Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Warner Appliance Repair offers refrigerator repair service in CITY, including professional services to repair broken ice makers. Learn about common ice maker issues below:

Refrigerator ice makers are one of the best inventions ever. This is a small luxury many people might not appreciate. Ice makers are simple machines that don’t have a lot of parts that could cause problems.

Like with any appliance repair, there are basic things that need to be looked at before assuming the worst. And, it’s nice to know, if necessary, you can replace your ice maker without replacing an entire fridge, dependent on the model. First, let’s discuss some of the reasons for an ice maker failure.

If your ice maker is making ice but it is not ejecting the ice cubes it is usually means there’s a mechanical problem versus an electrical problem. This happens when shifting things around in the freezer unit, you accidentally push or pull the control switch up or down. Most of the time the ice maker can be jammed with something else, even another chunk of ice. So, check to see if there’s anything blocking this part from working properly.

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

Check the Control Arm

When the switch is down and there is ice but it is not dispensing it, this could be an electrical or mechanical issue. This will need a bit more troubleshooting. Ready to get started? First, we must inspect the electrical connection. This could be unplugged from the back of the freezer when moving or shifting the food in the freezer.

To inspect this, first unplug the fridge and move it out away from the wall. Then, turn off the water supply. Locate the connection on the rear 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 the right way.

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

Once done, restore power to the refrigerator and turn on the ice maker. It may take the solenoid component a couple of seconds to engage and fill the mold. After the mold is completely full, wait 4-5 hours or so to see if you have cleared the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

More ice maker failures that might cause your ice maker to not make any ice are frozen lines. The water lines have been clogged with frost. This is a pretty simple issue to fix.

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

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

When your ice maker is not making big enough cubes of ice, there is a problem with the ice maker settings. To adjust the the ice maker settings, take the top part of the cover off and find a standard dial that has plus and a minus signs. 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?