Restarting a U-Line Ice Maker After a Houston Power Outage

Summer storms and hurricane season can knock out power across Houston for hours or days. When the lights come back, your U-Line ice maker is full of ice that has partly melted, and the bin has been sitting warm. A careless restart can leave you serving ice from a dirty bin.

Decide what to keep

• If power was out for only a short time and the ice is still hard, it is generally fine once the bin is clean.
• If the ice melted and refroze into clumps, throw it out. It has been through a warm period.
• If the room was hot and the unit sat for a day or more, discard all ice and clean before restarting.

Safe restart steps

1. Empty the bin and wash it with mild soap and warm water. Rinse well.
2. Wipe the inside walls and the door gasket, then dry them.
3. Check for water on the floor or in the drain area before switching power back on.
4. Restore power and let the unit run through a full cycle. Throw out the first batch or two.

Power surges and your unit

Power can come back with surges. If the ice maker does not start, makes a clicking sound, shows a code on the display, or trips a breaker when you restore power, do not keep resetting it. Repeated attempts can stress the electrical parts that are already under strain.

It also helps to keep the shutoff valve and drain clear during storm season so that a restart does not cause an overflow.

We handle ice maker repair across the Houston area, listed on our service area page. We quote the price in writing before work begins, and we back repairs with a 30-day workmanship warranty.