Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

Lane Appliance Repair is experienced in refrigerator repair service, including services to fix broken ice makers. Learn about common ice maker problems below:

Ice makers are one of the best inventions of all time. An ice maker is a little luxury most people might not appreciate. Ice makers are simple machines that don’t feature a lot of complex components that could go wrong with them.

Like with any repair, there are some basic things that need to be looked at before thinking the worst. And, remember, if needed, you are able to replace your ice maker without replacing an entire refrigerator, dependent on the model. First, let’s review a few of the causes for an ice maker failure.

If the ice maker is making ice but it is not dispensing the ice it is usually a mechanical issue vs. an electrical issue. This can happen when shifting things around in the freezer unit, you could shift the control switch up or down. Often the ice maker can be jammed with something, including a piece of ice. So, check to see if there is anything blocking this from working correctly.

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

Check the Control Arm

When the switch is down and there’s ice but it’s not ejecting it, there could be an electrical or mechanical issue. This will require some more diagnosing. Ready to begin? First, we must check the electrical connection. This can become unplugged from behind the freezer or refrigerator when moving or shifting the food in the freezer.

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

Next, remove all of the ice that is in the ice maker. This can be done by pouring in a little water to help to get ice that is inside of there out.

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

Check for Frozen Lines

Other ice maker issues that could 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 fix.

First, unplug the refrigerator and find the water shut off valve. Shut the water off and grab a hair dryer to warm the water line or just let the freezer sit without being on for a few hours and wait until the water line is thawed.

Some models that feature a water filter that can freeze or ice up. For these cases, locating the filter is the first step. Then repeat what was done for the iced water line.

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