The short answer for this family
On the Criterion CUF refrigerator family the first question is not why the icemaker stopped but whether these models carry one at all: a freezer cabinet of this type is not normally supplied with a factory icemaker, and where ice appears it is either an accessory or ice forming where it should not. Where one is fitted, the fault splits cleanly into a water side and a cold side, and the mould tells you which. The table below lists the twelve models this profile covers.
What you observe on these models
- No ice at all, and the mould is dry — A dry mould means no water is arriving: supply, valve, filter or fill tube. A wet mould that never harvests means the cold side instead.
- It makes ice, but far less than it used to — Reduced output with correct cubes is nearly always a cabinet running warmer than it was, or a filter at the end of its life.
- NEAR MISS: the cabinet is also not holding temperature — Ice output is the first thing a cabinet gives up when it runs warm. If the compartment is warm too, read the cooling page first.
Ranked causes for this family
- These models do not all carry a factory icemaker — First here because it is the answer for most owners of this family: a freezer cabinet of this type is not normally supplied with a factory icemaker, and where ice appears it is either an accessory or ice forming where it should not. Establish whether your model has one, and whether it is factory or an accessory.
- Ice forming where it should not, rather than failing to form — On this family the question is usually the other way round. Frost on shelf coils is expected on a manual-defrost variant and is a fault on a frost-free one, which is why establishing which you have comes first. That is the version of this fault most owners of this family actually meet.
- The compartment is not cold enough to harvest — An icemaker will not cycle until its mould reaches cut-out, so a warm compartment gives slow ice or none with nothing wrong in the icemaker. A freezer holds food safely at 0 °F (-18 °C) or below.
What to check first, and why in this order
- Establish whether this model has a factory icemaker at all — Check your model number against the roster below and look inside the compartment. On this family that check answers the question for most owners, and it costs nothing. Work down in order rather than jumping to the likeliest cause.
- Look for stray ice and ask where the water came from — Frost on shelf coils is expected on a manual-defrost variant and is a fault on a frost-free one, which is why establishing which you have comes first. Ask where the water came from before you clear it, because clearing it without answering that question guarantees it returns.
- Decide whether the mould is dry or wet — Dry means the water side: supply, valve, filter, fill tube. Wet and unharvested means the cold side or the module. That one look halves the causes above.
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel or icemaker assembly; a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Where the cabinet is plumbed, shut the water supply off before touching a fitting, and never thaw a fill tube or a frozen line with a flame or a heat gun: hot air melts the surrounding plastic long before it clears the ice. Do not chip ice off any surface with a screwdriver, because the tubing behind it is soft aluminium.
Models in the CUF family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| CUF14M2* | criterion:refrigerator:cuf |
| CUF14P1W | criterion:refrigerator:cuf |
| CUF154*** | criterion:refrigerator:cuf |
| CUF179*** | criterion:refrigerator:cuf |
| CUF17P1W | criterion:refrigerator:cuf |
| CUF208*** | criterion:refrigerator:cuf |
| CUF20P1W | criterion:refrigerator:cuf |
| CUF21C1W | criterion:refrigerator:cuf |
| CUF21M2* | criterion:refrigerator:cuf |
| CUF30M1W | criterion:refrigerator:cuf |
| CUF36C1W | criterion:refrigerator:cuf |
| CUF66C1W | criterion:refrigerator:cuf |
When this stops being owner work
Where the line falls here is worth stating plainly. Checking the supply, the filter, the bail arm and the compartment temperature is owner work. Call when the mould is wet and never harvests, when the fill tube re-frosts within days of being cleared, or when the ice problem is really a temperature problem, because that moves the job into the cold path. On this platform the cabinet has to come away from the wall before most work can start, which is a two-person job on a loaded cabinet.
Other problems covered for this family
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