Forge Clear Ice Maker

Forge holds one gallon of water. Remove the lower ice shelf and fill to the front step, or pour through the lower ice shelf holes just until water reaches bottom of the shelf’s holes.

1. Carefully remove packing material. Do not use sharp tools that can damage the ice maker.
2. Ensure all components are present. If any item is missing, please contact Forge@FirstBuild.com.
3. Place the ice maker upright on a flat, level surface and plug it in.
4. Sanitize the ice maker before first use, following these steps.
5. Press and hold the “Activate Clean Cycle” button for 3 seconds to begin cleaning cycle.
6. Remove the lower ice shelf, and fill the ice maker with 8 cups (a half gallon) of water.
7. Add 2 tsp of household bleach to the reservoir full of water and stir to mix.
8. Dip a disposable cloth into the solution and wipe down the interior surfaces of the ice maker and shelves.
9. Replace ice shelves & press “Activate Clean Cycle” button to continue. 
10. The light bar on the bottom of the door will switch to green, signaling cleaning mode is active.
11. When the light bar begins to pulse green, action is required. Follow the on-screen prompts
12. Once cleaning is completed, drain the reservoir using the front drain tube. For faster draining, angle the drain tube as much as possible toward the floor.
13. Remove and discard any ice in the ice maker. Do not consume this ice.
14. Fill with 8 cups of fresh water. Press the “Activate Clean Cycle” button to continue to rinse cycle.
15. When the light begins to pulse green, action is required.
16. Follow the on-screen prompts.
17. Complete one more rinse cycle. Fill with 8 cups of fresh water. Press the “Activate Clean Cycle” button to continue to rinse cycle.
18. Once the rinse cycle has been completed, dip a disposable cloth into the clean water and wipe down the interior surfaces and shelves of the ice maker.
19. Drain the reservoir using the front drain tube and press the “Activate Clean Cycle” button to end the cycle.

Your Forge Clear Ice Maker is now ready for use.

When Forge’s door is closed, the ice maker communicates by displaying different light colors and patterns at the base of the door.

The Forge Clear Ice Maker communicates through both a light bar underneath the door and on-screen messaging. 

Once your Forge Clear Ice Maker has been sanitized, follow the steps below to begin making clear ice.

1. Plug the Ice Maker into a grounded outlet.
2. Fill reservoir with potable (safe to drink) water up to the front fill step. Water hardness must be less than 12 grains per gallon (205 ppm). Do not fill reservoir with any liquid except water. Using any liquid except potable water is misuse and will void your warranty. Check that the interior black flaps behind the lower ice shelf are closed; gently press down if flaps are open.
3. Press the “Ice Making On/Off” button to start making ice. The light display strip will display solid white light and the text display will show “Ice Making On”.
4. Forge produces a pair of ice gems at a time in about 5-7 hours. The time it takes to produce ice gems is dependent on the clearance around the unit, ambient temperature and starting water temperature. Your first ice gems may take longer than others to produce. Forge will continue to make ice until the bottom shelf is full (4 gems), or until it runs low of water.

To continue making ice, simply move the ice gems from the bottom ice shelf up to the top storage shelf or to a secondary freezer. For best results, ice gems stored on Forge’s top shelf should be used within a few days. Add more water, and ensure the black flaps behind the lower shelf are reset after each ice making cycle. Reset the flaps by gently pressing down.

Ensure that the Forge Clear Ice Maker has at least 3 inches of clearance on each side and one inch of clearance in the back.

• Product is designed to be installed indoors. Do not use your ice maker outdoors.
• Product must be installed upright on a flat, level surface that is able to support the total weight when full of water.
• Ensure a minimum of three inch (3”) clearance around each side and one inch (1”) clearance in the back of the ice maker for proper air circulation.
• Install the product in a well-ventilated area with an ambient temperature between 65°F to 85°F.
• Do not place the product near heat sources such as ovens or cooktops.
• Do not place the product in direct sunlight.
• Do not place directly under intense countertop lighting.
• Intended for household use only.
• Do not immerse in water.

Your new Ice Maker may make sounds that are not familiar. Most of these sounds are normal. Hard surfaces like the floor, walls, and countertops can amplify these sounds. The following describes the sounds that may be new to you and what may be creating them.

To change the size of your gems:

1. Press and hold “Ice Making On/Off” and “Activate Cleaning Cycle” buttons at the same time. The display screen will then display a scale of 1-7, with 1 being the smallest and 7 being the largest gem size. (The default ice gem is a size 4.)

