The shutoff arm is located over the ice bin and
it rises up while the ice is being ejected and then drops back
down afterward. If it does not drop down far enough, because the
bin is full, no more ice will be made. Only after the ice level
drops sufficiently, will the ice making cycle resume. The shutoff
arm can be used to manually shut off the ice maker by moving it
to the up position.
In component models, while the ejector
motor is turning, a cam engages the holding switch and the water
inlet switch. The holding switch temporarily
keeps the ejection cycle going even though the shutoff arm has
been raised up.
After the ice has been pushed out
of the mold, the inlet switch signals the water inlet valve to
release more water to refill the ice mold. The amount of water
released is determined by how long the inlet switch remains depressed
by the cam. Most ice makers have adjustments for controlling ice
cube size. It may be a knob, lever or possibly a set screw hidden
beneath the face plate. Increasing or decreasing the length of
time the inlet switch is depressed will affect the amount of water
that flows into the ice mold and thus the size of the ice cube.
On modular units the ejector motor
momentarily completes a circuit to signal for water flow from
the inlet valve.
