Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Carrollton Appliance Repair performs refrigerator repair in Carrollton, including services to repair ice makers that are not working. Learn about common ice maker issues below:

Refrigerator ice makers are one of the best inventions ever. This is a small luxury many people might not appreciate. Ice makers are simple machines that do not feature a lot of complicated parts that could have problems.

Like with any appliance repair, there are some basic things that should be reviewed before thinking the worst. And, it’s good to know, if needed, you are able to replace your ice maker without replacing an entire fridge, dependent on the brand and model. First, let’s review some of the reasons for an ice maker not working.

When the ice maker is making ice but it is not dispensing the ice it is usually means there’s a mechanical failure versus an electrical failure. This can happen when reorganizing food around in the freezer unit, you push or pull the control arm up or down. Often the ice maker will get blocked with something, even another piece of ice. First, check to see if there’s ice or food blocking this part from operating the right way.

Before beginning the process of clearing out the freezer, check that your ice maker is on. This is done by flipping the control arm down. From time to time, moving things around in the freezer may put the switch into the off position. If the the switch is free, then there might be something stuck inside of the ice maker or it is not receiving a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

If the control arm is down and there’s ice but it is not dispensing it, this might be a mechanical or electrical issue. This is going to need some more diagnosing. Ready to get started? First, we have to inspect the electrical connection. This can be unplugged from behind the freezer when moving or shifting the freezer contents.

To check this, unplug the freezer and pull from the wall. Then, turn off the freezer’s water supply. Locate the valve on the back of the inside of the freezer. Essentially this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer. Be sure that it’s plugged in the right way.

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

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

Check for Frozen Lines

More ice maker problems that can cause your ice maker to not produce any ice are frozen lines. The water lines have been clogged with frost. This is a pretty simple fix.

Unplug the fridge and find the water shut off valve. Turn the water off and then grab a hair dryer to warm the line or just let the refrigerator sit turned off for a few hours until the line is thawed.

There are some brands and models that have a water filter that can freeze or ice over. For these situations, locating the water filter is the first step. Then repeat what was done for the frozen line.

When your ice maker isn’t making large enough pieces of ice, there’s a problem with the settings. To adjust the settings, take the upper part of the cover of the ice maker off and find a basic knob that displays plus and a minus signs. To do this, you may need a flat head screwdriver.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

• Refrigerator Noisy
• Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working
• Refrigerator Not Cooling
• How Does a Refrigerator Work?