Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

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

Ice makers are one of the most convenient inventions ever. An ice maker is a little luxury many people take for granted. Ice makers are simple machines that don’t feature a lot of complex parts that will cause issues.

Like with any appliance repair, there are some basic things that should be looked at before assuming the worst. And, it’s good to know, if necessary, you are able to replace your ice maker without replacing the entire refrigerator, dependent on the model. First, let’s review a few of the reasons for an ice maker not working.

If an ice maker is making ice but it is not dispensing it it is usually means there’s a mechanical failure versus an electrical problem. This occurs when reorganizing things around in the freezer, you might jam the control arm up or down. A lot of the time the ice maker can be blocked with something else, including a piece of ice. First, look to see if there’s something blocking this from operating correctly.

Before starting the steps of clearing out the freezer, ensure your ice maker is on. This can be done by moving the metal control arm down. From time to time, moving things around in the freezer can put the switch into the off position. If the the switch is free, then there could be ice stuck inside of the ice maker or it is not receiving a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

When the control arm is down and there is ice but it is not dispensing it, there could be an electrical or mechanical issue. This will need a bit more troubleshooting. Ready to begin? First, we have to check the electrical connection. This could become unplugged from the rear of the freezer when moving or shifting the freezer contents.

To check this, first unplug the fridge and move from the wall. Then, turn off the water supply. Locate the valve on the rear of the inside of the freezer. Essentially this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer. Be sure that it’s actually plugged in correctly.

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

Once this is done, restore power to the refrigerator and turn on the ice maker. It could take the solenoid component a couple of seconds to engage and fill the mold. Once the mold is 100% full, wait 4-5 hours to see if you’ve cleared the issue.

Check for Frozen Lines

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

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

There are some models that feature a water filter that can clog or ice over. In these situations, finding the filter is the first step. Then repeat the same process that was done for the frozen water line.

If your ice maker isn’t making big enough pieces of ice, there’s an issue with the settings. To adjust the the ice maker settings, take the top part of the cover of the ice maker off and find a simple knob that displays 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?