Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Solis Appliance Repair performs refrigerator repair in Orlando, including services to repair broken ice makers. Learn about some common ice maker issues below:

Ice makers are possibly one of the greatest inventions of all time. This is a little luxury most people take for granted. Refrigerator ice makers are simple machines that do not have a lot of parts that will go wrong with them.

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

When the ice maker is making ice but it is not dispensing it it is usually means there’s a mechanical issue versus an electrical problem. This occurs when reorganizing things around in the freezer unit, you could push or pull the control switch up or down. Often the ice maker might get blocked with something, even another piece of ice. First, check to see if there is anything blocking this part from operating correctly.

Before beginning the process of clearing out the freezer, ensure your ice maker is turned on. This can be done by moving the control arm down. Sometimes, moving food around in the freezer might put the control in the off position. If the the switch is clear, then there might be ice stuck inside of the ice maker or it’s not receiving a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

When the control arm is down and there is ice but it is not dispensing it, there might be a mechanical or electrical failure. This will need some more troubleshooting. Ready to get started? First, we need to check the electrical connection. This can be unplugged from the back of the freezer when shifting or moving the freezer contents.

To check this, unplug the fridge and pull away from the wall. Then, turn off the freezer’s 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. Be sure that it’s actually plugged in the right way.

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

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

Check for Frozen Lines

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

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

Some models that feature a water filter that can freeze or ice over. In these situations, finding the filter is the first step. Then repeat the same process that was done for the frozen water line.

If an ice maker is not making large enough cubes of ice, there’s a problem with the settings. To adjust the the ice maker settings, take the top part of the cover off and find a standard knob that displays plus and a minus symbols. 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?