Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Onward Appliance Repair provides refrigerator repair service in Colorado, including services to repair broken ice makers. Learn about some common ice maker problems below:

Refrigerator ice makers are possibly one of the best inventions of all time. This is a little luxury many people not appreciate. Refrigerator ice makers are simple machines that don’t feature a lot of parts that will have problems.

As with any repair, there are some basic things that should be looked at before assuming the worst. And, remember, if necessary, you can replace an ice maker without replacing an entire fridge, depending on the brand and model. First, let’s take a look at some of the causes for an ice maker failure.

If your ice maker is making ice but it isn’t dispensing it it is usually a mechanical issue vs. an electrical issue. This occurs when reorganizing things around in the freezer unit, you jam the control arm up or down. Often the ice maker might be jammed with something, even another piece of ice. So, check to see if there’s anything blocking this part from operating correctly.

Before beginning the process of clearing out the freezer, ensure the ice maker is on. This can be done by moving the metal control arm in the down position. From time to time, moving food around in the freezer can put the switch in the off position. If the the switch is free, then there could be food or ice jammed inside the ice maker or it is not receiving a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

If the switch is down and there’s ice but it is not ejecting it, there could be an electrical or mechanical failure. This will require some more troubleshooting. Ready to begin? First, we must inspect the electrical connection. This could be unplugged from the rear of the freezer or refrigerator when shifting or moving the freezer contents.

To check this, first unplug the fridge and slide it out from the 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 actually plugged in correctly.

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

Once this is done, turn on the power to the fridge and turn on the ice maker. It might take the solenoid component a few seconds to engage and fill the mold. After the mold is completely full, wait 4-5 hours to see if you have cleared the problem.

Check for Frozen Lines

Other ice maker problems that will cause your ice maker to not make any ice are frozen water lines. The water lines might be clogged with frost. This is a pretty simple fix.

First, unplug the refrigerator and find the water shut off valve. Turn the water off and get a hair dryer to warm the line or let the freezer sit shut off for a couple of hours and wait until the line is thawed.

There are some brands and models that feature a water filter that can clog or ice over. In these situations, finding the water 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 cubes of ice, there’s an issue with the settings. To adjust the the ice maker settings, take the top part of the cover off and locate a simple dial that displays plus and a minus signs. To do this, 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?