If your RV icemaker is now a troublemaker, your favourite beverage is going to end up warm. That’s no good, not on a hot day, an hour that you’ve been looking forward to a refreshingly cool beer. That’s soda, for the kids out there. Memorize the following preventative maintenance tips. They’ll keep your ice producing gear ticking along nicely, and you’ll finally get that tall, cool drink.
Water Filter Check
The portable icemaker is off and running. It’s accompanying you on your highway adventures, but the ice has either stopped in mid-production, or it’s exiting the machine sporadically. Clogged filters stop the water, and without water, there can be no ice. Clean out debris, recheck the filter, and try again. Ideally, you should replace clogged water filters.
Hairdryer Remedies
Take care when you’re using this appliance. Don’t hold it close to the ice maker. If live electrical parts are exposed, turn off the power, just temporarily. Now, gently apply heat to the ice maker nozzle if an overly large cube is stuck. If a valve or inlet pipe is frozen, again apply the warm air steam to melt the ice.
Preventative Maintenance Benefits
In the above two instances, the problem is already causing chaos, and thoughts of a cool beverage are fading away. In preventative maintenance planning, you carry out the inspection while the machinery is still operational. Check the ejector arms to make sure they’re properly aligned. Seals and door hinges are next. Inspect these moving housing components for cracks and signs of wear. Likewise, inspect rubber seals for wear. Is the water filter partially clogged? Clear or slightly blocked, the real problem here is taste and hygiene. Tiny amounts of foreign particles in the inlet pipe have been known to cause bad tastes and odours.
Common Sense Tips
Listen for the sounds of dropping ice cubes and the buzz of a water pump. Continuing onward from here, move over to the thermostat. Is the temperature controller set too low? RV families are adventurers, but all that adventuring makes for a thirsty mouth. If someone has turned the temperature down, perhaps thinking the lower setting equals more ice cubes, turn the dial back to the manufacturer-recommended setting. Overly cool RV icemakers freeze their condenser coils. Check for accumulated coil frost.
A busy motorhome zooms towards the far horizons, accompanied by the hollow dropping of ice cubes. As long as the pump and coils and ejector assembly are all operating, everything’s just fine, so thinks the preoccupied RV owner. In reality, a breakdown is likely to occur at the worst possible moment. Use this preventative maintenance list to find smaller issues before they become full-blown appliance defects.