The Opal Nugget Ice Maker is a fantastic piece of modern machinery but even the best-engineered devices will eventually have an issue or two. Thankfully, with a few tips, you can fix most issues that may arise with your ice maker to get it up and running like new again.
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In this article we are going to address some common Opal Nugget Ice Maker problems and give you some steps so that you can remediate the issues on your own.
Please check the items below and see if your issue is listed and if so, try the steps we’ve provided and see if they fix your ice maker issue.
My Opal Nugget Ice Maker is not turning on
If the ice maker is not powering on then there are a few things which you can try to correct this issue. Please try the following:
- Press and hold-down the round button on the front for approximately 3 seconds. This will toggle the ice maker from Day mode (where the interior lights are on) to Night mode (where the interior lights are off). If it’s in Night mode then it may be working fine, it’s just not lighting up and this will test if this is the issue.
- Check your breaker and make sure that the plug is securely in the electrical socket.
- Try using the heel of your dominant hand to press the button instead of your finger and see if this makes a difference.
- Using two fingers to ensure there is enough pressure, press and hold the power button for approximately 10 seconds.
- Activate your Opal in Cleaning mode by utilizing the switch located at the rear of your unit. If the Display-ring in front begins flashing yellow, press the power button. If the Display-ring begins rotating and you hear water pumping then the Power button is fine. Use the switch at the back again to changeinto Ice Mode and then you can see if if it will power on now.
If the unit still will not power on then you will want to contact Opal support by calling 866-907-6718 or emailing myopalservice.com. Support Hours are Monday through Friday, 8am to 8pm EST.
I’m getting no or low amounts of ice and the bin indicates that it is full
If you are getting only a small volume of ice or even no ice, yet the indicator is showing that the ice bin is full, then it is likely that the ice chute of your unit is blocked. Follow the cleaning instructions in your manual to unblock the ice chute and normal ice production should resume within 30 minutes of a successful cleaning.
If this doesn’t help, be sure to try the cleaning process one more time before contacting support, as it is possible that the build-up has grown substantially over time and an additional cleaning cycle may be required. If this does not work, then you will want to contact Opal support by calling 866-907-6718 or emailing myopalservice.com. Support Hours are Monday through Friday, 8am to 8pm EST.
Warm air is exiting the left side of the rear of the unit. Is this normal?
The refrigeration system which the Opal Nugget Ice Maker employs to make your ice does produce warm air that will exit the unit at the back or the side. This is by-design so it means that your ice maker is running properly and no troubleshooting will be required.
My new ice maker is making slush instead of ice
A new unit will generally take up to 30 minutes before it begins producing standard ice from the ice chute. This is normal and after 30 minutes the ice maker will have properly from the water and normal production of ice should begin from this point.
The green light is blinking on my ice maker
If the green light is blinking on your Opal Nugget Ice Maker and you have not pressed the Power button then the unit could be losing power. Try the following to troubleshoot the issue:
- Check the power cable to ensure that the plug is snugly inserted into the electrical socket, rather than halfway or loosely.
- Try testing your ice maker with a different power outlet to rule out any problems with the current electrical socket. Note: Avoid using a power strip or an extension cord if possible, but if you have to use one make sure that it is a UL-listed, 3-wire ground type extension cord for appliances. It must also have a grounding plug and the minimum rating you’ll need is 15 amps and 120 volts.
- The Smart App for the Opal Nugget Ice Maker can cause these kinds of issues. Go into the app and disable the schedule for your ice maker. After this, unplug the ice maker for 3 minutes so that it will receive the new instructions and rule out any scheduled downtime issues with the app.
If this does not work, then you will want to contact Opal support by calling 866-907-6718 or emailing myopalservice.com. Support Hours are Monday through Friday, 8am to 8pm EST.
My Opal Ice Maker keeps turning itself off at random
If your Opal Ice Maker keeps turning itself off at random, first check to make sure that you don’t have it scheduled to be off in the app. Your Opal will automatically communicate with the app every hour at the top of the hour, so if you have scheduled downtime then this could be the issue.
You can quickly test this by disabling the schedule and then unplugging the unit for 3 minutes to see if the issue reoccurs when you power it back on. If you aren’t certain how to use the schedule you can also simply uninstall the app, followed by unplugging the unit for 3 minutes, and then plugging it back in to see if the issue has been resolved.
If you are not using the app or this does not help, check the Ice Bin. If the bin is not pushed fully into place, then the ice maker will shut itself off normally after a period of 5 minutes, to ensure that any ice produced will only go into the bin where it’s supposed to go.
Finally, you can try cleaning the Opal Nugget. Minerals from ice production can build up over time, and when this happens the ice maker believes that the bin is already full and so it won’t produce any ice. Putting your ice maker into Cleaning mode can help to rule this out as the issue.
If this does not work, then you will want to contact Opal support by calling 866-907-6718 or emailing myopalservice.com. Support Hours are Monday through Friday, 8am to 8pm EST.
My ice maker is making loud pump-noises
When your Opal Ice Maker begins the process of making ice for you, the first thing that it does is flood the system with water for a period of 5 minutes. You might hear or see the water running during this cleaning cycle and it is completely normal.
If, however, it is louder than usual then your Opal Ice Maker may require more water for the process to run as normal.
The ice maker is dripping under the ice bin… is it broken?
During the ice-making process, it is actually quite normal for condensation to form on the bottom surface of your ice bin. In some cases, it can even collect and drip down the lower front surface of your Opal Nugget, and this is functioning as designed. Your Opal Nugget comes with a drip tray that you can install to collect this water so that it is no longer an issue.
Why aren’t the interior lights working on my Opal Nugget Ice Maker?
In order to save on power your Opal Nugget has two modes of operation when it comes to the interior lights. These modes are called Day mode and Night mode. When the system is in Day mode then your interior lights should be visible, while Night mode will turn them off completely.
In order to switch the mode, press and hold down the Power button for approximately 3 seconds. If the lights come on then the unit was simply in Day mode. If this does not fix the issue but the ice maker is functioning properly in all other ways, then you may continue to use the unit but you will want to contact Opal support by calling 866-907-6718 or emailing myopalservice.com. Support Hours are Monday through Friday, 8am to 8pm EST.
Some final words
This concludes our review of the most common Opal Nugget Ice Maker Problems. If your issue was not covered here then you should contact Support or check out the resources at the GE Appliances website located at geappliances.com. Many more issues are covered there but if you are unable to find a fix then support should be able to get you up and running again.
Just be sure to call during the hours of 8am to 8pm EST and before you know it, your Opal Nugget Ice Maker should be running like again like it’s brand-new!
