Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Goff Appliance Repair provides refrigerator repair service, including professional services to fix broken ice makers. Learn about some common ice maker problems below:

Refrigerator ice makers are perhaps one of the most convenient inventions of all time. This is a small luxury a lot of people take for granted. Refrigerator ice makers are simple machines that don’t feature a lot of components that will go wrong with them.

Like with any repair, there are a few basic things that should be reviewed before assuming the worst. And, remember, if needed, you can replace your ice maker without replacing the entire fridge, dependent on the model. First, let’s discuss a couple of the causes for an ice maker failure.

If an ice maker is making ice but it isn’t dispensing it it is usually a mechanical failure versus an electrical problem. This happens when moving food around in the freezer, you might jam the control switch up or down. Most of the time the ice maker might get jammed with something else, possibly a piece of ice. So, look to see if there is something blocking this part from operating properly.

Before beginning the steps of clearing out the freezer, ensure the ice maker is on. This is done by pulling the metal control arm in the down position. Sometimes, moving things around in the freezer may put the switch in the off position. If the the switch is free, then there might be something stuck inside the ice maker or it is not getting a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

If the control is down and there’s ice but it’s not ejecting it, this might be a mechanical or electrical issue. This is going to require some more diagnosing. Ready to begin? First, we have to inspect the electrical connection. This could be unplugged from the rear of the freezer or refrigerator when shifting or moving the food in the freezer.

To check this, unplug the refrigerator and slide away from the kitchen wall. Turn off the water supply valve. Locate the valve on the rear of the inside of the freezer unit. Basically this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer unit. Ensure that it’s plugged in correctly.

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

Once complete, turn on the power to the fridge and then turn on the ice maker. It could take the solenoid component a few seconds to engage and fill the mold. When the mold is 100% full, wait 4-5 hours or so to see if you have solved the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

More ice maker failures that can cause your ice maker to not produce ice are frozen water lines. The water lines might be blocked with frost. This is an easy issue to fix.

First, unplug the fridge and locate the shut off valve. Turn the water off and then grab a hair dryer to warm the water line or let the freezer sit shut off for a few hours and wait until the water line is thawed.

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

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