ELI5

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Explain it to me like I am 5. Everybody should know what this is about.

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ELI5: How does an icemaker work?? (kbin.social)

submitted 2 years ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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So I've looked at like three different articles and videos about it, but I still don't get how a fridge/freezer-based icemaker works. I want this mystery out of my life. :(

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[–] ImplyingImplications 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Imagine making ice manually. You fill a tray with water. You chill the tray until the water freezes. Then you push the frozen water out of the tray.

A fridge/freezer based icemaker works the same way, it's just automated. A water valve activates to dispense a specific amount of water into a built-in tray. The tray is chilled by virtue of being in a freezer. Sensors in the tray wait until the water is below a certain temperature. Once it is, the tray is heated slightly to melt the ice a bit to make it easier for a mechanical device to eject the cubes from the tray. The cycle repeats if there is a lack of ice in the ice bin.