Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Long Appliance Repair provides refrigerator repair service in CITY, including services to fix ice makers that aren’t working. Learn about some common ice maker problems below:

Ice makers are one of the most convenient inventions ever. This is a small luxury a lot of people certainly not appreciate. Refrigerator ice makers are relatively simple machines that do not have a lot of complicated components that can cause issues.

As with any appliance repair, there are a few basic things that should be looked at before thinking the worst. And, it’s nice to know, if necessary, you are able to replace the ice maker without replacing an entire refrigerator, dependent on the brand and model. First, let’s review a couple of the causes for an ice maker failure.

When an ice maker is making ice but it isn’t dispensing the ice cubes it is usually means there is a mechanical failure opposed to an electrical problem. This can occur when shifting things around in the freezer, you might shift the control lever up or down. Often the ice maker will be blocked with something else, including a chunk of ice. First, check to see if there is anything blocking this from operating correctly.

Before beginning the steps of clearing out the freezer, be sure your ice maker is turned on. This can be done by moving the control arm down. From time to time, moving food around in the freezer unit may put the switch in the off position. If the the switch is free, then there may be food or ice stuck inside of the ice maker or it is not receiving a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

When the switch is down and there is ice but it is not dispensing it, there could be a mechanical or electrical problem. This is going to need a bit more troubleshooting. Ready to begin? First, we must inspect the electrical connection. This could become unplugged from behind the freezer or refrigerator when moving or shifting the food in the freezer.

To inspect this, unplug the refrigerator and move away from the kitchen wall. Turn off the water supply valve. Locate the connection on the rear of the inside of the freezer. Basically this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer unit. Be sure that it’s actually plugged in the right way.

Next, remove any ice that’s in the ice maker itself. This can be done by pouring in a small amount of water to help get the ice that is in there out.

Once complete, restore power to the fridge and then turn on the ice maker. It may take the solenoid a few seconds to engage and fill the mold. Once the mold is 100% full, wait 4-5 hours to see if you have solved the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

Other ice maker failures that might cause your ice maker to not make ice are frozen water lines. The water lines could be blocked with frost. This is an easy issue to fix.

First, unplug the refrigerator and locate the water shut off valve. Shut the water off and then get a hair dryer to heat up the line or let the refrigerator sit without being on for a few hours until the water line is thawed.

Some models that have a water filter that can freeze or ice up. In these cases, locating the water filter is the first step. Then repeat what was done for the frozen line.

When your ice maker is not making large enough pieces of ice, there is an issue with the ice maker settings. To adjust the settings, take the upper part of the cover off and find a simple control that displays plus and a minus symbols. To do this, you might need a flat head screwdriver.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

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