Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Buckner Appliance Repair performs refrigerator repair service in CITY, including professional services to fix broken ice makers. Learn about some common ice maker failures below:

Ice makers are possibly one of the most convenient inventions ever. An ice maker is a small luxury most people certainly take for granted. Ice makers are simple machines that do not have a lot of complex parts that will go wrong with them.

As with any repair, there are some basic things that need to be looked at before thinking the worst. And, it’s nice to know, if necessary, you can replace your ice maker without replacing the entire fridge, depending on the model. First, let’s review some of the causes for an ice maker breaking.

When your ice maker is making ice but it isn’t ejecting the ice it is usually a mechanical failure opposed to an electrical issue. This can occur when reorganizing things around in the freezer unit, you accidentally jam the control lever up or down. A lot of the time the ice maker will get jammed with something else, including a chunk of ice. First, look to see if there’s something blocking this part from operating the right way.

Before beginning the process of clearing out the freezer, check that the ice maker is on. This is done by flipping the control arm in the down position. Sometimes, moving things around in the freezer unit might put the control in the off position. If the control arm is free, then there could be something stuck inside the ice maker or it is not getting a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

When the switch is down and there’s ice but it’s not dispensing it, there could be a mechanical or electrical issue. This is going to require a bit more troubleshooting. Ready to get started? First, we must inspect the electrical connection. This could become unplugged from the back of the freezer or refrigerator when moving or shifting the freezer contents.

To check this, first unplug the refrigerator and slide away from the wall. Then, turn off the water supply valve. Locate the connection on the rear of the inside of the freezer. Essentially this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer unit. Ensure that it is plugged in correctly.

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

Once done, restore power to the refrigerator and then turn on the ice maker. It might take the solenoid a couple of seconds to react and fill the mold. After the mold is completely full, wait around 4-5 hours to see if you have solved the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

Other ice maker problems that might cause your ice maker to not produce ice are frozen water lines. The water lines have been blocked 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 water line or just let the freezer sit without being on for a couple of hours until the water line is thawed.

Some brands and models that feature a water filter that can clog or ice over. For these situations, locating the water filter is the first step. Then repeat the same process that was done for the iced line.

If your ice maker is not making large enough cubes of ice, there is a problem with the ice maker settings. To adjust the the ice maker settings, take the top part of the cover off and find a basic control that displays plus and a minus signs. For this process, 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?