Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Old Town Orange Appliance Repair provides refrigerator repair in Orange, including services to repair broken ice makers. Learn about some common ice maker failures below:

Ice makers are perhaps one of the best inventions ever. This is a little luxury many people take for granted. Refrigerator ice makers are relatively simple machines that don’t feature a lot of parts that might cause issues.

As with any repair, there are basic things that should be looked at before assuming the worst. And, it’s nice to know, if needed, you are able to replace an ice maker without replacing the entire fridge, depending on the model. First, let’s review some of the reasons for an ice maker failure.

When the ice maker is making ice but it isn’t dispensing the ice cubes it is usually a mechanical issue vs. an electrical issue. This happens when reorganizing things around in the freezer unit, you could jam the control switch up or down. Most of the time the ice maker can be blocked with something, even another piece of ice. First, look to see if there’s something blocking this part from operating properly.

Before starting the process of clearing out the freezer, be sure your ice maker is turned on. This can be done by flipping the metal control arm in the down position. Sometimes, moving things around in the freezer can put the control in the off position. If the control arm is free, then there might be ice stuck inside of the ice maker or it is not receiving a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

When the control arm is down and there’s ice but it is not ejecting it, this could be a mechanical or electrical issue. This will require some more diagnosing. Ready to proceed? First, we must check the electrical connection. This could become unplugged from behind the freezer or refrigerator when shifting or moving the freezer contents.

To inspect this, first unplug the fridge and move from the wall. Turn off the freezer’s water supply valve. Locate the valve on the back of the inside of the freezer. Basically this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer unit. Be sure that it’s actually plugged in properly.

Then, remove any ice that is in the ice maker itself. This can be completed by adding a bit of water to help get any ice that is in there out.

Once done, turn on the power to the fridge and then turn on the ice maker. It may take the solenoid a few seconds to engage and fill the mold. After the mold is full, wait 4-5 hours or so to see if you’ve solved the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

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

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

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

When an ice maker is not making big enough pieces of ice, there is a problem with the settings. To adjust the the ice maker settings, take the upper part of the cover off and locate a basic knob that displays plus and a minus symbols. For this process, 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?