.
- Second — the inlet valve — Note whether cubes are getting smaller run by run rather than stopping outright. That is a valve, not a switch.
Checks an owner can do safely
- Step 1. Listen for the fill valve during a cycle — A buzz at the back with no water arriving means the valve is being energized and is not passing water.
Tools: noneAbout 10 min
- Step 2. Throw away the first two batches — After any water work, discard the first two batches. They carry whatever was standing in the line.
Tools: noneAbout 5 min
- Step 3. Empty and inspect the bin — Take the bin out, tip out any fused block, and check the arm swings through its whole travel with the bin back in place.
Tools: noneAbout 10 min
Before you open anything
Safety
Water and power both come off first. Shut the valve, pull the plug, and only then move the appliance. A capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off, and a wet floor turns a small fault into a serious one.
When this becomes a service call
The line is not about confidence, it is about what the next step needs. A fill valve that buzzes without passing water, or a supply line that has to be cut into, is where the owner checks stop.
Sources
General guidance- The Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout) — OSHA 1910.147 and manufacturer service manuals, fetched
- Refrigeration and Food Safety — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, fetched
Nearest pages
What this page does not cover
Read this as generalized information. It is accurate across the Black+Decker refrigerator range, which is exactly why it stops short of the detail a single family or model deserves. If a family-level or model-level page exists for your unit, that page supersedes this one on wiring, part numbers and error-code meanings; the links under Related pages are where those pages live.
Related pages
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
