Viking Undercounter Ice Machine Code 3 Flashes: evaporator sensor open or shorted

What 3 Flashes means

Three flashes of the diagnostic LED on Viking Professional and Designer 15-inch undercounter ice machines, the VUIM, DUIM and DFIM 150 series such as the VUIM1531D and DFIM150D, report that the evaporator sensor is open or shorted. The control uses that sensor to judge freezing and harvest, so a bad reading can leave you with little ice, thin ice, or no ice cycle at all.

Common causes of 3 Flashes

Evaporator sensor open
Evaporator sensor shorted
Loose sensor connector

✓ One safe check you can try

1. Remove the ice, wipe the bin and check that the drain and water supply are fine. 2. Switch the ice machine off at its breaker for a few minutes, then restore power so it restarts. 3. Watch the LED when it starts up. 4. If three flashes return, call us. The evaporator is a sealed cold area, so leave it alone.

! Why to stop there

The evaporator sensor is in the freezing section
An open and a shorted sensor need to be told apart with a meter
Written price first, and a 30-day warranty after the repair

Opening a panel yourself does not automatically cancel a manufacturer warranty, but it can cause accidental damage, and some manufacturers set their own service conditions. Check your warranty terms, or ask us, before deciding.

→Same appliance

Other Ice Machine codes

Check Water light (flashing blue)Viking Ice Machine Check Water Light Flashing Blue: No Water Supply CL (alternating with ICE)Viking Clear-Ice Machine Display CL and ICE: Time for a Cleaning Diagnostic LED: 2+3 blinksViking Beverage Center Ice Maker LED 2 Blinks, Pause, 3 Blinks: Both Thermistors Out of Range Diagnostic LED: 2 blinksViking Beverage Center Ice Maker LED 2 Blinks: Defrost Thermistor Reading Is Off Diagnostic LED: 3 blinksViking Beverage Center Ice Maker LED 3 Blinks: The Evaporator Thermistor Reads Wrongly Diagnostic LED: 4 blinksViking Beverage Center Ice Maker LED 4 Blinks: Potentiometer Signal Is Out of Range Door icon (Door Alert Notification)Viking Clear-Ice Machine Door Icon: Door Open Over 30 Minutes dSp IcEViking Built-In Freezer Display dSp IcE: Ice Maker Needs Reset

3 Flashes3 Flashes questions

What does the evaporator sensor do?

It senses the temperature of the evaporator plate, so the control knows when ice has formed and when to start the harvest. Without it, the timing is lost.

Why is ice thin or missing?

If the control cannot read the evaporator, it cannot time freezing and harvest properly, so the machine may stop or produce poor ice, or none at all.

Can I defrost it to fix this?

Defrosting does not repair a sensor reading. If the LED keeps blinking three times after a restart, the sensor or its connection needs to be tested by a technician.