Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Ware Appliance Repair performs refrigerator repair service, including professional services to fix ice makers that aren’t working. Learn about common ice maker issues below:

Ice makers are possibly one of the best inventions of all time. An ice maker is a small luxury many people not appreciate. Ice makers are simple machines that don’t feature a lot of complicated components that could cause problems.

As with any appliance repair, there are basic things that should be reviewed before thinking the worst. And, it’s good to know, if needed, you are able to replace the ice maker without replacing an entire refrigerator, depending on the model. First, let’s discuss some of the causes for an ice maker breaking.

When an ice maker is making ice but it is not dispensing the ice cubes it is usually a mechanical issue vs. an electrical failure. This occurs when moving food around in the freezer unit, you could accidentally shift the control lever up or down. Often the ice maker might be blocked with something, including a chunk of ice. So, check to see if there’s anything blocking this part from working the right way.

Before beginning the process of clearing out the freezer, check that the ice maker is turned on. This can be done by pulling the control arm in the down position. From time to time, moving food around in the freezer may put the control into the off position. If the the switch is clear, then there might be ice jammed inside of the ice maker or it is not receiving a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

If the control is down and there is ice but it is not ejecting it, this could be an electrical or mechanical failure. This is going to need some more troubleshooting. Ready to get started? First, we must inspect the electrical connection. This can be unplugged from behind the freezer when shifting or moving the food in the freezer.

To check this, first unplug the refrigerator and slide from the wall. Then, turn off the freezer’s water supply. Locate the valve on the back of the inside of the freezer unit. Basically this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer. Be sure that it’s plugged in properly.

After that, remove all of the ice that is in the ice maker itself. This can be completed by pouring in a little water to help get ice that is inside of there out.

Once this is done, turn on the power to the refrigerator and turn on the ice maker. It might take the solenoid a few seconds to react and fill the mold. Once the mold is 100% full, wait around 4-5 hours or so to see if you have solved the problem.

Check for Frozen Lines

More ice maker problems that could cause your ice maker to not make any ice are frozen water lines. The water lines might be clogged with frost. This is an easy issue to fix.

Unplug the fridge and find the water shut off valve. Turn the water off and then get a hair dryer to warm the water line or just let the refrigerator sit turned off for a few hours and wait until the water line is thawed.

There are some models that feature a water filter that can clog or ice up. In these situations, finding the water filter is the first step. Then repeat the same process that was done for the frozen water line.

When an ice maker isn’t making large enough pieces of ice, there is an issue with the settings. To adjust the settings, take the upper part of the cover of the ice maker off and find a simple dial that has plus and a minus symbols. For this process, you could need a flat head screwdriver.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

• Refrigerator Noisy
• Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working
• Refrigerator Not Cooling
• How Does a Refrigerator Work?