Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Halo Appliance Repair provides refrigerator repair service in CITY, including services to repair broken ice makers. Learn about some common ice maker failures below:

Ice makers are one of the most convenient inventions of all time. An ice maker is a little luxury most people certainly not appreciate. Ice makers are relatively simple machines that do not have a lot of complex components that could have problems.

As with any appliance repair, there are basic things that should be looked at before assuming the worst. And, remember, if necessary, you are able to replace the ice maker without replacing the entire fridge, depending on the model. First, let’s discuss a couple of the reasons for an ice maker not working.

If an ice maker is making ice but it is not ejecting it it is usually a mechanical failure opposed to an electrical issue. This happens when moving food around in the freezer unit, you accidentally jam the control lever up or down. Most of the time the ice maker will be jammed with something else, possibly a piece of ice. So, look to see if there is something blocking this part from working properly.

Before starting the steps of clearing out the freezer, check that your ice maker is turned on. This can be done by pulling the metal control arm in the down position. Sometimes, moving food around in the freezer unit can put the switch into the off position. If the control arm is free, then there could be something jammed inside of the ice maker or it is not getting a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

When the control arm is down and there’s ice but it’s not ejecting it, there might be a mechanical or electrical failure. This is going to need a bit more diagnosing. Ready to proceed? First, we must check the electrical connection. This can be unplugged from behind the freezer or refrigerator when moving or shifting the food in the freezer.

To check this, unplug the freezer and slide away from the wall. Then, turn off the water supply valve. Locate the valve on the rear of the inside of the freezer. 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 is in the ice maker itself. This can be done by pouring in a bit of water to help get any ice that is in there out.

Once complete, restore power to the fridge and turn on the ice maker. It might take the solenoid component a few seconds to engage and fill the mold. When the mold is completely full, wait around 4-5 hours or so to see if you have solved the problem.

Check for Frozen Lines

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

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

Some models that have a water filter that can freeze or ice up. For these situations, finding the water filter is the first step. Then repeat what was done for the frozen water line.

If your ice maker isn’t making large enough cubes of ice, there’s a problem with the ice maker settings. To adjust the settings, take the top part of the cover off and find a simple dial that displays plus and a minus signs. For this process, 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?