If you’ve ever had a refrigerator with an ice maker, you know how convenient it can be to have cold ice cubes at the ready. But how exactly does an ice maker work? Let’s take a look at the inner workings of this handy appliance.
First, water is supplied to the ice maker from your home’s main water supply line. This water then flows through a small tube into a fill cup in your refrigerator’s freezer compartment. The fill cup is usually located just above where the ice cubes are dispensed. Once filled, the water then passes through an electrically heated thermostat that monitors the temperature of the water inside the cup and makes sure that it stays below freezing (32 degrees Fahrenheit).
When the water reaches its desired temperature, it passes through another small tube into an aluminum mold or tray. The mold has tiny holes in its bottom which allow for air to escape as frost forms on its surface creating individual cubes of ice. The time this takes depends on your freezer settings and ambient temperature but usually takes anywhere between 25-45 minutes per batch of cubes.
Once enough frost has accumulated around each cube, they become very cold (-10 degrees Fahrenheit) and they begin to stick together lightly forming “sheets” of tightly bonded cubes inside their respective molds or trays. At this point, what we call “harvesting” begins where a motorized paddle pushes against each sheet causing them to break apart and drop down into a bucket located beneath them in your freezer compartment; ready for you to grab whenever needed! And that’s how fridge ice makers work - easy peasy!