Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

 

Morris 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 perhaps one of the greatest inventions ever. This is a small luxury most people take for granted. Refrigerator ice makers are simple machines that do not have a lot of complicated components that can have issues.

As with any repair, there are basic things that should be reviewed before thinking the worst. And, remember, if needed, you are able to replace the ice maker without replacing an entire fridge, depending on the brand and model. First, let’s review a couple of the reasons for an ice maker not working.

When an ice maker is making ice but it is not ejecting the ice cubes it is usually means there’s a mechanical issue vs. an electrical failure. This can happen when shifting food around in the freezer unit, you might accidentally push or pull the control arm up or down. Most of the time the ice maker can be jammed with something else, including a piece of ice. So, look to see if there is ice or food blocking this part from working correctly.

Before starting the steps of clearing out the freezer, ensure your ice maker is on. This can be done by moving the control arm down. Sometimes, moving things around in the freezer can put the control in the off position. If the control arm is free, then there could be 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’s ice but it is not dispensing it, there could be an electrical or mechanical failure. This will require a bit more troubleshooting. Ready to begin? First, we must inspect the electrical connection. This could become unplugged from the back of the freezer when moving or shifting the freezer contents.

To check this, first unplug the freezer and move it out from the kitchen wall. Then, turn off the freezer’s water supply valve. Locate the valve on the back of the inside of the freezer. Essentially this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer unit. Be sure that it’s plugged in the right way.

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

Once complete, 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. After the mold is completely full, wait 4-5 hours to see if you have cleared the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

Other ice maker failures that could cause your ice maker to not produce ice are frozen lines. The water lines might be blocked with frost. This is a pretty simple fix.

First, unplug the freezer and find the shut off valve. Turn the water off and grab a hair dryer to warm the water line or just let the freezer 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 clog or ice up. For these cases, finding the filter is the first step. Then repeat the same process that was done for the frozen line.

If your ice maker is not making large enough pieces of ice, there is an issue with the settings. To adjust the settings, take the upper part of the cover off and locate a standard knob that displays 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?