The Vital Element

• No matter how efficient your automatic ice-maker is, it will fail to work without H2O. That's why you'll always need to have your refrigerator hooked up to the water main. This is done on installation of your refrigerator. If you've had a refrigerator with an automatic ice-maker before, then it will be a simple matter of reattaching the existing connections. Otherwise, you will need to have a plumber come around (preferably on the day you have your refrigerator delivered).
  
  

Sensor Number One

• The solenoid water valve operates in the same manner as this manual water-valve.valve image by Aleksandr Ugorenkov from Fotolia.com
  
  Once your water supply is connected it becomes the job of the automatic ice-maker to begin its work. The first of three very important sensors (the solenoid water valve) begins its work, allowing a specific amount of water into the ice-maker mold. The motor sends an electrical impulse to the solenoid water valve which is situated between the ice-maker and the water supply. The ice-maker is programed to keep the valve open for a certain number of seconds, depending on the size of the mold that need to be filled. Once this time period has elapsed, the valve will close again and wait for the a signal from sensor number three.
  
  

Sensor Number Two

• A thermostate measures the temperature until the water is frozen.temperature rising image by Keith Frith from Fotolia.com
  
  The second sensor involved in the process is a simple thermostat, which keeps an electronic eye on your ice, until the temperature of the mold reaches the correct level (9 degrees F or -13 degrees C) before the thermostat clicks into action. Then a small heating element is activated, which loosens the future ice-cube, unsticking it from the bottom of the mold. At the same time the blades turn. These blades, which are built to fit into the mold, rotate and scoop out the freshly-made block of cubes. As the blades slide the block of ice from its mold they meet resistance and separate the cubes from each other, tossing them into the collection bin below.
  
  

The Third Sensor

• When the blades have completed a single rotation the third sensor is triggered. This third sensor consists of a plastic cam arm that is raised by the blades rotation and when they return to their original position the arm drops back into place. The cycle has now finished and the ice-maker is free to begin again, so long as the bin below is not full. If the bin is full, the ice will not be able to slide away and the plastic cam will not drop. At this point, the process freezes until you use the ice and begin the cycle again.
  
  Finally, when the plastic cam arm drops into place, the solenoid water valve in section 1 begins to allow water into the mold once more.
  
  

Point of Interest

• Modern refrigerators use convection to maximize their efficiency.ventilator image by apeschi from Fotolia.com
  
  An interesting and little known fact about automatic ice-makers is that they do not freeze the water themselves. The only element inside the ice-maker is a heating coil which warms the mold to free the ice so it can be dispensed. In fact, the ice-maker uses the cooling unit of the refrigerator to freeze the water and form the ice-cubes. In modern refrigerators this is usually done using convection, or cold air traveling from the primary freezing zone, which is usually the main freezer.