Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Spencer Appliance Repair performs refrigerator repair service in CITY, including professional services to fix ice makers that are not working. Learn about common ice maker problems below:

Ice makers are perhaps one of the most convenient inventions of all time. This is a little luxury a lot of people not appreciate. Ice makers are relatively simple machines that don’t feature a lot of complicated components that can have issues.

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

When the ice maker is making ice but it is not dispensing the ice cubes it is usually a mechanical issue vs. an electrical issue. This can occur when reorganizing things around in the freezer unit, you might accidentally push or pull the control lever up or down. Often the ice maker can be jammed with something else, including a chunk of ice. First, check to see if there’s ice or food blocking this from operating the right way.

Before starting the steps of clearing out the freezer, check that the ice maker is on. This can be done by flipping the control arm down. From time to time, moving food around in the freezer unit may put the control in the off position. If the the switch is clear, then there could be ice jammed 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’s not dispensing it, there could be a mechanical or electrical problem. This will need a bit more troubleshooting. Ready to proceed? First, we have to check the electrical connection. This can become 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 from the wall. Turn off the freezer’s water supply valve. Locate the connection on the rear of the inside of the freezer unit. Basically this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer. Ensure that it is plugged in the right way.

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

Once complete, restore power to the fridge and then turn on the ice maker. It could take the solenoid component a couple of 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 problem.

Check for Frozen Lines

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

First, unplug the freezer and locate the water shut off valve. Turn the water off and then grab a hair dryer to warm the line or let the freezer sit without being on for a few hours and wait until the water line is thawed.

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

If an ice maker isn’t making big enough pieces of ice, there’s an issue with the settings. To adjust the settings, take the upper part of the cover off and find a simple control that has plus and a minus signs. To do this, 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?