Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Sterling Appliance Repair provides refrigerator repair service, including services to fix ice makers that are not working. Learn about common ice maker issues below:

Ice makers are perhaps one of the most convenient inventions ever. This is a little luxury a lot of people not appreciate. Ice makers are relatively simple machines that don’t have a lot of complex parts that might go wrong with them.

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

If an ice maker is making ice but it isn’t ejecting the ice it is usually means there’s a mechanical issue vs. an electrical issue. This can happen when reorganizing things around in the freezer unit, you could jam the control lever up or down. Most of the time the ice maker can get jammed with something, including a piece of ice. So, look to see if there’s ice or food blocking this from operating correctly.

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

Check the Control Arm

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

To inspect this, first unplug the refrigerator and pull it out from the kitchen wall. Turn off the freezer’s water supply valve. Locate the valve on the back of the inside of the freezer. Basically this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer. Be sure that it’s plugged in properly.

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

Once done, restore power to the fridge and turn on the ice maker. It might take the solenoid a few seconds to react and fill the mold. When the mold is full, wait 4-5 hours to see if you’ve solved the problem.

Check for Frozen Lines

More ice maker failures that might cause your ice maker to not make ice are frozen lines. The water lines could be clogged with frost. This is an easy fix.

First, unplug the freezer and locate the shut off valve. Shut the water off and then get a hair dryer to heat up the water line or just let the freezer sit without being on for a couple of hours and wait until the line is thawed.

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

If an ice maker is not making large enough pieces of ice, there is a problem with the settings. To adjust the settings, take the upper part of the cover of the ice maker off and locate a basic knob that displays plus and a minus symbols. For this process, 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?