Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

One Call Appliance Repair provides refrigerator repair in Cary, including services to fix broken ice makers. Learn about some common ice maker failures below:

Ice makers are possibly one of the best inventions ever. An ice maker is a small luxury a lot of people take for granted. Refrigerator ice makers are simple machines that do not have a lot of complex parts that can have problems.

Like with any appliance repair, there are some basic things that need to be reviewed before thinking the worst. And, remember, if necessary, you are able to replace the ice maker without replacing the entire fridge, dependent on the brand and model. First, let’s review some of the causes for an ice maker breaking.

When an ice maker is making ice but it is not ejecting it it is usually means there’s a mechanical problem opposed to an electrical issue. This can occur when moving things around in the freezer, you could accidentally push or pull the control switch up or down. Most of the time the ice maker can get blocked with something else, including a chunk of ice. First, check to see if there’s something blocking this from operating the right way.

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

Check the Control Arm

When the switch is down and there’s ice but it is not dispensing it, this might be an electrical or mechanical failure. This will require some more diagnosing. Ready to begin? First, we need to inspect the electrical connection. This could be unplugged from behind the freezer when shifting or moving the food in the freezer.

To inspect this, unplug the refrigerator and move away from the kitchen wall. Then, turn off the water supply valve. Locate the connection on the back of the inside of the freezer. Essentially this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer unit. Ensure that it is actually plugged in correctly.

Next, remove any ice that is inside of the ice maker. This can be accomplished by adding a little water to help to get the ice that’s inside of there out.

Once this is done, restore power to the refrigerator and then turn on the ice maker. It could take the solenoid component a few seconds to engage and fill the mold. After the mold is 100% full, wait around 4-5 hours or so to see if you’ve cleared the problem.

Check for Frozen Lines

More ice maker failures that could cause your ice maker to not make ice are frozen lines. The water lines could be clogged with frost. This is a pretty simple problem to fix.

Unplug the fridge and find the shut off valve. Shut the water off and then grab a hair dryer to heat up the line or just let the refrigerator sit shut off for a couple of hours and wait until the water line is thawed.

There are some brands and models that feature a water filter that can freeze or ice up. For these situations, locating the water filter is the first step. Then repeat what was done for the frozen line.

If your ice maker isn’t making big enough cubes of ice, there’s an issue with the ice maker settings. To adjust the settings, take the top part of the cover off and locate a simple dial that has plus and a minus symbols. For this process, 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?