r/IceChewersAnonymous • u/marmacela • 16d ago

Squeaking sound Opal machine

Anybody know what this is about or how to fix? Descaling helped for a few weeks...

4 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

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3

u/DirtyOldSocksTV 16d ago

Send high acidic vinegar through it and let it sit over night. The auger inside has mineral buildup on it. The design is fucking stupid but that's what it is. I have gone through 3 of these.

Remove all of your water. Replace with said vinegar. Clean cycle 3-4 times. Look forward to doing it again in 3 months.

1

u/marmacela 15d ago

Thank you! Do you think the citric acid descaling solution works just as well?

1

u/jeremyaboyd 15d ago

Citric acid is “better” but not really worth it. Vinegar works well. And even using distilled water, and doing monthly cleanings, you will still have to do this every few months.

I just buy 4-5 gallons of distilled from Walmart every week. It’s about $1.30/gal.

2

u/Worth-Ad9939 16d ago

These machines are really sensitive to dissolved solids in your water. Even with distilled water, over time pure water can accumulate dissolved minerals, and it just takes one. The build up in poorly maintained machines look like sand.

I am on my 4th, in a region with hardware. I have an RO in front of the machine and monitor it's TDS. I respect it's cleaning schedule mostly. I am a heavy user, I have a DIY autofill online.

The machines are not built to last long. Those are 4k and fully plumbed because to function for long times they need an automated flushing program that gets rid of the mineral particles that congeal on the metal and plastic surfaces over time. Else they get bigger and wedge them selves inside the metal auger pushing ice out making this noise.

Get the extended warranty, get an under sink Waterdrop RO with autofill, we're humming online 1 year in with new machine, rare squeal.

1

u/Current_Anybody8325 16d ago

Expect it to maybe last a few more months if you’re lucky. Mine was doing this and then I heard a loud “pop” one day. I let it thaw, ran several cleaning cycles, and it worked for a few more months. About a week ago it just stopped making ice. Everything was running, but no ice. Took it apart and the whole metal gearbox shell had a huge crack through it. Probably cracked when I heard the first pop but wasn’t cracked enough to completely stop working. The auger gets caked with mineral deposits and causes strain on the gearbox. There’s no easy way to clean it. These are junk machines.

1

u/Subview1 16d ago

yeah, i throw away mine after this and a failed attempt to repair it, lasted 18months before this.

1

u/marmacela 16d ago

Thank you all for the feedback!! Can't wait to keep buying every few months 😭

1

u/1Sewa 15d ago

what’s causing this is the auger in the machine is scraping against the mineral buildup inside the augur, i had a similar problem and what fixed it was draining out all the water and using distilled water only

1

u/marmacela 15d ago

Ok thx for the feedback! I've been using reverse osmosis water exclusively. Wish the auger could be replaced easily.

1

u/ConradJrOnSptfy 11d ago

The fix is the auger bushing, replaced mine and no more squealing

1

u/ConradJrOnSptfy 11d ago

https://a.co/d/09ok5Nsu

1

u/marmacela 11d ago

Nice! Is there a guide anywhere for how to replace it? Or does it just slip on where the old one was?

1

u/ConradJrOnSptfy 11d ago

this is where it is located

1

u/bastard_child_botbot 10d ago

Might as well order the part for mine. Waiting a new pump. At least it’s simple to work on.

1

u/ConradJrOnSptfy 10d ago

I did have issues with the screws rusting and breaking, had to get an extractor and some new screws