Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Price Appliance Repair performs refrigerator repair service in Alabama, including services to fix broken ice makers. Learn about common ice maker problems below:

Ice makers are possibly one of the most convenient inventions ever. This is a little luxury most people certainly not appreciate. Ice makers are relatively simple machines that do not have a lot of complicated parts that can cause problems.

As with any repair, there are a few basic things that should be looked at before assuming the worst. And, it’s good to know, if necessary, you are able to replace an ice maker without replacing the entire refrigerator, dependent on the brand and model. First, let’s discuss a few of the causes for an ice maker not working.

If the ice maker is making ice but it isn’t ejecting the ice it is usually a mechanical failure opposed to an electrical problem. This happens when reorganizing food around in the freezer unit, you could push or pull the control lever up or down. Often the ice maker can be jammed with something else, possibly a piece of ice. First, check to see if there’s anything blocking this part from operating correctly.

Before beginning the steps of clearing out the freezer, ensure your ice maker is on. This is done by flipping the control arm in the down position. Sometimes, moving food around in the freezer unit can put the switch into the off position. If the control arm is clear, then there could be food jammed inside the ice maker or it’s not getting a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

If the switch is down and there’s ice but it is not ejecting it, there might be an electrical or mechanical issue. This is going to require a bit more diagnosing. Ready to proceed? First, we must inspect the electrical connection. This can be unplugged from the back of the freezer when moving or shifting the freezer contents.

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

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

Once this is done, restore power to the refrigerator and then turn on the ice maker. It might take the solenoid component a couple of seconds to react and fill the mold. Once the mold is 100% full, wait around 4-5 hours to see if you’ve solved the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

Other ice maker problems that will cause your ice maker to not produce ice are frozen water lines. The water lines might be clogged with frost. This is an easy fix.

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

Some brands and models that feature a water filter that can freeze or ice over. For these cases, locating the filter is the first step. Then repeat what was done for the iced line.

If an ice maker isn’t making large enough pieces of ice, there is a problem with the settings. To adjust the the ice maker settings, take the top part of the cover off and locate a standard dial that displays 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?