The short answer
No ice, slow ice and hollow ice are three different faults with three different causes. Slow and hollow point at supply pressure and freezing temperature; none at all points at the valve, the line or the arm. Do these in order and you will either fix it or hand a technician a much shorter problem. Read the list in order; the order is the point.
What the appliance is doing
- No ice at all and a dry mould — Water is not arriving, or the ice maker has been switched off or locked out.
- Small, hollow or malformed cubes — A partial fill from a restricted supply or a filter that is overdue.
- Ice that forms and does not release — A harvest fault, or a compartment that is colder than the mould was designed for.
- NEAR MISS: the whole freezer is not cold enough — Then the ice maker is a symptom and the cooling fault is the page you want.
Ranked causes
- Water supply closed, kinked or frozen — The one to suspect first. It leads on a compact cabinet because the supply line is usually a retrofit and is the least protected part of the installation. The single most common cause. A tap turned off during other work, a crushed line behind the cabinet or a frozen fill tube all present as a dry mould.
- Ice maker switched off or the feeler arm held up — The second suspect. A bail arm resting on a stored bag of food stops production entirely and looks like a failure.
- Freezer not cold enough to complete a harvest — Third, and less common. Ice makers need a genuinely cold compartment.
- Inlet valve failure — Fourth, and less common again. An electrically operated valve that no longer opens, or opens partially. Chattering during fill is the usual warning.
- Body: The order below is what makes this page worth reading. It is a ranking rather than a measurement, and it carries no numbers because no fact bundle supports any.
The order of checks
- Check the supply tap and the line behind the cabinet — A closed tap or a crushed line is the answer in a large share of these cases.
- Look at the feeler arm and the on switch — A raised arm or an off switch stops production with no fault present at all.
- Dispense water at the door if the cabinet has a dispenser — Good flow proves supply and filter; poor flow names them.
- Body: The order below follows the water: supply first, then what restricts it, then what freezes it, then the mechanism.
The checks you can do yourself
- Open the supply tap fully and inspect the line for kinks — Pull the cabinet out far enough to see the line without straining it.
Tools: torch
- Replace the water filter if it is overdue or of unknown age — Seat it firmly and run several litres through the dispenser to purge air.
- Lower the feeler arm and switch the ice maker on — Then give it several hours before judging anything.
- STOP before removing the ice maker module or a fill tube heater — That is a powered assembly behind a panel.
Before you touch it
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel; a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Close the water supply before disturbing any line, and never thaw a frozen fill tube with an open flame or a heat gun.
When to call a technician
Call when water reaches the cabinet but the mould stays dry, when the freezer is not holding a freezing temperature, or when a new filter and an open tap change nothing. Call sooner if there is water on the floor, because a leaking supply line does damage an ice maker fault does not. A diagnosis reached by elimination is worth acting on; one reached by guessing is not.
Related brands and appliances
The limits of this page
This page is written for the appliance class rather than for one Broich family or model line. Where a family- or model-specific page exists for your unit it is the more specific answer and should be preferred over this one; the brand and appliance hub linked below routes to everything more specific that exists today.
Links: - [Common Broich Refrigerator Problems](/blog/broich-refrigerator-problems)
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
