The short version
An icemaker that has stopped is usually a water supply problem or a temperature problem, and the two look nothing alike once you know what to look at. Hollow or small cubes say one thing; an empty, dry mould says another entirely. On a Faberware refrigerator the place to start is the water supply to the maker, because housewares-brand cabinets are built to a price on the trim and the door hardware, so the gasket and the door hinge are the parts that leave tolerance first.
What the machine is doing
- Ice tastes or smells wrong — Old ice sublimates and takes on cabinet odours.
- The mould is dry and nothing has been made at all — No partial cubes, no slush, just an empty tray.
- Cubes are hollow, small or half formed — Water is arriving but not enough of it, or not for long enough per fill.
- NEAR MISS: the freezer itself is not properly cold — Then the icemaker is a symptom and not the fault.
The causes, ranked for this brand
- No water reaching the maker — A closed saddle valve, a kinked supply line behind the cabinet, a filter that has never been changed or a line frozen where it passes through the cabinet wall all end the same way: an empty mould and a maker cycling on nothing Ranked first on a Faberware refrigerator: this is housewares-brand equipment built to a price on its hardware, so the consumable and wear parts set the failure profile rather than the control electronics.
- The maker is switched off or the arm is held up — Every icemaker has a bail arm or a switch that stops production when the bin is full. Where it sits here: trivial, free and genuinely common, so it always belongs near the top of the list.
- The freezer is not cold enough to complete a harvest — An icemaker will not harvest until the mould thermostat sees its release temperature. Where it sits here: ranks high whenever the cabinet is also running long cycles, because then the two complaints are one fault.
- A failed fill valve, mould heater or harvest motor — The valve is an electrical part that sticks, the mould heater releases the cubes and the motor sweeps them out. Where it sits here: least common of the set and the only one needing the maker out and a meter on it, so it sits last.
What to check first, and why that order
- Start at the water supply to the maker — It is the cause that ranks first on this kind of machine, so it is the check that ends the diagnosis most often and the one that costs least to make.
- Look in the mould and say whether it is wet or dry — Dry means the supply side; wet, frozen and stuck means the harvest side.
- Check the bail arm and the maker switch — Free, instant, and it resolves a surprising share of dead icemakers before any panel comes off.
The checks you can make yourself
- Free the bail arm and clear the bin — Empty the bin completely, break up any fused block at the bottom and check the arm swings its full travel without touching stored food.
About 10 min
- Straighten the supply line and open the valve fully — Pull the cabinet out far enough to see the line, remove any tight bend and confirm the shut-off valve is fully open rather than cracked.
Tools: flashlightAbout 25 min
- STOP HERE if the mould fills but never releases — Mould heaters and harvest motors are tested with a meter on a live or dismantled maker.
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. Do not thaw a frozen fill tube with an open flame or a heat gun on high, because the surrounding plastic melts long before the ice moves. Shut the water supply off before disconnecting any line, and be ready for the water the line still holds.
Where the owner job ends
Call once the supply side is proven good and the mould still fills without harvesting, or when ice is building behind the maker rather than in it. Call sooner if the ice complaint sits alongside a freezer that is not holding temperature, because then the icemaker is the messenger and the cooling fault is the message.
Related pages in this set
What is deliberately not here
This page covers Faberware refrigerators as a class, not one family or model line. Where a family- or model-specific page exists for your unit, that is the more specific answer and the one to read first. Deliberately not here: maker assembly part numbers, fill-valve flow ratings and the mould thermostat tables, all of which differ by family.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