2. Cycle through the size scale by selecting the “Activate Clean Cycle” button.

3. Once your desired gem size is determined, press and hold both buttons to select and exit. Note that increasing the size of the ice gems will also increase the time it takes Forge to make ice.

Changing the size of your ice gems is only possible when Forge is not in ice making mode.

To make and store ice gems in a freezer other than Forge:

• Wrap each ice gem in its own plastic zip-topped baggie before story in an external freezer.

• Before using, remove from freezer and place in a bowl or tray at room temperature for approximately 5 minutes. This will remove frost and prevent cracking once liquid or heat is applied to the ice.

Make sure Forge’s ice shelves are installed correctly. Install the shelves so that the larger holes are closest to the ice maker door.

Make sure the black flaps behind the lower ice shelf are closed; they may be frozen open. Reset the flaps by pressing them closed if they are open before making ice.

The white float switch in the front right corner of Forge’s water reservoir may have become frozen. Gently pull the top of the float switch up to resume normal ice making.

If you suspect the ice gems are in Forge’s ice-making section and should have already dropped, run a cleaning cycle to release the gems. Discard any ice if a cleaning solution is used.

Interior Cleaning

Keep your ice clear and tasting fresh by cleaning your Forge Clear Ice Maker every 12 cycles (every 24 ice gems created). The automated portion of the cleaning cycle takes approximately 20 minutes, with total active time from the user requiring approximately 10 minutes throughout.

To clean the internal components of your Forge Clear Ice Maker, follow the steps below. You will be assisted by on-screen prompts.

1.  Plug the ice maker in.
2. Use the front drain tube to empty all water from the ice maker. For faster draining, angle the tube as much as possible toward the floor.
3. Remove and discard any ice from the ice maker.
4. Press and hold the “Activate Clean Cycle” button for 3 seconds to begin cleaning cycle.
5. Fill the ice maker reservoir with 8 cups of clean water, and add an entire bottle of Forge Cleaning Solution into the reservoir.
6. Press the “Activate Clean Cycle” button to continue.
7. Dip a sponge into the reservoir filled with water and Forge Cleaning Solution mixture and scrub gently to remove calcium or other deposits from interior surfaces and shelves. Inspect the filter in the back of the reservoir for any particulates needing removal, and scrub gently.
8. Press “Activate Clean Cycle” button to continue. The light bar on the bottom of the door will switch to green, signaling cleaning mode is active.
9. When the light bar begins to pulse green, action is required. Follow the on- screen prompts.
10. Once cleaning is completed, drain the reservoir using the front drain tube. Remove and discard any ice in the ice maker. Do not consume this ice.
11. Fill with 8 cups of fresh water. Press the “Activate Clean Cycle” button to continue to rinse cycle.
12. When the light begins to pulse green, action is required. Follow the on- screen prompts.
13. Complete one more rinse cycle. Fill with 8 cups of fresh water. Press the “Activate Clean Cycle” button to continue to rinse cycle.
14. Once rinse cycle has been completed twice, drain the reservoir and press “Activate Clean Cycle” button to end the cycle.

Exterior Cleaning

To clean the exterior of the Forge Clear Ice Maker, use a soft cloth dampened with soapy water to gently clean the exterior surfaces. Dry with a soft cloth.

Do not use appliance wax, polish, solvents, or chemicals.

A small filter is located in the lower back of the Forge Clear Ice Maker reservoir.

Do not remove the filter.

This is not a filter that requires occasional replacement; it is there to prevent large particles from getting into Forge’s ice making components.

When cleaning Forge, lightly scrub the filter to remove any particles. If the filter becomes dislodged, snap it back into place with the mesh portion facing outward toward the door.

To ensure the highest quality ice, the Forge Clear Ice Maker should be drained completely after the creation of approximately 24 ice gems. It is also recommended to drain Forge’s reservoir when not in use.

1.  To drain the Forge Clear Ice Maker, use the front drain tube, which can be found behind the small door at the front of the ice maker. 

2.  After opening the door, pull out the rubber tube and unplug the stopper at the end. Take care to keep control of the tube so water does not spill.

3.  Direct the tube to either a sink or emptying container, and allow water to drain. For faster draining, angle drain tube as much as possible toward the floor.

4.  Once reservoir is empty, reinstall the drain tube at the front of the ice maker to its original position. Ensure stopper is fully installed inside tube to prevent leaking.

5.  Refill the ice maker reservoir with clean water up to the maximum fill line.

IceMaker_UserGuide_9.18.20