My Ice Machine Water Line is Leaking. What Should I Do?

Reading Time: 4 minutes Troubleshooting & Maintenance

ice machine waterline leaking

If you suspect your ice machine water line is leaking it can lead to issues that can lead to smaller ice cubes or an ice maker not making ice at all! The best commercial ice machines are designed to consistently meet customer demand, but sub-optimal environmental conditions, like too much surrounding heat or too little water, can drastically lower your ice cube production rate. To make matters worse, they can cause water damage, mold growth in your water filter, or otherwise harm your ice makers.

We’ve serviced over 20,000 ice machines across the country and water issues are one of most common reasons for low production. In most cases, it’s not the ice maker that has the issue, it’s the plumbing. We see different kinds of issues with the water lines, particularly water supply line issues. We’re here to share our insight and help you get your ice maker back in working order.

Discover What’s Behind Your Ice Maker Leaking

Water flows from your ice machine water line into your ice maker, where it’s used to create ice. There are water valves that move that water throughout your automatic ice machine—which means it’s possible the water leak could be stemming from the ice maker, not the water line.

This is rare in industrial ice makers that receive routine preventive maintenance, since ice machine technicians often check to make sure there is not water damage or small leaks within the unit. That’s precisely why we ensure all the ice machines under our all-inclusive managed rental program receive at least two preventive maintenance visits a year.

3 ice cubes

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Many times, when an employee discovers a leak, they see a pool of water under the ice machine, but that doesn’t exactly tell you where the leak is coming from. If you notice water pooling around the ice machine, there are a few steps you can follow to identify where the leak is coming from.

  • Check the ice machine’s water line for any leaking or dripping. To find the water line, follow the ice machine’s tubing behind the unit to its connection point. You should see a water line with a shut-off valve. If there is leaking or dripping, you’ve likely found the culprit.
  • If there is no water leaking from the water line, open the from panel of the ice machine to see if any water is leaking within the unit.
  • If neither of those areas are leaking water, check the ice machine drain. Your ice machine should be depositing excess water into a wall drain or floor drain. If the drain is overflowing, or the drain is blocked by an object like a dishtowel or small container, water will leak onto the floor.

What to Do if Your Ice Machine Water Line is Leaking

There are many reasons your ice maker’s water line may be leaking. The water line may be blocked in some way or the condensation drain may be clogged. Regardless of the reason water is leaking from the ice machine, it is a problem that needs to be repaired immediately.

water leaks out of cracked copper water line

If you have water leaking from your water line, turn off the water and unplug the commercial ice machine. Turning off the water while the machine is plugged in can cause serious damage to the ice maker.

Once the leak is contained, you should call a plumber immediately. Most ice machine service companies won’t cover water line issues (since it’s not a result of the machine). A plumber can quickly fix the issue and reconnect the ice machine to the water line.

What if There’s a Leak Inside the Unit?

If water is leaking from within your ice machine, you should shut off your ice machine and the water going to the unit. As soon as the leak is contained, call a qualified ice machine service immediately.

If you’re an Easy Ice customer experiencing a leak with your ice machine, call our customer support center immediately. Our U.S.-based customer care team is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. We will dispatch a technician to your site for evaluation and repair.

What if My Ice Drain is Blocked?

If neither the ice machine water line or ice maker is leaking you could be dealing with drainage issue.

An industrial ice cube machine needs to deposit unused water into a drain access point of some sort. Commonly this is either a wall drain or floor drain in your establishment.

3 ice cubes

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If there is an object, like a dishtowel or small container blocking the drain, water will likely leak out onto your floor. This is a very easy fix. Simply move the object off the drain to reestablish access to your business’s drainage system.

In other cases, the drain may be overflowing. This could be due to an object falling down into the drain, an improper ice machine installation, or plumbing issues within your business.

In these rare cases, make sure you contain the leak is some way and call a plumber right away.

technician examines leaking wall drain

Protect Your Ice Machine from Leaks with Quality Service from Easy Ice!

Our one-of-a-kind ice machine subscription program comes with the best ice makers from the top ice machine manufacturers like Hoshizaki and Manitowoc. We include biannual preventive maintenance and professional cleaning to ensure your equipment stays in top performance.

If there is ever an issue with our commercial ice equipment, we will get the ice machine up and running as quickly as possible. Your business’s success is our success!

Having issues with your current ice machine? For more information, see our Hoshizaki Ice Machine Troubleshooting Guide or our Manitowoc Ice Machine Troubleshooting Guide.

Our team is available to help you get started today! Call 855-550-7792, request a quote, or learn more at easyice.com/our-subscription/ now!

Our team is available to help you get started today!
866-easyice(327-9423)