The short answer
Neither generation under this badge usually has a plumbed ice maker, but they make ice in different places and fail differently. An earlier direct-cool cabinet has a small chill compartment moulded against the cold plate, which ices up with the plate. A later frost-free cabinet uses a tray in the freezer drawer, where poor ice points at the defrost circuit.
What you are seeing
- The small chill compartment against the cold plate is a solid block — Note: The earlier generation. That box is cooled by contact with the plate and ices up with it; it needs a full defrost, not chipping.
- Ice in the freezer drawer sets soft or takes a whole day — Note: The freezer is not cold enough, which on a later cabinet often means the evaporator behind the rear panel is icing over.
- A tray welded to the shelf by a sheet of ice underneath — Note: Water spilled while carrying a full tray, which froze first. Common on both generations and not a fault.
- Ice shrinks or disappears over a week untouched — Note: Sublimation in dry cycling cold, which is what a freezer at temperature produces.
- There is a water line at the back and no ice at all — Note: A plumbed variant, which is a minority on both generations. Start at the supply.
- The whole cabinet is warm and nothing freezes — Note: That is a cooling failure rather than an ice fault, and it is ranked on its own page.
Ranked causes on this brand
- Cold plate and its chill compartment iced over, earlier generation — Why this rank: First for that generation because the ice box is cooled purely by contact with the plate behind it, so it ices at the same rate and becomes a solid block long before the rest of the cabinet complains.
- Defrost circuit not fully clearing the evaporator, later generation — Why this rank: First for that generation and second overall because the freezer is always the first compartment to suffer when the evaporator ices, so poor ice is often the earliest symptom of a defrost fault.
- Freezer not running cold enough for the setting chosen — Why this rank: Third because on much of this platform one control governs the whole cabinet, and a setting that suits the fresh-food space can leave the freezer barely below freezing.
- The tray overfilled, unlevel, or standing on spilled ice — Why this rank: Fourth because it produces exactly the complaint of ice that will not release, on either generation, with nothing at all wrong with the appliance.
- Door seal hardened, admitting humid air continuously — Why this rank: Fifth because every bit of moisture that enters becomes frost on the evaporator rather than ice in the tray, and on cabinets of this age hardened gaskets are common.
- On a plumbed variant only: closed shut-off, a pinched line or a frozen fill tube — Why this rank: Last because most cabinets under this badge have no such hardware, though where it exists it moves straight to the top of the list.
What to check, in order
- Establish the generation and look behind the cabinet for a water connection — Why: Which generation you have decides where the ice is made, and a water line changes the diagnosis completely.
- Leave a thermometer in the freezer overnight and read it before opening the door — Why: A measurement is the only way to separate a cold freezer from a freezing one, and the difference is exactly what soft ice is about.
- On a later cabinet, take out the freezer drawers and look at the rear panel — Why: A sheet of ice behind it means the defrost circuit, and that is the top cause on that generation.
- On an earlier cabinet, look at the cold plate and the chill compartment against it — Why: Frost on the plate and a block in the compartment are the same fault seen twice.
- Lift the tray out and check the shelf under it is level and free of ice — Why: A tray sitting on a sheet of spilled ice explains half-formed cubes on its own.
Checks you can do safely
- Photograph the rating plate, note whether the fridge liner has a visible cold plate, and check behind the cabinet for a water line. — Tools: a phone camera — Time: ten minutes
- Stand a thermometer in the freezer overnight and read it in the morning before opening the door. — Tools: a thermometer — Time: overnight
- Empty the cabinet, unplug it and let it defrost completely with both doors open and towels underneath. Do not chip or lever at any ice. — Tools: towels, shallow trays — Time: eight hours or overnight
- Set the control one step colder, close the doors and leave the cabinet undisturbed for a full day before reading the thermometer again. — Tools: none — Time: a full day
- Fill the tray in place, only to its moulded line, and set it on a clear level shelf rather than carrying it full from the sink. — Tools: none — Time: five minutes
- Press the door gasket with a thumb at several points, and close each door on a strip of paper at four points on each side. — Tools: a strip of paper — Time: a quarter of an hour
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the refrigerator before removing a rear freezer panel or reaching behind the cold plate. Never chip or lever ice away with a knife, a screwdriver or any other tool: refrigerant tubing is bonded directly behind the plate and the evaporator, and a puncture ends the cabinet. Do not use a heat gun or boiling water on a plastic liner, which deforms permanently at low temperature. On a plumbed variant, close the shut-off before disconnecting anything. Discard frozen food that has thawed above a safe temperature. Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel. A capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. — Id: unplug-before-service A freezer holds food safely at 0 °F (−18 °C) or below. — Id: freezer-0f
Where the service line falls
A later frost-free cabinet re-ices behind the rear freezer panel within days of a full defrost, which points at the defrost heater, its cut-out or the control. The cabinet is fully defrosted, the doors seal and the control is at its coldest, and an overnight freezer reading is still nowhere near 0 °F (−18 °C) or below. The compressor clicks and stops repeatedly rather than running steadily, which needs a meter on live terminals. You have a plumbed variant whose fill tube freezes solid again every time it is cleared, which points at a valve seeping past its seat. A defrost heater, cut-out or fan is needed. Take the rating plate photograph, because these are identified by platform against the group-sibling machines rather than ordered by brand name.
Nearest pages
What this page does not cover
This page covers both production generations and assumes the tray-and-compartment arrangement common to the platform. It describes no one model family, and it does not cover automatic ice makers with a harvest motor, a mould heater and a bin-full arm. For the everyday symptom-first version of this diagnosis, use the brand page rather than this manufacturer-entity one. This page is addressed to the manufacturer entity rather than to a single cabinet, so it covers both production generations and describes no one model family. Everything here depends on the rating plate inside the liner, which names the platform and is what a parts desk cross-references against the group-sibling badges that shared it.
Links down: - [Fagor Electrodomesticos / FAGOR Refrigerator: Not Cooling or Not Freezing](/blog/fagor-electrodomesticos-fagor-refrigerator-cooling-failure) - [Fagor Electrodomesticos / FAGOR Refrigerator: Door, Latch or Seal Fault](/blog/fagor-electrodomesticos-fagor-refrigerator-door-seal)
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
