Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Cole Appliance Repair is experienced in refrigerator repair service in CITY, including services to fix broken ice makers. Learn about common ice maker issues below:

Ice makers are one of the most convenient inventions ever. This is a little luxury many people certainly not appreciate. Refrigerator ice makers are relatively simple machines that do not feature a lot of complicated parts that can go wrong with them.

Like with any appliance repair, there are basic things that should be reviewed before thinking the worst. And, remember, 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 some of the causes for an ice maker failure.

When your ice maker is making ice but it isn’t dispensing it it is usually means there is a mechanical problem opposed to an electrical failure. This can occur when moving food around in the freezer, you could accidentally push or pull the control switch up or down. A lot of the time the ice maker will get blocked with something, including a piece of ice. So, look to see if there is ice or food blocking this part from working correctly.

Before beginning the steps of clearing out the freezer, check that the ice maker is turned on. This can be done by flipping the control arm down. Sometimes, moving things around in the freezer unit may put the switch in the off position. If the control arm is free, then there may be ice stuck inside the ice maker or it’s not receiving a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

If the switch is down and there is ice but it’s not ejecting it, there could be an electrical or mechanical problem. This will need some more diagnosing. Ready to proceed? First, we need to inspect the electrical connection. This could become unplugged from the rear of the freezer when shifting or moving the food in the freezer.

To check this, unplug the fridge and slide from the wall. Turn off the freezer’s water supply valve. Locate the valve on the back of the inside of the freezer. Essentially this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer unit. Ensure that it is actually plugged in properly.

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

Once done, turn on the power to the refrigerator and turn on the ice maker. It might take the solenoid component a few seconds to engage and fill the mold. Once the mold is full, wait around 4-5 hours to see if you have solved the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

More ice maker issues that may cause your ice maker to not produce any ice are frozen water lines. The water lines have been clogged with frost. This is an easy problem to fix.

Unplug the fridge and find the shut off valve. Turn the water off and grab a hair dryer to heat up the water line or let the fridge sit without being on for a few hours and wait until the line is thawed.

Some brands and models that have a water filter that can freeze or ice up. For these cases, finding the filter is the first step. Then repeat the same process that was done for the frozen water line.

If your ice maker is not making large enough pieces of ice, there’s an issue with the settings. To adjust the settings, take the top part of the cover off and find a standard knob that has plus and a minus signs. For this process, you may need a flat head screwdriver.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

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