Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Cain Appliance Repair offers refrigerator repair service in CITY, including services to fix broken ice makers. Learn about common ice maker problems below:

Ice makers are one of the best inventions ever. This is a small luxury many people might take for granted. Ice makers are relatively simple machines that do not feature a lot of complicated components that can go wrong with them.

As with any repair, there are some basic things that need to be reviewed before assuming the worst. And, it’s nice to know, if necessary, you are able to replace the ice maker without replacing an entire refrigerator, depending on the brand and 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 ejecting the ice it is usually a mechanical issue versus an electrical problem. This can occur when reorganizing food around in the freezer unit, you could accidentally jam the control arm up or down. A lot of the time the ice maker will get blocked with something else, even another chunk of ice. So, look to see if there is anything blocking this from operating correctly.

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

Check the Control Arm

If the switch is down and there is ice but it is not dispensing it, there might be a mechanical or electrical failure. This will require some more troubleshooting. Ready to proceed? First, we must check the electrical connection. This could be unplugged from the back of the freezer or refrigerator when moving or shifting the freezer contents.

To check this, first unplug the freezer and slide it out from the kitchen wall. Then, turn off the freezer’s water supply. Locate the connection on the rear of the inside of the freezer. Basically this is what plugs the ice maker into the freezer. Be sure that it is actually plugged in properly.

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

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

Check for Frozen Lines

More ice maker issues that could cause your ice maker to not produce ice are frozen lines. The water lines have been blocked with frost. This is an easy issue to fix.

First, unplug the fridge and find the water shut off valve. Turn the water off and then get a hair dryer to warm the line or let the refrigerator sit turned off for a couple of hours and wait until the line is thawed.

Some models that feature a water filter that can clog or ice up. In these situations, finding the water filter is the first step. Then repeat the same process that was done for the iced line.

If your ice maker isn’t making big enough cubes 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 standard dial that displays plus and a minus symbols. 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?